Soil Macronutrients Research Articles

Some aspects of drought resistance in Citrullus colocynthis L. in the Egyptian deserts

Samples of Citrullus colocynthis shoots were collected from nine stands during two seasons (winter and summer 2015) in two tributaries of Wadi Qena (W. El-Atrash and W. El-Ghuza) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Soil of these stands was characterized by slight alkalinity and low soil moisture and organic matter percentages. Soil macronutrients were arranged as Ca>K> Na>Cl>SO4>Mg>PO4. However, in C. colocynthis tissues, these nutrients accumulated in the following order: SO4 >K > Ca > Mg > Na> Cl > PO4. The plant chlorophyll contents (Chl. a and b), their ratio and their stability index (CSI) increased drastically during summer. Shoot accumulated SO4, PO4 and all cations during summer more than winter, except Cl that was higher during winter. Soluble sugars (SS) and soluble proteins (SP) increased during summer while total free amino acids were higher during winter. Data revealed that there were close relationships between the high SO4, K and Ca contents and the hot-dry conditions and the accumulation of SS and SP on the relatively hot-dry season However, this may be primarily related to metabolism of drought resistance in such desert plants. Correlations between plant and soil variables showed important positive relations between soil Ca, Mg and plant Mg and between soil SO4 with Ca and Mg of plant. Spatial distribution of C. colocynthis was the most important factor that controls WC, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, PO4, CSI a, CSI b , Chl. a and b, Chl. a/b ratio, TAA, , SS and SP. While, the interaction between both factors, spatial and temporal, could be the promoter.

Nutrient availability and organic matter content under different soil use and management

The use of the system, handling and time adoption of these can effectively alter the quantity of organic matter (OM) and change the cycling of nutrients in the soil. This paper aimed at evaluating the availability of nutrients and OM contents in an Oxisol (Xanthic Ferralsol) located within a Cerrado area (Savannah ecosystem) of the Piaui State in Brazil, after years under different soil use and management systems. The treatments consisted of soils under no-tillage for three, six and nine years (NTS3, NTS6, and NTS9); pasture for two and six years (PA2 and PA6, respectively); eucalyptus plantation for six and 12 years (EU6 and EU12); conventional tillage system for two and eight years (CTS2 and CTS8) and native Cerrado (NC), which represented conditions of equilibrium. For each area, we assessed the levels of OM, pH in water, Al3+, H+ + Al3+, P, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ at four soil depths (0.0-0.10, 0.10-0.20, 0.20-0.30 and 0.30-0.40 m) as well as the levels of Cu, Mn, Zn, Fe, B and S at 0.0-0.40 m depth, all with four replicates. Use and management systems provided significant effects on the availability of soil macronutrients and OM contents, but have inadequate levels of micronutrients in the soil, especially Boron. In areas under tillage, there is an increase in pH, availability of nutrients and OM in the surface layer, especially during the first six years of adoption of the system, while in the areas with nine years; there were an increase in P levels in subsurface. The areas under cultivation with eucalyptus show higher potential in increasing the OM levels in soil subsurface layers.

Organic carbon, nutrient, and salt dynamics in saline soil and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) irrigated with treated municipal wastewater

AbstractThis study was conducted to evaluate the effects of treated municipal wastewater irrigation on soil organic carbon (SOC), soil macronutrients, Na, Cl, and SO4 dynamics in soil as well as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) shoots under greenhouse conditions. Average SOC concentrations in upper 60 cm increased significantly from the prestudy level of 18 Mg ha−1 to between 21 and 23 Mg ha−1 at the end of the study (2009–2015) under different treatments. Annual average rate of increase for all four depths (upper 60 cm) ranged from 0.6 to 0.8 Mg ha−1 y−1. Nutrient concentration in soil samples was positively influenced by fertilizer application. N, P, and K concentrations in soil and switchgrass shoots were significantly positively correlated. On average, Alamo switchgrass cultivar under irrigated conditions removed 28.5 to 35.7 g N m−2, 2.52 to 3.48 g P m−2, and 29.6 to 38.4 g K m−2, and differences between freshwater and wastewater treatments were not significant. This indicated that wastewater irrigation did not result in excessive accumulation of nutrients in switchgrass tissue. Although salt constituents such as Na, Cl, and SO4 concentrations in soil increased over time as a result of wastewater irrigation, their concentration did not increase in switchgrass shoots, indicating a salt exclusion mechanism. The results of this greenhouse study indicated that the use treated municipal wastewater for irrigation can improve SOC contents of salt affected lands and extend the availability of freshwater in arid regions.

