Soil Characterization of Meerut District Under Different Cropping System

Abstract

A depth-wise surface (0-15 cm) and subsurface (15-30 cm) soil sample were collected from five cropping systems at different locations to evaluate the Soil characterization of the Meerut district under different cropping systems. The area is situated at a latitude of 29o 40′ North and longitude of 77o 42′ East with an elevation of 237 m above mean sea level. The soil samples were analyzed to find the physico-chemical properties like Soil texture, bulk density, particle density, the porosity of soil sample, pH E C, Organic carbon total nitrogen, macro - micronutrient and isolation of Azotobacter in the different cropping systems. The soil of this area was well-drained, sandy loam in texture, slightly alkaline in reaction low in available nitrogen, sulfur, while the medium in available phosphorus, potassium micronutrient with a normal electrical conductivity < 1 dS m-1. The organic carbon content in the soil decline with soil depth. Organic carbon was positively correlated with the available nitrogen, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, available potassium, available sulfur and available micronutrient but negatively correlated with the bulk density and particle density all over the cropping system surface and subsurface soil in different locations. Most of the soils of the study area are characterized low-medium categories in fertility index for N, P and K at the surface, while at subsurface characterized as low-medium-medium. The total N content of soil samples is found as high at the surface while low to medium at the subsurface. Available P content of the soil samples is found as a medium at the surface while low to medium at subsurface. Available K content of the soil samples is found as a medium at the surface while low to medium at subsurface. Available sulfur was low range <14.34 kg ha-1 at surface and subsurface in all cropping systems. The soils are sufficient in available micronutrients. In sugarcane -ratoon -sugarcane cropping system was more in organic carbon content (0.40 percent at the surface and 0.32 percent at subsurface), total nitrogen (3221.47 kg ha-1 at the surface and 2087.60 kg ha-1 at subsurface) and available nitrogen (223.82 kg ha-1 at the surface and 145.98 kg ha-1 at subsurface) compression to another cropping system. The phosphorous ranged (25.81 kg ha-1 at surface and 17.52 kg ha-1 at subsurface) was high in rice - pea - sugarcane cropping system and micronutrient was also high in this cropping system compression to another cropping system. The sulfur content was high (15.52 kg ha-1 at the surface and 11.27 kg ha-1 at the subsurface) in the sugarcane - ratoon - mustard cropping system. The number of colonies of Azotobacter appears more in the sugarcane ratoon cropping system compare to another cropping system