Author(s): A. HALDER, S. K. DE AND P. K. TARAFDAR

Abstract: Astudy was undertaken at farmer’s field at “Khatra” block in Bankura district of West Bengal to investigate the effect of hydraulic conductivity of the cultivated soil under different cropping sequence with soil properties and develop schematic model for predicting the hydraulic conductivity under different soil factors. Soil sample were collected from cultivated farmer field under six cropping sequences like: (i) rice-fallow, (ii) rice-mustard -fallow, (iii) rice–potato -fallow, (iv) rice-vegetable-fallow, (v) rice- rice-fallow (vi) groundnut -rice-fallow. Bulk density decreases 11.8%, 5.14%, 2.20%, 1.47%, 1.46% and 0.73% respectively under different cropping sequences than the fallow plots and also increase with the soil depth; porosity and water holding capacity, hydraulic conductivity, electrical conductivity, organic carbon also increases under different cropping sequences than the fallow plots and also decreases with the soil depth. Highest coefficient of correlation between Hydraulic conductivity (HC) and water holding capacity (r=0.40**) has been observed and negative correlation was found in silt and clay. The multiple regression model was developed by six important soil factors that is sand, organic carbon (OC), bulk density (BD), water holding capacity (WHC), porosity and silt fraction for predicting hydraulic conductivity of the cultivable soil under different sequences.

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