DR B.K.AGARWAL, CHIEF SCIENTIST BAU, RANCHI Email : bkassac@gmail.com
Area in % Area in Lakhs Ha * Total Geographical Area : 79.71 Total Cultivable Land : 47.67 % 38.00 * Net Sown Area : 32.30 % 25.75 * * Current Fallow : 8.32 % 6.62 * Other Fallow : 08.46 % 6.75 * Forest : 29.20 % 23.28 * Barren Lands : 7.20 % 5.74 * Non Agricultural Use : 8.60 % 6.86 * Pasture and Other Grazing Land : 2.48 % 1.97 * Cultivable Waste Land : 3.44 % 2.74 * Irrigated land : 12.73 % 3.007 * Cropping Intensity : 125% 2 2
Sub zone IV Low water retentive capacity of the soil particularly that of uplands. Late arrival and early cessation of monsoon and erratic and uneven distribution of rainfall Lack of safe disposal of runoff water during monsoon and water storage and moisture conservation practices for raising Rabi crops. Drying of tanks and wells by February results in no Rabi crop production.
Sub zone V Late arrival and early cessation of monsoon Erratic/uneven distribution of rainfall Low water retentive capacity of soils Lack of soil and water conservation practices
Sub zone VI Uneven distribution of rainfall Low water holding capacity Eroded soils Poor soil fertility.
Uplands Red, brownish red in colour Light textured Well drained Acidic soil reaction Poor in organic carbon, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sulphur.
Medium land Yellowish in colour Light to medium textured Moderately acidic Poor in nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, organic matter. Low land Grey or greyish in colour Heavy textured Neutral to slightly alkaline soil reaction Poorly drained Medium in nitrogen and organic matter.
Highly permeable coarse textured soils Shallow soil depth Compacted layer at shallow soil depth Heavy soils causing water stagnation Crust formation on the surface of ploughed layer
Soil acidity is a limiting factor for crop production particularly for legumes oil seeds, maize, wheat and vegetables etc. The problem of acidity is likely to increase due to erosion of surface soil and use of only nitrogenous fertilizers by the farmers. Based on the analysis of 12,823 soil samples of the 22 districts of Jharkhand it was found that soils of about 49 per cent of the total geographical area (TGA) of the state are extremely acidic to strongly acidic (ph <5.5); about 36 per cent area suffering from moderate to slight soil acidity (ph 5.6 to 6.5) soil acidity was the core problem in getting optimum agriculture production.
Jharkhand soil in general, are low to very low in available phosphorus and sulphur, medium in available nitrogen & potassium status and deficient in available boron. The organic carbon content of soils of about 47 per cent of TGA are low to medium (<0.5% to 0.75%) Soils of majority area (about 70% of TGA) of the state have medium status of available nitrogen (280 to 560 kg/ha) and about 19.6 per cent area have low available N content (<280 kg/ha). Soils of about 66 per cent area are low (<10 kg/ha) in available phosphorous content while about 28 per cent area are found to be medium (10 25 kg/ha) in available P content. Most of the soils (about 51% of TGA) have medium potassium content and about 18 per cent are low (below 108 kg/ha) in available potassium content. Soils of about 38 per cent area are low (<10 mg/kg) whereas soils of about 31 per cent are medium (10-20 mg/kg) in available sulphur content.
Simdega West Singhbhum Jharkhand Sarailela Ranchi Sahebganj Palamu Pakur 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 %Low P % Medium P hazaribagh jamtara Koderma Latehar Lohardaga Gumla Godda Giridih Garhwa Dumka East singhbhum Dhanbad Deogarh Chatra Bokaro
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Percentage soil low in Avail S in different districts of Jharkhand % Low Avail S Jharkhand East singhbhum Garhwa Giridih Godda Gumla hazaribagh jamtara Koderma Latehar Lohardaga Pakur Palamu Ranchi Sahebganj Sarailela Simdega West Singhbhum Dumka Dhanbad Deogarh Chatra Bokaro %
All the soils are sufficient in iron (>4.5 mg/kg) and manganese(>2.0 mg/kg) Soils of about 7 per cent area are deficient in available zinc (<0.5 mg/kg) Soils of about 45 per cent of the state are found to be deficient in available boron (<0.5 mg/kg).
