Chemical Properties of Paddy Soils and Factors Affecting Their Change in Jeonnam Province

The long-term changes in the soil properties are closely related to the policy direction and the national program for the soil management. In this study, chemical properties of paddy soils in Jeonnam province were investigated at four-year interval since 1999 and the factors affecting change of chemical properties were analyzed in relation to the soil management policies. Chemical fertilizers supplied to Jeonnam province reduced by 57% in 2013 as compared with 1999, and the ratio of Jeonnam province to the national fertilizer supply gradually decreased to 14.1% in 2013 from 17.6% in 1999 due to national policies to reduce use of chemical fertilizers in the 2000s. In the chemical analysis of paddy soils in Jeonnam province, pH value tended to increase gradually within the optimal range. Available phosphate and exchangeable potassium content were always higher than the optimal range and showed no significant difference since 1999. Organic matter, exchangeable calcium and available silicate content were found to be lower than average content in the whole country as well optimal range for rice cultivation in 1999, but were higher than average content in the whole country and optimal range in 2011 because of faster rate of increase in Jeonnam province than the other region since the mid-2000s. The cause of increase in organic matter, exchangeable calcium and available silicate contents is considered to be the increased use of green manure crops and by-products fertilizer as an alternatives for conventional application of chemical fertilizers and soil amendment such as silicate fertilizer for agronomic control of the disease and insect pest in rice cultivation of environmentally-friendly agriculture.