STUDIES ON IDENTIFICATION OF SOIL RELATED CONSTRAINTS IN GROUNDNUT GROWING AREAS OF EASTERN MANDALS IN CHITTOOR DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH
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Date
2015
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Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur
Abstract
The present investigation was carried out to study the physical characteristics, physico-chemical characteristics, nutrients status of groundnut grown soils and index leaf of groundnut crop grown in different villages of various Eastern mandals in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh. For this purpose, 60 fields were selected after the harvest of the groundnut crop and the soil samples were collected from 0-30 cm depth. Groundnut Index leaf samples were also collected from the plants in the fields from where the soil samples were drawn. The soil samples were analysed for their physical and physico-chemical characteristics viz., soil texture, pH, EC, organic carbon, CEC and free calcium carbonate and chemical characteristics viz., available N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu. Similarly, index leaf samples were also analysed for their N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu.
The texture of the groundnut grown soils varied from sandy loam to sandy clay loam. The soils were neutral to strongly alkaline in reaction, nonsaline and low to medium in organic carbon. The CEC of the groundnut grown soils ranged from 4.30 to 13.78 cmol (p+) kg-1 soil with a mean value of 8.11 cmol (p+) kg-1 soil. All the soils were non calcareous in nature.
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Regarding the nutrients status, the groundnut grown soils were low in available nitrogen and low to medium in available phosphorus and potassium. All the groundnut grown soils were sufficient in available Ca, Mg and S. Available Fe, Mn and Cu in groundnut grown soils were above their respective critical limits whereas 60 per cent of the samples were deficient in available Zn.
The index leaf nitrogen content in the study area revealed that 41.6 per cent samples were found to be adequate and 58.4 per cent were found to be deficient. The majority of the leaf samples were found to be adequate in leaf phosphorus and potassium. The leaf N, P and K were positively and significantly correlated with their respective soil nutrients. All the leaf samples studied for Ca and S were found to be adequate whereas 80 per cent of leaf samples studied for Mg were adequate. The leaf Ca, Mg and S contents were positively and significantly correlated with their respective soil nutrients.
All the groundnut index leaf samples studied were found to be adequate in leaf Fe, Mn and Cu whereas 66.66 per cent and 33.33 per cent of the leaf samples (40 and 20 samples) were found to be adequate and deficient in leaf Zn content respectively. The pod yield of groundnut crop under the investigation ranged from 2000 to 4500 kg ha-1 with a mean value of 3250 kg ha-1. Among the different management practices such as M-1, M-2, M-3, M-4, M-5 and M-6 adopted by the farmers, M-1 management practice was found to be best as because the farmers were adopted good management practices such as application of farm yard manure, urea, SSP, MOP, ZnSo4 and gypsum application, seed treatment with dithane-M 45 coupled with pre emergence application of pendimethaline and manual weeding for control of weeds. The major soil related constraints identified in the study area were strongly alkaline nature of the soil, low soil organic carbon content, low soil available nitrogen content and zinc deficient soils.
The results obtained in the study area and foregoing discussion suggests that soil testing based fertilizer recommendations was found to be very effective for achieving maximum groundnut yield. The integrated use of organic and inorganic fertilizers will be better for achieving yield on sustainable basis. In addition to this the cultural practices viz., weedicide application coupled with manual weeding, seed treatment with dithane-M 45 will be practiced.
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D5153
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