Leaching behaviour of a sandy soil amended with natural and NH4+ and K+ saturated clinoptilolite and chabazite

ABSTRACTUsing saturated or enriched zeolites as slow release fertilizers (SRFs) is considered as an environmental-friendly strategy to enhance use of macronutrients in sandy soils. In this paper, two natural zeolites, clinoptilolite (CLI) and chabazite (CHA) were used as mineral precursors to prepare NH4+/K+ saturated clinoptilolite (NH4+/K+-CLI) and chabazite (NH4+/K+-CHA) as zeolitic nutrient sources (ZNSs). Comparison between the nutrient retention capabilities of these ZNSs was one of the main objectives of this study. The NH4+/K+-CLI and NH4+/K+-CHA were prepared by soaking the zeolites in NH4Cl and KCl solutions, respectively. Leaching tests were performed on a sandy soil amended with chemical fertilizers (CFs), NH4+/K+-CLI and NH4+/K+-CHA to evaluate the leaching properties of them. The results indicated that approximately 84% and 88% of the NH4+ and K+ of soils fertilized with CFs were lost during the experiment, respectively. While, the NH4+ and K+ losses from soils amended with NH4+/K+-CLI and NH4+/K+-CHA were 29%, 23%, and 14%, 24%, respectively. Despite of drastic changes in leaching behavior of CFs, nutrient losses from ZNSs were more uniform during the experiments. No significant difference was found between the two studied zeolites on reduction of K+ loss. However, CHA was more effective in preventing NH4+ loss during leaching.

Plant and livestock waste compost compared with inorganic fertilizer: nutrient contribution to soil.

El uso de desechos de ganado y residuos vegetales, como fuente de nutrientes y material orgánico para el suelo, puede representar una alternativa viable para evitar daños riesgosos para el agroecosistema, derivados del uso de fertilizantes químicos. El presente estudio fue conducido en 2013, en condiciones de invernadero en la FACIATEC-UACH, Chihuahua, México. Se evaluó la contribución al suelo de los macronutrientes NO3-, P=, K+, Ca++, Mg++ y Na+, a partir de cuatro compostas elaboradas de (a) estiércol de bovinos, (b) excremento de gallina, (c) aserrín y (d) esquilmo de maíz, los cuales fueron comparados con urea como fertilizante sintético y un control sin fertilizante. Se utilizó un diseño completamente aleatorizado y se realizó el análisis de varianza mediante el paquete estadístico SAS (Statistical Analysis System), versión 9.3.1; la comparación múltiple de medias se realizó mediante el procedimiento de Tukey (α = 0.05). Los resultados sugieren que cinco de los tratamientos de compostas incrementaron la concentración de NO3-, en los cuales el estiércol de gallina superó signif icativamente al de bovinos en su aportación de los macronutrientes NO3- y P=; del mismo modo, las compostas elaboradas a partir de aserrín tuvieron un efecto signif icativo sobre el NO3- y superaron a los que contenían esquilmos de maíz. La concentración de Ca++ y Mg++ en los suelos donde se aplicó la composta, fue menor en comparación con aquellos tratados con urea, aunque el contenido de Na+ en los tratamientos de composta superó estadísticamente a la de aquellos tratados con fertilizantes inorgánicos. Esta evidencia sugiere que el uso de fertilizantes orgánicos, ya sea de origen animal o vegetal, es una fuente benéf ica para los nutrientes del suelo con alto potencial en la agricultura sostenible.

