An Appraisal of Fertility Status of Problem Soils of Tiruchirappalli District in Cauvery Delta Zone, Tamil Nadu, India

Soil fertility is an important factor for plant growth and has a global impact on both developed and developing countries. The present investigation was carried out on soil fertility status of farm in ADAC&RI, Trichy which comes under the Cauvery Delta Zone of Tamil Nadu. The pH value indicates that ADAC&RI farm soils are very strongly alkaline in nature. The rating of electrical conductivity was normal with values ranging from 0.16 – 0.72 dS m-1. The farm soil was low in available nitrogen, medium to high in available phosphorus and potassium. The average organic carbon content was low in the farm soil with values of 4.09 and 4.33 g kg-1 in A and D block, respectively. The available sulphur content of the farm was recorded as sufficient. This study clearly shows that, most of the soil nutrients in the ADAC&RI, farm was found to be low and need proper management practices to improve the soil quality for better crop production. The present investigation reveals the effect of sodicity on the status of available nutrients in soil.