Available boron status in the surface soils Available boron (mg kg -1 ) Area ( 00 ha) % of the TGA Rating <0.25 17286 21.7 0.25-0.50 19063 23.9 Deficient 0.50-0.75 15926 19.9 Sufficient >0.75 25807 32.4 Miscellaneous 1632 2.1 Total 79714 100
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Percentage soil Low in Avail Boron in different districts of Jharkhand % Low Avail B Jharkhand East singhbhum Garhwa Giridih Godda Gumla hazaribagh jamtara Koderma Latehar Lohardaga Pakur Palamu Ranchi Sahebganj Sarailela Simdega West Singhbhum Dumka Dhanbad Deogarh Chatra Bokaro %
Available zinc status in the surface soils Available zinc (mg kg -1 ) Area ( 00 ha) % of the TGA Rating <0.50 4557 5.7 Deficient 0.5-1.0 13399 16.8 1.0-2.0 35405 44.4 2.0-3.0 16995 21.3 Sufficient 3.0-5.0 5956 7.5 >5.0 1770 2.2 Miscellaneous 1632 2.1 Total 79714 100
Simdega West Singhbhum Sahebganj Sarailela Ranchi Palamu Pakur 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Status of Zn in Jharkhand State Deficient Emerging Deficiency Dhanbad Dumka East singhbhum Garhwa Giridih Godda Gumla Hazaribagh Jamtara Koderma Latehar Lohardaga Deogarh Chatra Bokaro % TGA
Assessment and mapping of some important soil parameters including macro & micro nutrients at block level of Dumka, Jamtara, Hazaribagh and Ramgarh districts for optimum land use plan Name of district No. of Blocks No. of samples Hazaribagh 16 16783 Ramgarh 6 5508 Dumka 10 14786 Jamtara 6 7209 Total 38 44286
No of surface soil samples collected from different blocks of Hazaribagh district Name of the Block Area ( 00ha) No of Grids Collected Barhi 367.4 1337 Barkagaon 439.6 1701 Barkatha 266.0 1016 Bishungarh 435.6 1651 Chalkhusha 173.6 720 Chauparan 462.9 1845 Churchu 203.6 832 Dari 146.1 614 Daru 128.6 509 Hazaribagh 250.6 943 Ichak 282.3 1060 Katkamdag 128.0 448 Katkamsandi 319.9 1225 Keredari 422.4 1682 Padma 125.3 498 Tatijharia 161.1 702 4313 16783
Soil textural class BarhiBlock, Hazaribagh Textural class (Surface) Particle size class (Textural grouping) Area ( 00ha) % of the TGA Loamy sand Sandy 115.8 31.5 Sandy loam Sandy clay loam Sandy clay Coarse loamy Fine loam Fine 143.8 39.1 29.7 8.1 43.6 11.9 Miscellaneous 34.5 9.4 Total area 367.4 100.0
Soils under different Reaction classes Soil reaction Very strongly acidic (ph 4.5 to Area ( 00ha) % of the TGA 5.0) 13.7 3.7 Strongly acidic (ph 5.1 to 5.5) 33.0 9.0 Moderately acidic (ph 5.6 to 6.0) 62.5 17.0 Slightly acidic (ph 6.1 to 6.5) 86.8 23.6 Neutral (ph 6.6 to 7.3) 120.7 32.9 Slightly alkaline (ph 7.4 to 7.8) 16.2 4.4 Miscellaneous 34.5 9.4 Total area 367.4 100.0
Organic Carbon Status
Available Phosphorous Status in the Surface Soils Available phosphorous (kg ha -1 ) Area ( 00ha) % of the TGA Low (< 10) 72.9 19.8 Medium (10-25) 174.0 47.4 High (> 25) 86.0 23.4 Miscellaneou s 34.5 9.4 Total area 367.4 100.0
Available potassium (kg ha -1 ) Available Potassium Status in the Surface Soils Area ( 00ha) % of the TGA Low (< 108) 17.8 4.8 Medium (108-280) 97.4 26.5 High (> 280) 217.7 59.3 Miscellaneo us 34.5 9.4 Total area 367.4 100.0
Available Sulphur Status in the Surface Soils Available sulphur (mg kg -1 ) Area ( 00h a) % of the TGA Low (<10) 114.5 31.2 Medium (10-20) 117.4 31.9 High (>20) 101.0 27.5 Miscellaneous 34.5 9.4 Total area 367.4 100.0
Available Zinc Status in the Surface Soils Available zinc (mg kg -1 ) Area ( 00ha) % of the TGA Rating <0.5 49.3 13.4 Deficient 0.5-1.0 34.7 9.5 1.0-2.0 88.2 24.0 2.0-3.0 67.3 18.3 3.0-5.0 59.5 16.2 >5.0 33.9 9.2 Miscellaneou s 34.5 9.4 Total area 367.4 100.0 Sufficient
Available boron (mg kg -1 ) Available boron status in the surface soils Area ( 00ha) % of the TGA Rating <0.50 129.8 35.3 Deficient 0.50-0.75 67.2 18.3 0.75-1.00 50.3 13.7 >1.00 85.6 23.3 Sufficient Miscellaneous 34.5 9.4 Total area 367.4 100.0
Acid Soil : An Overview
PRODUCTION CONSTRAINTS Physical and chemical degradation due to anthropogenically activity causing enhanced soil erosion Excessive tillage resulted loss of soil organic matter Contamination with toxic metals and persistent organic pollutants causing loss in soil functional capacity in industrial areas Poor nutrient and water use efficiency
PRODUCTION CONSTRAINTS Acid soils have poor supply of calcium, magnesium and more concentrations of Fe & Al. Soils suffer due to deficiency of phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sulphur, molybdenum, boron and toxicities of Al & Fe Soils have low organic carbon and available nitrogen