Comparison of artificial neural networks, geographically weighted regression and Cokriging methods for predicting the spatial distribution of soil macronutrients (N, P, and K)

Soil macronutrients (i.e. nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)) are important soils components and knowing the spatial distribution of these parameters are necessary at precision agriculture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of different methods such as artificial neural networks (ANN) and two geostatistical methods (geographically weighted regression (GWR) and cokriging (CK)) to estimate N, P and K contents. For this purpose, soil samples were taken from topsoil (0–30 cm) at 106 points and analyzed for their chemical and physical parameters. These data were divided into calibration (n = 84) and validation (n = 22). Chemical and physical variables including clay, pH and organic carbon (OC) were used as auxiliary soil variables to estimate the N, P and K contents. Results showed that the ANN model (with coefficient of determination R 2 = 0.922 and root mean square error RMSE = 0.0079%) was more accurate compared to the CK model (with R 2 = 0.612 and RMSE = 0.0094%), and the GWR model (with R 2 = 0.872 and RMSE = 0.0089%) to estimate the N variable. The ANN model estimated the P with the RMSE of 3.630 ppm, which was respectively 28.93% and 20.00% less than the RMSE of 4.680 ppm and 4.357 ppm from the CK and GWR models. The estimated K by CK, GWR and ANN models have the RMSE of 76.794 ppm, 75.790 ppm and 52.484 ppm. Results indicated that the performance of the CK model for estimation of macro nutrients (N, P and K) was slightly lower than the GWR model. Also, the accuracy of the ANN model was higher than CK and GWR models, which proved to be more effective and reliable methods for estimating macro nutrients.

Low‐cost agricultural waste accelerates tropical forest regeneration

Lower‐cost tropical forest restoration methods, particularly those framed as win–win business‐protected area partnerships, could dramatically increase the scale of tropical forest restoration activities, thereby providing a variety of societal and ecosystem benefits, including slowing both global biodiversity loss and climate change. Here we describe the long‐term regenerative effects of a direct application of agricultural waste on tropical dry forest. In 1998, as part of an innovative agricultural waste disposal service contract, an estimated 12,000 Mg of processed orange peels and pulp were applied to a 3 ha portion of a former cattle pasture with compacted, rocky, nutrient‐poor soils characteristic of prolonged fire‐based land management and overgrazing in Área de Conservación Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica. After 16 years, the experimental plot showed a threefold increase in woody plant species richness, a tripling of tree species evenness (Shannon Index), and a 176% increase in aboveground woody biomass over an adjacent control plot. Hemispheric photography showed significant increases in canopy closure in the area where orange waste was applied relative to control. Orange waste deposition significantly elevated levels of soil macronutrients and important micronutrients in samples taken 2 and 16 years after initial orange waste application. Our results point to promising opportunities for valuable synergisms between agricultural waste disposal and tropical forest restoration and carbon sequestration.

EFFECT OF FARMYARD MANURE AND DIFFERENT SOURCES OF P AND K ON SOME MACRONUTRIENTS IN SOIL AND PLANT

The pot experiments were performed at the Faculty of Agriculture, Minufiya University, Shibin El-Kom to investigate the effect of different sources and rates, of P, K and organic manure on corn plants grown in both alluvial and calcareous soils. Two surface soil samples (0 – 30 cm) were collected from two locations. A) alluvial soil from experimental farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Minufiya University, Shibin El-Kom. B) calcareous soil from Nubaria farm, Behera Governorate. Each polyethylene pot (15 cm diameter) was filled with 2 kg soils and planted with five grains of corn plant (Zea mays L.). After 14 days from planting the plants thinned to three plants per pot. The pots were irrigated to keep soil moisture at approximately 60% of the water holding capacity. The organic manure was added at 0, 1 and 2%. P was added at (0, 15 and 30 ppm, P2O5) of superphosphate and Triplephosphate. The organic manure and phosphatic fertilizers were added before planting. Potassium was added at 0, 24 and 48 ppm K2O of potassium sulphate and potassium chloride. After 45 days from planting the plants were harvested and dried at 70°C, weighted, ground and digested for chemical analysis. The application of FYM at rates of 1 and 2% to the both alluvial and calcareous soils caused a significant increase in dry matter yield of corn plants. The values of dry matter yield in alluvial soil, were higher than those obtained in the calcareous soil. The additions of FYM to both soils increased the N, P and K uptake by corn plants. The application of FYM increased the availability of P and K in used soils. The application of phosphatic fertilizers increased the dry matter yield of corn plants grown in both. The dry matter yield of corn plants with triplephospate application was higher than those with superphosphate in alluvial soil, while the reverse was reverse was true in calcareous one. The N, P and K uptake by corn plants were obviously higher on alluvial soil than those on calcareous one with P application. The application of phosphate fertilizers increased available P and slightly increased available K in used soils. Available P and K in alluvial soil were higher than those in calcareous one. Application of potassium sulphate was more effective in increasing dry matter yield of corn plants than potassium chloride in both soils. The absolute values of N, P and K uptake by corn plants by K2SO4 application were higher than those treated with KCl-fertilizers. Application of potassium fertilizers increased the available K in both used soils and slightly decreased availability P in alluvial soil but there is no effect in calcareous soil.

