ASSESSMENT OF SECONDARY NUTRIENT STATUS IN ARECANUT (Areca catechu L.) GROWING SOILS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT IN MALNAD REGION
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Date
2024-01-21
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Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University Agricultural and Horticultural Science (COA,Shivamogga)
Abstract
A survey was taken up in the year 2022 in arecanut gardens of three selected taluks of Malnad region viz. Koppa, Sringeri and Thirthahalli. The soil samples were collected at surface (0-30 cm) and sub-surface depths (30-60 cm) and were characterized for secondary nutrient status. The pH of surface samples varied from slightly acidic to very strongly acidic and showed minor decline with depth. In all the three taluks, surface samples consistently exhibited a low soluble salt concentration. The results showed that 66.7 per cent of samples from Koppa, 56.7 per cent of samples from Sringeri and 53.3 per cent of samples from Thirthahalli showed deficiency in calcium (Ca) status whereas, 70.0 per cent of samples from Koppa, 63.3 per cent of samples from Sringeri and 73.3 per cent of samples from Thirthahalli showed deficiency in magnesium (Mg) status. All the soil samples from all the three taluks showed medium status for sulphur (S) content. Based on the assessed results from survey, an experiment was taken up at Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station (AHRS), Thirthahalli, Shivamogga to study the effect of graded levels and sources of Ca and Mg on their availability at different growth periods in arecanut from 2021 to 2022. Among the two different sources (lime + MgSO4 and dolomite), calcitic limestone combined with magnesium sulphate increased soil acidity and soluble salt concentration more rapidly than dolomitic limestone, which proved that lime combined with magnesium sulphate was a better secondary nutrient source than dolomite. The application of Ca and Mg as nutrient source at an optimum dose of 600 g of lime per palm + 200 g of MgSO4 per palm along with the RDF (T5) showed improvement in exchangeable levels of Ca and Mg, along with an increase in available S in the soil.