Effects of Urbanization on Soil Quality in the Rural‒Urban Gradient of Bengaluru, India
Karan Sathish *
Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Basic Science and Humanities, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand-263 145, India.
AS Devakumar
Department of Forestry and Environment Science, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka-560 065, India.
A Kokila
Department of Forestry and Environment Science, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka-560 065, India.
C Vairavan
Department of Soil Science, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharastra-413 722, India.
Thrilekha D
Department of Sericulture, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka-560 065, India.
Chethan Kumar K B
Department of Plant Genetic Resources, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi-110012, India.
Shankar M
Department of Plant Genetic Resources, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi-110012, India.
Narayanaswamy Jeevan
Department of Agronomy, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641003, India.
Saleemali Kannihalli
Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka-560 005, India.
Moorthy A V
Department of Entomology, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand-263 145, India.
V Kousalya
Department of Forestry and Environment Science, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka-560 065, India.
Shruthi G S
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka-560 065, India.
Shweta Saraswat
Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Basic Science and Humanities, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand-263 145, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Understanding the impact of urbanization on soil quality is crucial for sustainable land management practices. This study was conducted in Bengaluru, India, to estimate the soil quality index (SQI) under different rural‒urban gradient (RUG) zones. Twenty-four sampling sites were identified along the RUG, and soil samples were collected monthly over five months during the October to February of 2020-2021. The soil quality assessment involved selecting the minimum data set (MDS) via principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation, scoring soil indicators, and combining these scores to create the soil quality index (SQI). PCA was used to identify key soil properties, which included microbial biomass carbon (MBC), SOC, N, manganese (Mn), and urease for different RUG zones derived from the MDS. The rural zones had the highest SQI (0.57), followed by the peri-urban (0.47 and 0.48) and urban (0.45 and 0.47) zones. These findings emphasize the importance of sustainable land management practices to preserve and boost soil quality across diverse regions, particularly in the face of rapid urbanization and industrialization.
Keywords: Soil quality index, rural‒urban gradient, urbanization, principal component analysis, minimum data set