EFFECT OF FARMYARD MANURE AND DIFFERENT SOURCES OF P AND K ON SOME MACRONUTRIENTS IN SOIL AND PLANT

EFFECT OF FARMYARD MANURE AND DIFFERENT SOURCES OF P AND K ON SOME MACRONUTRIENTS IN SOIL AND PLANT

A Novel PET-Based Piezoresistive MEMS Sensor Platform for Agricultural Applications

A simple and cost effective process is demonstrated for fabricating polyethylene terephthalate (PET) cantilever-based sensor platform with piezoresistive transduction. A one step method is developed to coat graphene nanoplatelet piezoresistive layer on to the PET structural layer. The proposed platform can be used for a variety of sensing applications. The novelty of this process is that it does not require any expensive lithography tools or a specialized clean room facility. We report here the fabrication, characterization, and application of this sensor for the detection of soil macronutrients. Ours is the first report demonstrating the use of PET-based microelectromechanical system for agricultural sensing application. [2017-0094]

Content of organic carbon, total nitrogen and available forms of macronutrients in soil contaminated with cobalt

Content of organic carbon, total nitrogen and available forms of macronutrients in soil contaminated with cobalt

Piezoresistive microcantilever based lab-on-a-chip system for detection of macronutrients in the soil

Monitoring of soil nutrients is very important in precision agriculture. In this paper, we have demonstrated a micro electro mechanical system based lab-on-a-chip system for detection of various soil macronutrients which are available in ionic form K+, NO3−, and H2PO4−. These sensors are highly sensitive piezoresistive silicon microcantilevers coated with a polymer matrix containing methyltridodecylammonium nitrate ionophore/ nitrate ionophore VI for nitrate sensing, 18-crown-6 ether for potassium sensing and Tributyltin chloride for phosphate detection. A complete lab-on-a-chip system integrating a highly sensitive current excited Wheatstone’s bridge based portable electronic setup along with arrays of microcantilever devices mounted on a printed circuit board with a liquid flow cell for on the site experimentation for soil test has been demonstrated.

Crambe Growth in a Soil Amended with Biochar and under Saline Irrigation

ABSTRACTBiochar is the term given to biomass subjected to the process of change in the composition by the action of high temperatures. Advantages of biochar in soil quality have been reported, including amelioration of salinity effects. Crambe has great potential to figure as raw material for biofuel, since it naturally contains up to 60% of erucic acid. This study evaluated crambe growth in a soil amended with biochar and irrigated with saline waters. A greenhouse experiment was conducted following a completely randomized design with five levels of biochar, two irrigation water supplies, and four replications. Parameters related to soil chemical properties, crambe growth, oil, and macronutrient contents were evaluated. Biochar presented significance for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter (OM), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), and potassium (K) contents. Crambe growth parameters decreased with the doses of biochar. Oil and macronutrient contents were in accordance to previous studies.

Land Productivity Enhancement by Sulfur Nutrient Management in Vertisol Rice Field

Sulfur is a secondary soil macro nutrients needed by plants as the most important part of the essential amino acids (cystine and methionine), protein synthesis, chlorophyll production and carbohydrate metabolism. The research aimed to study the land productivity improvement of Vertisol rice field by controlling the sulfur nutrient. The study was conducted in Dawu, Paron, and Guyung, Gerih, Ngawi, East Java, Indonesia, during the dry season 2013 and 2014. A randomized complete block design, with eight treatments and three replications were applied. The treatments were some rates of S-fertilizer application combined with in situ straw compost, ZA and Kieserit. Experimental plots dimension is 6 m x 5 m. Ciherang and Membramo were rice varieties grown in legowo 2:1 system. The results showed that S-fertilizer application can increase the weight of dry grain harvest and dry grain milled. The optimum doses of S-fertilizer were 24 kg S ha-1. Kieserit application resulted in less grain yield than ZA. Manure can increase the weight of dry grain harvest and tend to increase the weight of dry milled grain compared to those of the control treatments.

Comparison of rhizosphere properties as affected by different Bt- and non-Bt-cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) genotypes and fertilization.

