Macronutrient Status of Soils under Rice Growing Areas of Birbhum District, West Bengal, India

Abstract

The present paper deals with the assessment of the status of macronutrients viz., nitrogen (N), phosphorus
(P), potassium (K) and sulphur (S) in relation to soil properties in the selected blocks of Birbhum district,
West Bengal. A total of 100 soil samples from 5 blocks (twenty from each five blocks viz., Suri II,
Rampurhat II, Md Bazar, Nalhati I and Sainthia) of Birbhum district were collected at a depth of 0-15 cm.
Twenty representative villages were chosen from the five selected blocks. Collected soil samples were
analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (OC) and macronutrients using standard
analytical methods. The average pH values were found to be 5.24 in Suri II, 6.24 in Rampurhat II, 5.85 in
Md Bazar, 7.04 in Nalhati I and 5.30 in Sainthia. Based on the fertility ratings, collected soil samples
varied between strongly acidic to neutral in soil reaction. The EC values were low and soils were nonsaline
in nature. Its value ranged from 0.03 to 0.20 in the selected blocks. Organic carbon content of the
soil samples varied from 0.37 to 0.98%. The average values of OC were found to be 0.61, 0.66, 0.61, 0.71
and 0.61, respectively, in Suri II, Rampurhat II, Md Bazar, Nalhati I, Sainthia. The average value of
available N were found to be 198.2, 222.0, 229.6, 212.0 and 209.5 kg ha-1 in Suri II, Rampurhat II, Md
Bazar, Nalhati I and Sainthia, respectively, showing low to medium available N content. The average
values of available P were found to be 16.4, 17.9, 15.8, 25.7 and 15.7 kg ha-1 in Suri II, Rampurhat II, Md
Bazar, Nalhati I and Sainthia, respectively. All the soil samples were found medium in available P except in
the blocks Rampurhat II and Nalhati I. Medium to high available K values were recorded. The average K
content of soil samples were found to be 281, 318, 260, 182 and 469 kg ha-1 in Suri II, Rampurhat II, Md
Bazar, Nalhati I and Sainthia, respectively. All the soil samples were found having low S content. Correlation
studies showed that soil pH correlated significantly and negatively with available N, K and S, whereas
significantly and positively with available P. Significant and positive correlation was recorded between soil
OC content and available macronutrients. The EC correlated non-significantly and positively with available
N, P, K and S.