THE AGRO-DIVERSITY OF BATIAGHATA UPAZILA IN RELATION TO SALINITY (MS Thesis)- Degree Awarded

Abstract:

Bangladesh is likely to be one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to natural disasters and salinity is one of the most scrious hazards for Bangladesh. Over the last decades, it has been observed that salinity problem has become a major issue affecting the agriculture sector in Bangladesh especially in coastal regions. Therefore, study was conducted in four areas in Batiaghata, Jalma, Gangarampur and Surkhali union in Batiaghata upazila, as the South-Western coastal part of Bangladesh. Last Five years (2021-2025) data and the present time data which comes from my labratory analysis of soil salinity and some inorganic compound were used to address the salinity condition to these areas and its impacts on some major crops. It is found from the study that the average soil salinity in Surkhali union raised about near 6 (ds/m), Batiaghata union 1.16 (ds/m), Gangarampur union 4.53 (ds/m) and Jalma union 0.85 (ds/m) is comparatively low soil salinity affected area. Production of aman rice was affected little by soil salinity but production of boro rice was more affected by soil salinity in most of the cases because boro rice grown in the dry season and during dry season soil salinity was higher in all the study areas. Production of watermelon is also little affected but this is emerged as the blessing to these areas. Besides crop production, fisheries sector’s loss in Surkhali union area also been found in this study. Saline water from the sea was intruded in the study area which is increasing the salinity level in soil. Batiaghata and Jalma union soil salinity level is comparatively low but some places it’s high in the dry season Still the soil of Surkhali and Gangarampur area carries the salinity to some extent, specially hampered for the crop and fish production.

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