Distribution of Macro Nutrients in Surface and Subsurface Soils under Saffron Growing Areas of Pulwama District of Jammu & Kashmir, India
Md Mifta Faizullah *
Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, FoA, Wadura, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Majeed Ul Hassan Chesti
Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, FoA, Wadura, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Shakeel Ahmad Mir
Division of Soil Science, FoH, Shalimar, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Zahoor Ahmad Baba
Division of Basic Science and Humanities, FoA, Wadura, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Fehim Jeelani Wani
Division of Agricultural Economics and Statistics, FoA, Wadura, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Raihana Habib Kanth
Division of Agronomy, FoA, Wadura, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Mohd Ayoub Bhat
Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, FoA, Wadura, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Javid Ahmad Bhat
Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, FoA, Wadura, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Inayat Mustafa Khan
Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, FoA, Wadura, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
One hundred eighty (180) composite soil samples were collected from surface and subsurface layers from 18 saffron growing villages of Pulwama district to study the available primary and secondary nutrient status of the soils. None of the soil were found to be deficient in available nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur. The soils were medium in available nitrogen and phosphorous and medium to high in potassium with mean values of 338.46, 21.25 and 258.83 kg ha-1 respectively in surface soils (0-15 cm) and mean values of 318.07, 18.82 and 232.03 kg ha-1 respectively in sub-surface soils (15-30 cm). All the soils were high in available calcium and magnesium with average values of 1677.1, 317.7 mg kg-1 and 1692.5 and 352.3 mg kg-1 in surface and subsurface soils respectively. The soils were low to medium in available sulphur content with surface and subsurface sulphur content of 10.51 and 8.70 mg kg-1 respectively.
Keywords: Saffron growing soils, Pulwama, available primary, secondary nutrients