Soil Nutrient Evaluation and Crop Management for Sustainable Growth of PatiyaVillage Cluster in Almora, Uttarakhand

The present study deals with the assessment of soil nutrients at four adjacent villages, 15 km NE of Almora, to understand the soil fertility and suitability of crops to help rejuvenate the agricultural activities in the region which subsequently will be used as a testing ground to mitigate prevailing Human-Wildlife Conflict in the study area. Soil samples were analyzed for textural classification, power of hydrogen (pH), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Organic Carbon percentage (OC%), available Nitrogen (N), Potassium (K), Sulphur (S), Boron (B), Manganese (Mn), 0.1M Hydrochloric Acid (HCl), and Diethylene Triamine Pentaacetic Acid (DTPA) extractable, Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), and Copper (Cu) to examine the soil fertility of the area. The soils of the region vary from loam to sandy loam. The soil reaction varies from slight to extremely acidic whereas the salinity was varying from non-saline to slightly saline. Low soil fertility index of N, P, K, Zn, B, and Fe; and medium soil fertility index of S, Mn, and Cu were observed, which is suggestive of additional requirement of Farm Yard Manure (FYM) and fertilizers to make them suitable for plantation. Through this study, an attempt has been made to recommend the selection and cultivation of high yield indigenous cash crops with the support of bio-fertilizers to maximize the use and production of these fallow lands and enhance the agricultural activities in the region and provide better livelihood options. The shift from the traditional method of plowing and sowing to new basic techniques has brought about encouraging results to the extent that these fields have now become favorite destinations of wild boars and monkeys. Hence, allowing us to mitigate this problem through various means.

Statistical analyses of the physiochemical properties of derived savanna, rainforest landscapes of Delta State Nigeria

The derived savanna landscape of Delta state situated within the rainforest region are always considered with apathy as they are viewed as idle, marginalized or abandoned landscapes. The study therefore focused on statistical analysis of the physiochemical properties of the derived savanna, rainforest and fallow landscapes of Delta state. The statistical analysis gave impetus for the derivation of Soil Fertility Index (SFI). The hypothesis formulated to guide the study was tested using the one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). This was used to test the variation between soil physiochemical parameters of the various landscapes at 0.05 significance level. Specifically, the study found out that the physiochemical parameters of the landscapes studied are significantly correlated. Thus, implying basic similarities in soil fertility and soil constituent tendencies between the landscapes.

Soil Fertility Index of organic, semi-organic, and conventional rice fields on 3 different soil types

In Indonesia, there are three management systems of rice fields, namely organic, semi-organic and conventional. The research aimed to determine the fertility index of rice fields with different management systems on different soil types (vertisol, ultisol, inceptisol). Each combination of the management system and soil type is taken three soil samples as a repetition. The soil parameters analyzed were pH H2O, total-Nitrogen, available-P, available-K, exchangeable-Ca, exchangeable-Mg, soil organic carbon, Exchangeable-Al, cation exchange capacity, and base saturation. The soil fertility index was determined based on the Minimum Soil Fertility Index (MSFI). Data analysis used was Pearson’s Correlation Analysis and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to determine MSFI. The MSFI values were derived from indicators that have high scores on correlation analysis and PCA. The results showed that the fertility index of rice fields from 3 types of soil ranged from 0.46 to 0.57. Vertisol rice fields have the highest soil fertility index ranging from 0.52-0.57. Conventional management of inceptisol soil has the lowest soil fertility index of 0.46. Vertisol rice fields with organic management with a soil fertility index of 0.57 are the most ideal rice field management system.

The Effect of Change in Function from Paddy Field to Dry Land on Soil Fertility Index

This research studied the effect of the change in function from paddy field to dry land on the soil fertility index. The research was conducted in Girimarto Sub-district, Wonogiri District, in the Province of Central Java. The five stages of the research were: determination of Land Mapping Units in areas with a change in land use; field survey; laboratory analysis; determination of Minimum Data Sets (MDSs) or Minimum Soil Fertility Index (MSFI); analysis of Soil Fertility Index (SFI). The research results show that the change in function of 231 ha of land in Girimarto Sub-district is due to the topographical factor of the mountain region and the shortage of water. This change in land function has caused an increase in the soil fertility index. Soil fertility in paddy fields is classed as moderate but after undergoing a change in function to dry land, its classification increases to moderate-high. The increase in soil fertility index of dry land is due to the fact that farming patterns on dry land use more animal manure, which has a long-term residual effect on organic matter content. In order to maintain and improve the fertility of paddy field soil, it is necessary to add organic fertilizer as well as inorganic fertilizer.

