Land resource assessment for agricultural development in Seoni district (Madhya Pradesh), India

The objective of land resource assessment for rainfed agridevelopment in tribal dominated Seoni ditrict, Madhya Pradesh was to assess the suitability of thrity soil mapping units for sorghum-cotton based systems in relation to fertility constraints and for enhancing crop productivity. The arability and suitability analysis showed that fifty six per cent of arable land is suitable for eleven land use systems. The twenty two per cent of arable basaltic lands in northen plateaus were evaluated as suitable for for citrus, sorghum and soybean cropping systems with limitations of low available nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc whereas in southern precipitous zone , fifteen per cent of granitic lands were evaluated as suitable for sorghum and cotton with limitations of stoniness, low water holding capacity, low status of available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and zinc and eighteen per cent of area in sagar and hirvi river valleys for rice, citrus, maize, sunflower and vegetables. Out of 44.6 per cent of nonarable land, thirty seven per cent of land was evaluated as suitable for forestry / grazing and 6.8 per cent for wild life.The study advocates agroecological zonation for maximum utilization of land resources for potential cropping systems in improving produvtivity and fertility management

Georeferenced soil information system: assessment of database

Land-use planning is a decision-making process that facilitates the allocation of land to different uses that provide optimal and sustainable benefit. As land-use is shaped by society–nature interaction, in land-use planning different components/facets play a significant role involving soil, water, climate, animal (ruminant/ non-ruminant) and others, including forestry and the environment needed for survival of mankind. At times these components are moderated by human interference. Thus land-use planning being a dynamic phenomenon is not guided by a single factor, but by a complex system working simultaneously,which largely affects the sustainability. To address such issues a National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) on ‘Georeferenced soil information system for land-use planning and monitoring soil and land quality for agriculture’ was undertaken to develop threshold values of land quality parameters for land-use planning through quantitative land evaluation and crop modelling for dominant cropping systems in major agro-ecological sub-regions (AESRs) representing rice–wheat cropping system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) and deep-rooted crops in the black soil regions (BSR). To assess the impact of landuse change, threshold land quality indicator values are used. A modified AESR map for agricultural landuse planning is generated for effective land-use planning

Soil information system: use and potentials in humid and semi-arid tropics

The articles presented in this special section emanated from the researches of consortium members of the National Agricultural Innovative Project (NAIP, Component 4) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. These researches have helped develop a soil information system (SIS). In view of the changing scenario all over the world, the need of the hour is to get assistance from a host of researchers specialized in soils, crops, geology, geography and information technology to make proper use of the datasets. Equipped with the essential knowledge of data storage and retrieval for management recommendations, these experts should be able to address the issues of land degradation, biodiversity, food security, climate change and ultimately arrive at an appropriate agricultural land-use planning. Moreover, as the natural resource information is an essential prerequisite for monitoring and predicting global environmental change with special reference to climate and land use options, the SIS needs to be a dynamic exercise to accommodate temporal datasets, so that subsequently it should result in the evolution of the soil information technology. The database developed through this NAIP would serve as an example of the usefulness of the Consortium and the research initiative of ICAR involving experts from different fields to find out the potentials of the soils of humid and semi-arid bioclimatic systems of the country

