Geomorphic Classification and Evaluation of Selected Soils of West Coast Plains and Hills Zone of Kerala, India
S. S. Indumon
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
Shaikh Mohitpasha
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
A. William Mariya Joseph
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
P. Suresh Kumar
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
Manoj Kumar Singh
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
Deep Narayan Roy
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
Sumit Raizada
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
Ravi Gautam
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
Milind Wadodkar
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
R. L. Meena
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
N. S. Gahlod
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
Y. Suresh Kumar
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
Kumar Rajeev
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
S. K. Tripathi
*
Soil and Land Use Survey of India, IARI Buildings, PUSA, Delhi-110012, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study characterised and classified soils in Kavummandam, Kottattara, and Vengappalli villages of Vaittiri Tehsil, Wayanad District, Kerala, under the National Soil Mapping Programme. High-resolution Resourcesat LISS-IV imagery, geographical information system techniques, field observations, and laboratory analyses were integrated to delineate physiographic units, identify soil series, assess selected chemical properties, and evaluate land capability. Five soil series—Padivayal, Nedumbala, Kottanad, Madakkimala, and Muttil—were identified and mapped. Padivayal was dominant, occupying 48.98% of the surveyed area, followed by Nedumbala (25.13%) and Kottanad (14.11%). Very deep soils (>100 cm) covered 96.48% of the total geographical area. Hillside slopes constituted 74.11% of the landscape, and plantations represented 74.97% of land use, whereas agriculture occupied 21.50%. Moderate erosion affected 74.11% of the area. The soils were strongly to moderately acidic, with pH values of 4.51–5.98, surface-soil organic carbon contents of 1.08–2.81%, low electrical conductivity (0.02–0.09 dS m⁻¹), low exchangeable sodium percentage (0.30–2.92%), and cation exchange capacity ranging from 6.69 to 18.26 cmol(p⁺) kg⁻¹. Land capability assessment placed 48.98% of the area in Class VI and 25.13% in Class IV. The resulting spatial soil database can support site-specific land-use planning, soil and water conservation, fertility management, and sustainable agricultural development in the surveyed villages.
Keywords: Geomorphic classification, soil resource inventory, soil series, land capability, soil erosion, remote sensing, geographic information system, soil acidity.