The Assessment of Soil Fertility Index for Evaluation of Rice Production in Karanganyar Regency

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a very important food crop because the result is used as a staple food for residents in Indonesia. Higher food fulfillment leads to the increase of rice production of the Mojogedang sub-district. Paddy fields that have high soil fertility will produce good rice productivity. Rice fields in Mojogedang Sub-district are managed with organic systems and conventional systems, the management of different fields of rice field certainly affects the level of fertility in the paddy fields so it is necessary to evaluate the soil fertility index. The survey area consists of 10 points with organic and conventional management systems. The parameters taken include chemical and biological properties of soil, including; pH, redox potential, C-organic, CEC, base saturation, P available, available K, N Total, C/N ratio, and total microbial. The data obtained by performed analysis of the main component principal component analysis (PCA) using statistical applications. Then after complete the calculation of The Soil Fertility Index (SFI) at each point and management system. The results of statistical analysis obtained soil Fertility Index on organic management systems have a class of 4 or very high and in conventional management systems have a class of 3 or High. The value of the index obtained is strongly influenced by the K indicator available where the indicator has a noticeable effect on the various management systems. Increased soil fertility index due to the use of manure that can improve plant nutrients and applied for long periods.

Digital soil mapping of soil fertility index for agricultural lands in tropical environment

<p>Indicators of soil production function such as soil fertility index can potentially be a key decision tool in spatial planning for sustainable land management. The establishment of such soil fertility index requires basic soil properties which can be modelled for spatial mapping. The objective of this study was to take advantage of the soil legacy data of Benin to produce a digital soil map of soil fertility index at a national scale based on 8 soil properties (soil organic carbon matter, nitrogen, pH, exchangeable potassium, assimilable phosphorus, sum of base, cation exchange capacity and base saturation). Specific research aims were: (1) to model and develop digital soil maps; (2) to identify important factors influencing soil nutrients; (3) to establish soil fertility potentials using digital soil maps. For each soil property, modelling procedures involved the use of different covariates including soil type, topographic, bioclimatic and spectral data along with the comparative assessment of the Cubist and Quantile Random Forest model. Results revealed that apart from N and exchangeable K, significant models can be produced for most of the soil properties with R-square varying between 28% and 72% with the Quantile Random Forest presenting a more accurate prediction interval coverage probability. The analysis revealed that the distance to the nearest stream has strong predictive ability for all the soil properties along with the bioclimatic variables. Visualisation of the soil fertility map showed that most of the soils in Benin have low fertility level suggesting that the use of fertilizers and organic materials will be critical in sustaining crop productivity. A limited number of high and average fertility level soils were found in the low elevation areas of southern Benin and policy could advocate for their sole use for agriculture purpose as well as promote sustainable management practices.</p>

Fertility Index and Microbial Population of Acid Sand Receiving Cassava Mill Effluent in of Uyo, Nigeria

A study was conducted to examine the changes in fertility and microbial indices of acid sand, under cassava effluent discharge at varying periods. Three cassava mill sites at Uyo discharging cassava effluent within three periods: less than 5 years discharge, 10 years discharge and 15 years discharges were used. Adjacent plots to each of the sites served as control. Soil samples were collected on the surface along the discharge strides in the morning, afternoon and evening. Measured soil nutrients were fitted into fertility index to determine the fertility status while total bacterial count, total fungal count for mold were the parameters used to assed the microbial count as influenced by cassava mill effluent discharge. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance at 5% probability level. Soil fertility index was greater in discharge site of 15 years (25) compared to 10 years (10), less than 5 years (7) and control (12). Total bacterial count was significantly high in site with 15 years discharge period (6.36cfug-1) compared to 10 years (2.88cfug-1), less than 5 years (2.72cfug-1) and control (3.83cfug-1). Total fungal count for mold was significantly high in site with 15 years discharge period (4.32cfug-1) compared to 10 years (3.27cfug-1), less than 5 years (2.18cfug-1) and control (3.77cfug-1). Calcium was significantly highest at noon (4.7cmol.kg-1) under less than 5 years period and in the morning (5.1cmol.kg-1) at site with 10 years period of discharge whereas Ca was highest in the evening (6.00 cmol.kg-1) in location that received effluent for 15 years. High soil fertility due to increase in population of microbes status was seen in the site receiving effluent for 15 years compared to other periods.