Evaluation of Variation in Macronutrients of Soils in Harda District, Madhya Pradesh, India - A Geostatistical Approach
Subhash . *
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur - 482004 (M.P.), India and Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, 462001, India
G. S. Tagore
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur - 482004 (M.P.), India
Debabrata Nath
Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, 462001, India
M. Mohanty
Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, 462001, India
Nishant K. Sinha
Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, 462001, India
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
GPS based three hundred and three surface soil samples (0-15 cm) were collected from dominant cropping system and analyzed for different soil characteristics in laboratory using standard procedures. The results were statistically interpreted that the N, P, K, and S were found to be deficient in 56.77, 31.68, 6.6 and 52.48 percent soil samples, respectively. Geo-statistical results revealed that the exponential model was found best fit for available N, P, K, and S. Spatial distribution maps showed that soil pH, EC, organic carbon, calcium carbonate, N, P, K, and S spatially varied and were deficient in Hundia, Timarani, Khirkiya and Sirrali. These maps will be helpful for farmer’s to decide the quantity of fertilizer to be added to soil to improve fertility status for sustainable crop production and environmental protection.
Keywords: GIS, GPS, macronutrients, mapping, semi-variogram, variability