Abstract
Assessment of soil fertility at Bijapur district (Karnataka, India), grape yard of various localities was undertaken. Grape is an important fruit crop of northern parts of Karnataka and it is grown over 9000 hectors. The survey includes 15 grape yards and surface soil samples up to depth of 30 cm were collected and after drying were passed through 2 mm sieve. The soil samples were analyzed for various attributes. The data on analysis revealed that the soil was clay in texture which is considered quite fit for grape growing. The soil pH of various grape fields ranged from 7.2 to 8.8 slightly above the optimum range. The electrical conductivity values varied from 0.18 to 1.75 dS/m well below the critical concentration. The carbon content ranges from 0.23 to 1.01 kg/ha. The available nitrogen was in lower range 45 to 337.5 kg/hector. This might be due to high range of mineralization due to high temperature (dry zone) and loss of nitrogen in the form of ammonia. The soil available phosphorous content range from 15.00 to 48.9 kg/hector which was medium in range. The available potassium ranged from 115 to 592 kg/hector which were high range in all the grape fields.
Highlights
Compatibility and erodability are the elements of soil quality. Among these, the problem of decline in soil fertility endangers the maximum growth in productivity[1]
Soil fertility, compatibility and erodability are the elements of soil quality
If the cropping pattern is continued over a period of time without nutrients being restored to the soil, its fertility will be reduced and crop yields will decline
Summary
Compatibility and erodability are the elements of soil quality. Among these, the problem of decline in soil fertility endangers the maximum growth in productivity[1]. Depending upon the cropping pattern, leaching, erosion etc, soil loses a considerable amount of nutrients every year. If the cropping pattern is continued over a period of time without nutrients being restored to the soil, its fertility will be reduced and crop yields will decline. This happens because 90% of plant available N, 50-60% K, 2530% P and almost 70% micronutrients residue in organic matter[3]. Soil testing provides information regarding nutrient availability in soils which forms the basis for the fertilizer recommendations for maximizing crop yields.
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