Effect of landforms and vegetations on pedological variability and crop yield along the toposequence of Eastern Coastal Plain of Odisha, India

Topography and vegetation have a significant role in soil development in different ecosystems. Interactions between soil and landforms help to understand the pedogenic processes and soil variability. The present study assessed the impact of various landforms and vegetation on pedological variability along the toposequence of the eastern coastal plain. We characterized 46 soil profiles from five landforms, viz., foothills, upland, alluvial plains, coastal plains, and sandbars and performed factor analysis. The frequency distribution of the soil properties was significantly skewed with each other’s. Soils are classified into three orders: Alfisols, Inceptisols, and Entisols from hills to sandbars. The soils were characterized by clay (2.50–65.8%), AWC (4.0–28.0%), pH (5.40–9.40), EC (0.03–5.60 dSm−1), OC (0.01–1.13%), CEC (1.0-31.60 cmol (p+) kg−1), BS (57–95%) and ESP (0.54–27.8%). Whereas alluvial plain soils are rich in clay and organic carbon, foothill and upland soils experience severe to moderate soil erosion, leading to the leaching of basic cations. Coastal plains face regular seawater intrusion and flooding, causing excess deposition of salts, which alter the soil pedogenic process under different landforms and land use. Soil pH, EC, clay, CEC and ESP significantly influenced the paddy yield in alluvial and coastal plains landforms. Development of landform and soil relationships concerning land uses in coastal regions helps to identify factors involved in soil development, pedogenic processes and crop productivity.