Incorporation of genetically modified crops in the cropping system raises the need for studying the effect of these crops on the soil ecosystem. The current study aimed to compare the effect of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)- and non-Bt-cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) genotypes on rhizosphere properties under fertilized and unfertilized soil conditions. One non-Bt-cotton (IUB 75) and four Bt-cotton varieties (IUB-222, MM-58, IUB-13, FH-142) were sown in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in a factorial fashion with three replications under unfertilized (T1) and fertilized (T2 at NPK 310-170-110kgha-1) soil conditions. The culturable soil bacterial population was recorded at flowering, boll opening, and harvesting stages, while other rhizosphere biological and chemical properties were recorded at harvesting. Results revealed that Bt-cotton genotypes IUB-222 and FH-142 showed significantly higher rhizosphere total nitrogen, NH4+-N, available phosphorus, and available potassium. Total organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon was also maximum in the rhizosphere of IUB-222 under fertilized conditions. Similarly, bacterial population (CFU g-1) at flowering stage and at harvesting was significantly higher in the rhizosphere of IUB-222 as compared to non-Bt- (IUB-75) and other Bt-cotton genotypes under same growth conditions. It showed that Bt genotypes can help in maintaining soil macronutrients (total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium) under proper nutrient management. Moreover, Bt-cotton genotypes seem to strengthen certain biological properties of the soil, thus increasing the growth and yield capability, maintaining available nutrients in the soil as compared to non-Bt cotton, while no harmful effects of Bt cotton on soil properties was detected.

Effect of seed position and soil nutrients on seed mass, germination and seedling growth in Peucedanum oreoselinum (Apiaceae)

There is large variation in seed mass within P. oreoselinum (L.) Moench selected for the present study from two contrasting habitats: roadside and oak forest. Effect of seed position within a plant and of soil nutrients on seed mass, germination and seedlings growth were studied. Within an individual plant, seed mass decreased with umbel order and seeds from the central umbellet of the umbel were lighter than those from the outer edge, suggesting that variation in seed mass within an individual plant was due to the position effect. There was a significant relationship between seed mass and total germination. Covariate analysis showed the differences between sites in seed macronutrient contents were caused by respective differences in seed mass and soil macronutrients. This indicates substantial variation in the amount of reserves initially available for seedling growth. In conclusion, phenotypically-based variation in seed mass may arise from soil conditions, maternal traits or combination of the two. High variability in seed mass of P. oreoselinum favours its widespread geographic distribution. These results suggest that with respect to germination characteristics large seeds from primary order have a competitive advantage over small seeds produced on secondary umbels because they have higher overall germination.

Plant species richness mediates the effects of vegetation structure, but not soil fertility, on insect gall richness in a savanna in Brazil

Abstract:The present study aims to investigate the effects of vegetation structure (plant abundance and height) and soil characteristics (soil organic matter and macronutrients) on insect gall richness, and determine the extent to which these effects are mediated by the indirect effects of plant species richness. The study was performed in forty-nine 100-m2 savanna plots in Parque Nacional das Emas (Brazil) and sampled a total of 985 individual plants of 71 plant species and 97 insect gall morphotypes. Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) induced the most insect galls (38.1%), and the plant family Myrtaceae had the greatest richness of insect gall morphotypes (16). Path analysis of plant abundance, plant height, soil macronutrients, soil organic matter and plant species richness explained 73% of insect gall richness. The results show that soil macronutrient quantity has a direct positive effect on insect gall richness, whereas plant abundance and plant height had only indirect positive effects on insect gall richness via the increase in plant species richness. These findings showed that both plant-related and environment-related factors are important to induce insect gall richness in Neotropical savannas, and that plant species richness should be taken into account to determine the richness of insect galls.