PRODUCTION CONSTRAINTS Fertilizer use is also limited in these soils Soils are prone to soil erosion due to their occurrence, generally, on hilly terrains Crop production suffer due to poor biological activity of soils, frequent moisture stress and erratic rainfall. Surface crust formations, high bulk density, poor soil structure, coarse textured of soils, high percolation rate further aggravate the problems
Options for Managing Constraints
Soil degradation, diagnosis, conservation and management For managing poor soil structure, residue incorporation and mulching, manuring, and some forms of agro forestry, cover cropping, contour ploughing, minimum tillage and efficient /appropriate irrigation will be taken as a tool of soil restoration and physical degradation management Long term imbalance use of nutrients resulted into degradation of soil health. Overall nutrient use (N, P2O5, K2O) of 4:2:1 is considered ideal for indian soils, the present use ration of is wide The imbalance and low nutrient use has resulted in a wide gap between crop removal and fertilizer application. Long term fertilizer experiments in India have in general, showed that P and K status in soil have gone down when only N was applied and soil become hard.
TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE FOR ACID SOIL MANAGEMENT Land Situation: Rainfed/irrigated uplands and medium lands with ph < 5.5 Lime application rate: Generally 2-4 q/ha in furrows. The rate may be high for fine and organic matter rich soils Source of lime: Basic slag, paper mill sludge, limestone/dolomite, marketable lime as available locally in ground form
Table : Response of different crops to liming in acid soil regions Crop District PH range No. of Trials FP Yield (q/ha) FP + Lime Yield Response (%) B:C Ratio Dhenkanal 4.0-6.3 9 8.40 11.43 36 2.34 Groundnut Mayurbhanja 4.8-5.2 11 10.10 17.55 17 1.75 Nayagarh 5.5-5.7 10 10.70 12.70 19 1.20 Ganjam 5.6-6.1 7 19.10 23.87 25 4.32 Green gram Cabbage Khurda 5.5-6.5 12 8.10 8.95 5 1.50 Dhenkanal 3.8-6.0 10 8.20 9.90 21 1.60 Kandhamal 5.9-6.6 5 111.70 130.00 16 5.4 Koraput 5.8-7.3 7 224.00 256.90 15 - Cauliflower Kandhamal 6.0-6.1 5 99.50 121.00 22 14.05
100% NPK + lime Farmer s practic
Effect of lime application in Maize (var. Swan) in acid soil (ph 5.3) of Ranchi
Effect of lime application in Groundnut (var. BAU-18) in acid soil (ph 5.3) of Ranchi
NPK Application and Grain Yield of Soybean (q/ha) 20 LONG TERM FERTILIZER, (44yrs) 15 10 5 0 Control N (Urea) NP Treatment FYM + NPK Lime + NPK NPK 18% 22% 40% 142% 186% 197%
State Response of crops (other than cereals) to soil application of B in acidic soils Rate of B and source (kgha -1 ) Crops Yield (q ha -1 ) With B Without B Response (%) Assam 1.0 kg B (Borax) Mustard 7.6 6.5 16.9 Jharkhand 3.0 kg B (Borax) Groundnut 15.3 11.4 34.0 2.0 kg B (Borax) Pigeonpea 16.7 10.4 60.5 2.0 kg B (Borax) Gram 9.3 6.8 36.7 2.0 kg B (Borax) Cauliflower 220 123.1 19.1 6.0 kg B (Borax) Lucerne 733 636 15.3 Orissa 2.0 kg B (Borax) Groundnut 14.1 10.6 29.9 Sikkim 1.0 kg B (Borax) Frenchbean 91.7 84.3 8.8
Response of crops to molybdenum application in acidic soils State Jharkhand Orissa Rate of B and source (kgha -1 ) 1.0 kg Mo (Ammonium molybdate, soil application) 8.0 g Mo/ 25 kg seed (Ammonium molybdate) Karnataka 8.0 g Sodium molybdate/kg seed Crops Yield (q ha -1 ) With Mo Without Mo Response (%) Lucerne 709 649 9.3 Green gram 5.96 4.26 39.9 Soybean 29.4 23.3 26.0
An Overview : Our Strength & Weakness
Strength Basic information on soil ph,org.c,avail.p&k,textureare provided by STLs of the state State has STLs in each district,whichcaters to the need of soil health assessment. Besides University, KVKs and NGOs have soil testing facilities. Soil test based information is superior to Blanket recommendation. Farmers in general have idea of native soil health based on their ITKs(Indigenous Tech. Knowledge)
Weakness Most STLs in the state are poorly equipped in terms of building,tech. personnel, Instruments etc. No. of such Labs are meagre & this needs to be increased to meet the state needs. Soil test recommendations are not made for different crop yield targets. Functioning of Soil testing Labs is poor & there is lack of coordination among them. In general, soil testing is not a priority for farmers in the state, due to aforesaid reasons.
