Distribution of water soluble boron in soils of different agro-climatic regions of Karnataka state, India

Abstract

In Karnataka state in India, agriculture, horticulture and forestry are practiced on the following soil orders: Alfisols, Vertisols, Aridisols, Inceptisols, Ultisols, Entisols and Oxisols. The soil temperature regime is isohyperthermic in all the six regions where diversified farming is practiced. Through an intensive soil survey, the entire state has been surveyed, soil profiles examined, and the hot water soluble boron (B) evaluated for all the regions. The distribution of hot water soluble B was higher in all the zones at surface layers except in northern dry zone, central dry zone, southern transition zone and northern transition zone where it was a lower. The higher levels of B in the sub-surface layers was observed in the sub surface horizons in the dry lands of the arid climatic zone. Considering all soils surveyed, there was no relationship between hot water soluble B and rainfall, organic carbon, pH, clay or sand.