Assessing the impact of eucalyptus trees on soil chemical properties in rice fields

Eucalyptus trees around rice fields can provide benefits like acting as windbreaks, reducing soil erosion, and improving drainage, but they may also compete for water and light and release chemicals that inhibit crop growth. Proper management is essential to balance these effects. The current study was undertaken to explore the effects of eucalyptus trees along boundaries on the chemical composition of rice field's soil. In the northern region of Bangladesh, in the Bogra district, surface soils were collected from rice fields. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) technique was used to analyze these samples. The pH of most soil samples was less than 7.0, suggesting a slight acidity. Furthermore, the sub-surface soil samples (214.4, 174.3, and 159.3 µS/cm) had slightly higher electrical conductivity (E.C.) values than the surface soil samples (10.3, 178.3, and 154.3 µS/cm). Significant variations in soil chemical properties such as organic matter content, soil moisture, availability of phosphorus, sulphur, sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese, and iron were observed across different distances from eucalyptus boundaries. These variations reflect the influence of eucalyptus trees on soil characteristics. A considerable portion of nickel, copper, and zinc was detected in the strongly bound residual phase, while arsenic, cadmium, and lead were bound to carbonate and exchangeable fractions. This research indicates that planting eucalyptus trees could potentially enhance soil fertility in agricultural fields, particularly in areas with concentrated agriculture near industrial zones. The novelty of this research lies in identifying the positive impacts of eucalyptus boundary plantations on soil properties in rice fields.