GIS-based Fertility Assessment and Mapping for Agricultural Research Station, Tandur, Telangana, India

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the soil fertility status of the Agricultural Research Station, Tandur of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), Vikarabad District, Telangana. To identify the soil sampling points, GPS device was used and collected total of 60 soil samples on grid-based method at a depth of 0–15 cm. The collected samples were analyzed for pH, EC, OC, N, P2O5, K2O, Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn status by following standard methods in the laboratory of Regional Agricultural Research Station, Palem, PJTSAU, Nagarkurnool District of Telangana, and Arc-GIS software was used further to prepare soil fertility maps. Around 37.5% of samples fall in neutral pH, whereas 62.5% samples were found as moderately alkaline reactions and entire farm soils were non-saline. Among the analyzed soil samples, 37.29% samples were in low organic carbon content, and rest of the samples i.e.,62.71% have medium organic carbon content and total samples were low in available N content (< 280 kg ha-1). The analyzed farm samples were medium to high in available phosphorus and potassium (28.67 & 71.33 % of P2O5 and 16.96 & 83.04 % of K2O respectively) content. In contrast, the micronutrients (Zn, Cu, Fe & Mn) exceeded their sufficiency level and suggested for amelioration measures to enhance research efficacy in the farm and to build future research strategies based on the determined soil fertility status.