land resources in seoni district

Not AvailableThe objective of land resource assessment for rainfed agridevelopment in tribal dominated Seoni ditrict, Madhya Pradesh was to assess the suitability of thrity soil mapping units for sorghum-cotton based systems in relation to fertility constraints and for enhancing crop productivity. The arability and suitability analysis showed that fifty six per cent of arable land is suitable for eleven land use systems. The twenty two per cent of arable basaltic lands in northen plateaus were evaluated as suitable for for citrus, sorghum and soybean cropping systems with limitations of low available nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc whereas in southern precipitous zone , fifteen per cent of granitic lands were evaluated as suitable for sorghum and cotton with limitations of stoniness, low water holding capacity, low status of available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and zinc and eighteen per cent of area in sagar and hirvi river valleys for rice, citrus, maize, sunflower and vegetables. Out of 44.6 per cent of nonarable land, thirty seven per cent of land was evaluated as suitable for forestry / grazing and 6.8 per cent for wild life.The study advocates agroecological zonation for maximum utilization of land resources for potential cropping systems in improving produvtivity and fertility management.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableCapturing site specific variability in soil attributes is crucial for precision agriculture. A study was conducted in Kelapur block of Yavatmal district, Maharashtra, covering 83,000 ha area in the basaltic region of central India for investigating the spatial distribution of soil fertility parameters viz. pH, EC, organic matter (OM), available macro (AvN, AvP, AvK and AvS) and cationic micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu). Total 4627 surface samples (0-15 cm depth) were collected using grid sampling method at 325 m interval and analyzed for the soil properties. The geo-database was subjected to kriging through best fit experimental semivariogram based on lowest RMSE (root mean squared error). Spherical model was found best fit for AvP, AvK and AvS whereas exponential model was best fit for remaining soil parameters. The spatial distribution of maps showed deficiency of AvN, AvP, Zn and Fe whereas AvK was high in most of the study area. Spatial dependence was moderate for all soil fertility parameters (N:S ratio 0.25-0.75) whereas AvP exhibited strong spatial dependency (N:S ratio 0.19). Strong spatial dependence of AvP is mainly regulated by pH and smectitic clay minerals. This study can support site specific plant nutrient management at cadastral level for precision farming.Not Availabl

Soil physical quality of the Indo-Gangetic Plains and black soil region Soil and land quality indicators of the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India

Not AvailableUnderstanding the physical quality of soil that influences its hydraulic behaviour helps in formulating appropriate water management strategies for sustainable crop production. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) is a key factor governing the hydraulic properties of soils. Ks can be estimated through various techniques. In the present article we have developed and validated the regression models to predict Ks of the soils of the Indo- Gangetic Plains (IGP) and the black soil regions (BSR) under different bioclimatic systems. While particle size distribution was found to be a key factor to predict Ks of the BSR soils, organic carbon was found useful for the IGP soils. Moreover, the models for Ks of both soils were strengthened by putting in CaCO3 and exchangeable sodium percentage content. It seems there is ample scope to study the interaction process for revising Ks to desired levels through management practices in these two important food-growing zones. An index of soil physical quality, derived from the inflection points of the soil moisture characteristic curves could well explain the impact of management practices on soil physical quality.Not Availabl

Soil information system: use and potentials in humid and semi-arid tropics

Not AvailableThe articles presented in this special section emanated from the researches of consortium members of the National Agricultural Innovative Project (NAIP, Component 4) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. These researches have helped develop a soil information system (SIS). In view of the changing scenario all over the world, the need of the hour is to get assistance from a host of researchers specialized in soils, crops, geology, geography and information technology to make proper use of the datasets. Equipped with the essential knowledge of data storage and retrieval for management recommendations, these experts should be able to address the issues of land degradation, biodiversity, food security, climate change and ultimately arrive at an appropriate agricultural land-use planning. Moreover, as the natural resource information is an essential prerequisite for monitoring and predicting global environmental change with special reference to climate and land use options, the SIS needs to be a dynamic exercise to accommodate temporal datasets, so that subsequently it should result in the evolution of the soil information technology. The database developed through this NAIP would serve as an example of the usefulness of the Consortium and the research initiative of ICAR involving experts from different fields to find out the potentials of the soils of humid and semi-arid bioclimatic systems of the country.Not Availabl

Natural resources of the Indo-Gangetic Plains: a land-use planning perspective

Not AvailableCurrent status of land/soil resources of the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) is analysed to highlight the issuesthat need to be tackled in near future for sustained agricultural productivity. There are intraregional variations in soil properties, cropping systems; status of land usage, groundwater utilization and irrigation development which vary across the subregions besides demographies. Framework for land use policy is suggested that includes acquisition of farm-level data, detailing capability of each unit to support a chosen land use, assess infrastructural support required to meet the projected challenges and finally develop skilled manpower to effectively monitor the dynamics of land use changes.Not Availabl

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