Authors
S RAJENDIRAN, ML DOTANIYA, M VASSANDA COUMAR, NK SINHA, S KUNDU, S SRIVASTAVA, AK TRIPATHI
Publication date
2020
Journal
Annals of Plant and Soil Research
Volume
22
Issue
2
Pages
197-201
Description
Soil health management for sustaining crop productivity is a major challenge of recent years to meet the food demand and nutritional security of increasing population. For effective management of soil quality, assessment of soil health and periodic monitoring is foremost important step. In this connection, the soil quality status of the tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh was assessed and interrelated with crop productivity. The relative soil quality index (RSQI) was calculated by adopting expert opinion method. The results revealed the majority of the soils in the region had poor soil quality. The soil samples had poor soil quality based on RSQI were 66.3% in Jhabua and 84.8% in Alirajpur, respectively. Further crop yield of the study area was also found to be very low. The linear relationship between RSQI and relative yield was Y= 1.613 X-30.21 (R2= 0.464) in Jhabua and Y= 1.358 X-13.34 (R2= 0.489) in Alirajpur. The major soil quality indicators that constraint soil quality and crop productivity in the region were poor soil organic carbon, nutrients deficiency particularly N, S, P and Zn, and shallow soil depth and poor microbial activity (dehydrogenase activity, DHA). The developed soil quality assessment protocol is very simple and can be easily adoptable. Periodic monitoring and assessment of (at least once in five years) of soil quality status can be very useful for enhancing crop productivity and sustaining soil health of the region.
Scholar articles
S RAJENDIRAN, ML DOTANIYA, MV COUMAR… - Annals of Plant and Soil Research, 2020