Opportunities Soil test data base for the state is essential for sustainable crop production through balanced input use. Soil Nutrient maps at district/block level will help in soil health planning. Soil health assessment must include Secondary & Micronutrients, beside major ones. Soil health assessment must be done with farmers as partners for greater benefits. Soil health assessment will improve Nutrient & water use efficiency by crops. New Concepts on soil test based nutrient use in crops, such as SSNM,STCR, IPNM etc. must be tested with large scale farmers field trials for higher profits from input use.
Threats Generalised soil testing is not of much use. It should be site specific & tuned to farmers need. Soil testing should be integrated with water use, crops& cropping systems, land holding & economic condition of farmers. Without liberal support of State Govt.,this will not make much headway. Analytical methods used & interpretation of soil tests, determine the effectiveness of soil tests. Soil test reports often do not reach farmers in time.
Short term initiatives Soil sample collection should be GIS based and also land situation based. Areas under high value crops, area under intensive cropping should be priority areas. Ready reckonersfor lime use based on Lime requirements of soils to be available with STLs. Secondary & micronutrients analysis in STLs to be included. Soil health assessment done should indicate required input use for different yield targets. Continued ------
All facilities for infrastructure, equipments, personnel must be in place. Regular training of farmers, extension personnels, soil testing staff etc. must be provided. Quality of soil test needs improvements, based on periodic checking of samples & their analysis in University lab. All KVKs, ATMAs, NGOs must be linked under the soil health assessment programme.
Long Term Initiatives Emphasis to be laid on efficiency of input use based on soil tests under crops/cropping systems. Soil health information must be complete. This should help to manage problem soils, soil errosion, water resources use, better Nutrient recovery by crops, sustaining Soil organic matter levels etc. Data interpretation,data storage,monitoring and follow-up mechanisms should be in place. Soil Nutrient Mapping must be done at Block Level for planning & execution purposes. Continued ------
Soil health indicators in each Agro-climatic zones need to be identified. Multi-nutrient soil tests should be developed in Research Labs for use by STLs. Soil health information should be digitized and communicated through IT-based services. Adoption of Soil Test based Nutrient Use by majority of farmers should be the target. This will require regular interaction with all concerned and a mission mode implementation.
Specific issue need to be explore more about our region. FUTURE PLAN
To standardize soil health indicator for acid soil Management practice to overcome the issue of surface crusting, subsurface hardness, low rate of infiltration, Termite is a big issue in acid soil.crop residue left in the field further aggravate the termite population and may cause damage the crop. To get the benefit of crop cover there is a need to do research on crop as well as termite population along with measures to control it. Identify farm implement for the farmers having land holding <50 decimal or 0.5 acre. Standardize the time and amount of crop residue incorporated in soil for getting better soil health.
To develop rapid method of soil analysis for different physical, Chemical and Biological parameters. Generate soil resource inventory data base for physical chemical biological and soil pathogen parameter under different land situation and suggest management practices to address the issue of soil health in Jharkhand. Boron and Molybdenum is deficient in acid soil.in soil health indicator duewattagehastobeworkedout. Calcium and Magnesium deficiency, and measures to overcome the sameneedstobeaddressed. Useof beneficialfungineedstobeworkout. Control of soil born pathogen specially problem of wilt needs to be addressed.