Soil fertility mapping of soil nutrients in areas adopting rice wheat cropping system in Karnal, Haryana

Abstract

Use of high analysis fertilizers of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) along with lower levels of potassium (K), meagre use of organic sources of plant nutrients, improper management of crop residues and adoption of more exhaustive rice wheat cropping system have resulted in increased deficiency of macronutrients in the soils of Haryana including Karnal district. In order to have systematic information on the spatial variation of soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (OC) and macronutrients in the areas adopting rice wheat cropping system in district Karnal of Haryana, soil fertility maps were prepared using modern technologies viz. GPS and GIS. For this purpose 230 surface soil samples were randomly collected from all the five blocks of Karnal using GPS and analyzed at Regional Soil Testing Laboratory, KVK, Karnal during 2021-22. The results revealed that the pH of the soils of all the blocks of Karnal were neutral to alkaline in reaction ranging from 6.7-8.9. Electrical conductivity of majority of the soil samples was non-saline which ranged between 0.09 -1.34 dSm -1 . The OC content in soils of different blocks of Karnal viz. Assandh, Indri, Nilokheri, Karnal and Gharaunda ranged from 0.