Not AvailableLand degradation due to water erosion is a major
impediment for optimum land productivity in West
Bengal (WB). Sustainable development of the state
needs appropriate land-use planning taking into account
the heterogeneity in soil and land resources. In
this study, the maximum permissible soil loss rates (T
values) were computed for 115 mapping units of WB
by integrating the most sensitive soil indicators such
as infiltration rate, bulk density, water stable aggregates,
organic carbon and fertility status to assess soil
quality governing soil resistibility to erosion. For each
mapping unit, indicator soil attribute values were
quantitatively expressed in the 0 to 1 scale and an aggregate
score was computed from the attribute scores
and the corresponding weights. The results suggested a
wide difference in the T values among the regions and
mapping units, with values ranging from 2.5 to
12.5 Mg ha–1 yr–1. In the state as a whole, about 88%
of the area has ‘T’ value of 12.5 Mg ha–1 yr–1. The
relatively plain lands in the Indo-Gangetic plain,
coastal and delta plain and the Bengal basin have a
higher soil loss tolerance of about 4.0 Mg ha–1 yr–1
than the hilly and undulating regions in the Eastern
Himalaya and Eastern plateau regions. The information
generated will serve as a useful guide for devising
differential conservation and resource use plans on
the basis of soil resource potential.Not Availabl