Microbial inoculation of seeds characteristically shapes the rhizosphere microbiome in desi and kabuli chickpea types

Chickpea is generally cultivated after seed treatment with host-specific Mesorhizobium ciceri, the nitrogen-fixing bacterium forming root nodules. Some species of free-living cyanobacteria are capable of nitrogen fixation. We examined the rhizosphere microbiota changes and the potential for plant growth promotion by applying a free-living, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium and the biofilm formulation of cyanobacterium with M. ciceri, relative to M. ciceri applied singly, to two each of desi and kabuli varieties of chickpea. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles of archaeal, bacterial and cyanobacterial communities and those of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were obtained to evaluate the changes of the microbial communities in the chickpea rhizosphere. Plant growth attributes, including the pod yields and the availabilities of soil macronutrients and micronutrients, were monitored. The DGGE profiles showed distinct and characteristic changes due to the microbial inoculation; varietal differences exerted a marked influence on the archaeal and cyanobacterial communities. However, bacterial communities were modulated more by the type of microbial inoculants. Abundance of Gram-negative bacteria (in terms of notional PLFAs) differed between the desi and the kabuli varieties inoculated with M. ciceri alone, and the principal component analysis of PLFA profiles confirmed the characteristic effect of microbial inoculants tested. Microbial inoculation led to increases in the 100-seed weight and differential effects on the concentrations of available nitrogen and phosphorus, and those of iron, zinc and copper, suggesting their increased cycling in the rhizosphere. Microbial inoculation of chickpea brought out the characteristic changes in rhizosphere microbiota. Consequently, the growth promotion of chickpea and nutrient cycling in its rhizosphere distinctively differed. Further studies are needed to analyse the association and dynamic changes in the microbial communities to define the subset of microorganisms selected by chickpea in its rhizosphere and the influence of microbial inoculation.

English

Application of organic wastes in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is an alternative possibly replacing or supplementing mineral fertilizers. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of poultry litter, organo-mineral fertilizer and mineral fertilizer on soil chemical properties, yield and plant content of macronutrients in sugarcane. The experiment was conducted at the Jalles Machado Mill in Goianésia- GO, from July 2009 to April 2010, as randomized complete blocks design (RCBD). The mineral fertilizer was applied at the following doses: 66; 120 and 82 kg ha-1 of N, P2O5 and K2O, respectively; poultry litter and organ-mineral fertilizer were applied at doses of 3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 t ha-1, in addition to the control (no fertilization). The following variables were analyzed: organic matter, macronutrients in soil and leaves and sugarcane yield. The productivity of sugarcane was higher with poultry litter and organo-mineral fertilizer in relation to mineral fertilization, and organo-mineral fertilization was superior to poultry litter. There was an increase in soil phosphorus levels in soil by fertilizing with poultry litter and organo-mineral fertilizer. Levels of soil K, Ca, Mg contents, acidity and soil organic matter, and  levels of macronutrients in sugarcane  did not change by the application of poultry litter and organo-mineral fertilizer comparing with mineral fertilizer. The use of organo-mineral fertilizer, as well as pure poultry litter is recommended.   Key words: Wastes, biofertilizers, compost.

Correlation of Spatial Variability of Soil Macronutrients with Crop Performance by Using Satellite and Remote Sensing Indices for Site Specific Agriculture: Chakwal Region

Site-specific agriculture includes the application of soil on variable areas rather than the whole field and requires the knowledge of spatial variability of soil nutrients in the area. A survey was conducted to find out the spatial variation of soil macronutrient, to prepare the soil fertility maps and to correlate soil nutrients with NDVI values, at University Research Farm, Koont, Chakwal. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for soil macronutrient (NO3- N, P, K, SO4-S and CaCO3) concentration through standard procedures. Obtained data were analyzed by using GIS and ordinary statistics to predict the spatial variability and preparation of digital maps of the soil macronutrients. NDVI values were calculated by acquiring the cloud free landsat images of study area to correlate with soil macronutrients. The results showed that, NO3-N and Available P were deficient in study area and were having the mean value of 7.54 mg kg-1 and 6.64 mg kg-1 respectively. K and SO4-S were in satisfactory ranges and were having average values of 130.3 mg kg-1 and 8.69 mg kg-1 respectively. Study area was classified as moderately calcareous soil and lime content were having the mean value of 7.88%. Geostatistical analysis showed that NO3-N and available P were strongly spatial dependent while K, SO4-S and CaCO3 were moderately spatial dependent. Pearson correlation analysis among NDVI values and soil parameters showed that NO3-N, P, K and CaCO3 were significantly positively correlated with NDVI values whereas SO4-S showed non-significant positive correlation with NDVI values. Study recommended that spatial variability of soil properties should be taken in account in decision making processes regarding farm operations such as fertilizer application, more studies on different spatial scale should be conducted and use of such techniques in profitable and sustainable site-specific agriculture should be promoted.