Correlation between Water and Soil Quality Parameter and Their Effect on Agriculture: A Case Study on Saint Martin Island, Bay Of Bengal

Ahmmed B, Islam S, Ali S and Zaman O

Published on: 2026-02-07

Abstract

St. Martin's Island is a Bangladesh's only coral Island, faces water and soil quality issues. Its groundwater, vital for domestic use and also for agricultural production while its coastal seawater shows seasonal nutrient variations and potential heavy metal contamination, with soil quality being impacted by salinity and changing land use for agriculture. The purpose of this study was to show the correlation between different water and soil quality parameter such as salinity, EC, TDS, DO as well as PH, BM, N2, P, S, B, K and their effect on agriculture. Water and soil samples were collected from 40 locations across this Island. Water samples from coastal areas and tube wells were collected from 40 sampling locations analyzed by a reputable YSI water testing device operating at 556 MPS. Five physiochemical parameters were measured, including temperature, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Electrical Conductivity (EC), salinity, and dissolved oxygen (DO). The Soil Resource Development Institute's (SRDI) local laboratory performed the analysis on soil samples.  We used Pearson’s correlation test and results reveal that there was a significant positive strong and moderate correlation between salinity and TDS, Salinity and EC, EC and TDS; the correlation coefficient was 0.961, 0.480 and 0.473 at 0.001 and 0.002 significance level. The results also showed that there was a significant negative correlation between PH and Phosphorus, Phosphorus and Sulfur are -0.491 and -0.398 perspectively as well as a significant positive correlation found between BM and N2, S and B, S and K are 0.958, 0.573 and 0.569 perspectively at 1% and 5% level of significance. This physiochemical parameter significantly impacts on agricultural production.