Characterization and delineation of micronutrient pools in some selected Inceptisols and Alfisols of West Bengal

Abstract

The present study has been conducted to determine the cationic micronutrient (Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn) pools based on other factors towards plant availability in 20 selected soil series (10 series each from Alfisols and Inceptisols) of West Bengal. Apart from physicochemical characterization, the soils were sequentially extracted for different fractions such as the water-soluble and exchangeable (SE); organically bound (OB); manganese oxide-bound / occluded (MnOx), amorphous iron oxide-bound (Am_FeOx), crystalline oxide-bound (Cry_FeOx) fractions using sequential extraction process. The percent predominance of the manganese fractions in the selected Alfisols and Inceptisols followed the order as MnOx > Am_FeOx > Cry_FeOx > OB > SE fractions while for copper, it followed the order as OB > Cry_FeOx > Am_FeOx > SE > MnOx fractions. The percent predominance of the iron fractions in the selected Alfisols and Inceptisols followed the order as Cry_FeOx > Am_FeOx > MnOx > OB > SE fractions while for zinc, it followed the order as Am_FeOx > Cry_FeOx > MnOx > OB > SE fractions. The different fractions of Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn were then stepwise regressed with other fractions and soil physicochemical properties. The most phyto-available fraction i.e. soluble and exchangeable Mn, Cu, Fe and Zn was found to be mostly governed by clay content of soil and organically bound fractions of respective elements.

Assessment of micronutrients fractionations and mobility in soils of eastern Uttar Pradesh

“…The highest concentration of total Cu was in Alfisol-I (72.2 mg/kg), whereas the minimum in Entisol-I (44.4 mg/kg). The findings of the present investigation were lined with the findings of Bhattacharya et al (2020). The mobility of Cu in various soil orders represent as: Vertisol-I>Vertisol-II>Inceptisol-I>Inceptisol-II>Entisol-II>Entisol-I>Alfisol-I>Alfisol-II (Table 1).…”

“…In case of total Zn content, Alfisol-I (93.3 mg/kg) recorded the maximum value, whereas the lowest in Entisol-I (57.3 mg/kg). Bhattacharya et al (2020) reported that total Zn content was higher in Alfisol as compared to Inceptisol and Entisol. Zinc was highly mobile in Vertisol-I, as it observed the highest MF 1.81% (Table 1) and the mobility factor of Zn follows the order of Vertisol>Inceptisol>Entisol>Alfisol.…”