First meeting of the Editorial Board of the Soil Atlas of Asia, 12 - 15 March 2018, Quezon City, Philippines. The preparation of the Soil Atlas of Asia is sponsored by Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC-EC).

1. Soil priorities at the national level:
Saline Soils: Total cultivated area-16,89,831 ha
Actions taken to address salinity
a) Expansion of salt tolerant crops and adoption of agro-fisheries in low lying
areas
b) Storage of rain water in the re-excavated dead/dying river channels
c) Expansion of farm-pond technology to irrigate winter vegetables.
d) Ground water abstraction minimized/discouraged.
e) Peat soils are left under water to avoid shrinkage and subsistence of ground
level
f) Cultivation of winter vegetables by double mulching to reduce the salinity
stress.
g) Sorjourn (ditch & dike) method to cultivate fruits and vegetables.
Experience as editor:
Soil Information that can be made available for the Atlas at the regional
level. This could include maps (please indicate scale, date, classification
used and if available digital), reports, policy documents, scientific
studies:
Soil Information that can be made available for the Atlas at the national
level. This could include maps (please indicate scale, date, classification
used and if available digital), reports, policy documents, scientific
studies:
Please specify the surface area affected by the identified soil threats
and (if any) which actions are taken to address them.
Soil priorities at the regional level:
Distribution of Salt affected areas in Asia
Please specify the surface area affected by the identified priorities
and which countries they interest the most.
Maps: [Scale: 1:3X106 ;1975-2018]
General Soil: 19 Units (Calcareousness, grey, dark grey,…….)
Physiogrpahy: 22 Units
Agro-ecological Zones: Hydrology, Soils, Climate (30 AEZs & 88 sub units)
Inundation Land Types: 5 Units {HL (0), MHL (1), MLL (2), LL (3), VLL (4)}
Problem Soils:
Flood Prone Area: 4 Units
Drought Prone Area: 1 Units
Soil Salinity: 5 Units
River Water Salinity:
Soil pH: 6 Units
Soil Texture:
Soil Organic Matter: 5 Units
Fertility Status (N, P, K, S, Zn & B):
Land Use 2004:
Bangladesh Agriculture: Combating Challenges to Feed the Millions. MOA.2017
Agricultural Land Availability in Bangladesh, Nazmul et al., SRDI 2013 pp 01-42
Bangladesh: Soil Resources. Technical Report 3. FAO/UNDP, 1971 (Soil Survey
Project AGL:SF/PAK6)
Soils of Bangladesh R. Rahman (Ex-director SRDI), Dragon Publications, Dhaka,
Bangladesh, 2005. pp 01-264
Geography of Bangladesh Soils H. Brammer. The University Press Ltd. Dhaka,
Bangladesh, 1996 pp 01-286.
Benchmark Soils of Bangladesh GIS Publication #4 Dept. of Soil ,Water and
Environment, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh pp 01-155.
Maps: [Scale: 1:3X106 ;1975-2018]
General Soil: 19 Units (Calcareousness, grey, dark grey,…….)
Physiogrpahy: 22 Units
Agro-ecological Zones: Hydrology, Soils, Climate (30 AEZs & 88 sub units)
Problem Soils:
Flood Prone Area: 4 Units
Drought Prone Area: 1 Units
Soil Salinity: 5 Units
River Water Salinity:
Soil pH: 6 Units
Soil Texture:
Soil Organic Matter:
Agricultural Land Availability in Bangladesh, Nazmul et al., SRDI 2013 pp 01-
42
Bangladesh: Soil Resources. Technical Report 3. FAO/UNDP, 1971 (Soil
Survey Project AGL:SF/PAK6)
Soils of Bangladesh R. Rahman (Ex-director SRDI), Dragon Publications,
Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2005. pp 01-264
Geography of Bangladesh Soils H. Brammer. The University Press Ltd. Dhaka,
Bangladesh, 1996 pp 01-286.
Benchmark Soils of Bangladesh GIS Publication #4 Dept. of Soil ,Water and
Environment, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh pp 01-155.
Proceedings of the Workshop on Soil Erosion, Eco-Degradation and Poverty
Relationship in Bangladesh Perspective, IECA:Bangladesh Chapter. 2007
Network:
Name of the presenter: Main areas of
expertise:
Country:
Dr. Md. Altaf Hossain
BANGLADESH Editorial Board Member: Journal BiNET (www.journalbinet.com)
Savy Book Publishers
Life member: i) Bangladesh Society of Agronomy ii) Soil Science Society of Bangladesh
Agriculturist Institution Bangladesh, iii) Bangladesh Association for the Advancement of Science
Soil Survey, Agronomy, Plant Nutrition
Description Area (ha) %
2-4 4.1-8.0 8.1-12.0 12.1-16.0 <16.0
a) Non-saline with Very slightly saline 193278 30 69 27 4 0 0
b) Very slightly saline with some slightly saline 248337 71 50 33 14 3 0
c) Slightly saline with some moderately saline 218145 80 25 40 20 11 4
d) Strongly saline with some moderately saline 198014 90 7 21 29 32 11
e) Very strongly saline with some moderately saline 198486 99 0 6 24 34 36
Total 1056260 63 31 26 18 15 10
Continent Country Saline/Solonchaks Sodic/Solonetz Total
South Asia Afghanistan 3 103 - 3101
Bangladesh 2479 538 3017
Burma 634 - 634
India 23 222 574 23 796
Iran 26 399 686 27 085
Iraq 6 726 - 6 726
Israel 28 - 28
Jordan 180 - 180
Kuwait 209 - 209
Muscat and Oman 290 - 290
Pakistan 10 456 - 10 456
Qatar 225 - 225
Sarawak 1 538 - 1 538
Saudi Arabia 6 002 - 6 002
Sri Lanka 200 - 200
Syrian Arab Rep. 532 - 532
United Arab Emirates 1 089 - 1 089
North and Central Asia China 36 221 437 36 658
Mongolia 4 070 - 4 070
USSR 51 092 119 628 170 720
South-East Asia Democratic Kampuchea 1 291 - 1 291
Indonesia 13 213 - 13 213
Malaysia 3 040 - 3 040
Socialist Rep. of Vietnam 983 - 983
Thailand 1 456 1 456
Australasia Australia 17 269 339 971 357 240
Fiji 90 - 90
Solomon Islands 238 - 238
Source: Massoud, 1977 (FAO)