Degradation of Soil Quality Related Physical and Chemical Properties Affected by Agricultural Practice in Le Thuy District, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam

Background: Agricultural practice is considered as main factor affecting land degradation in several regions in Vietnam. However, there are limited studies relating to degraded soil properties and their soil fertility. This paper aimed to evaluate the degradation of agricultural soil under different land management practices. Methods: A total of 80 samples at 0-10 cm of agricultural soil were collected to analyze selected physicochemical properties. The group of degradation soil properties was classified based on their soil fertility using principal component analysis. Result: The results showed that physicochemical properties in agricultural soil along coastal regions were relatively lower than in hilly regions/secondary forests. High ratio of C:N in agricultural soil was because of degradation. The organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorous contents were low in the soil in lowland areas indicating a high level of degradation (1.43%, 0.09% and 0,04%, respectively). The samples classified into four groups (G1, G2, G3, G4) using principal component analysis indicated differences in soil properties due to degradation. Insufficient and excessive application of inorganic fertilizer could be a further reason affecting the status of soil properties. Overall, soil physicochemical properties indicated poor conditions for agriculture systems, thereby, careful soil management is the primary solution.