Study on post-flood soil fertility of Vaikom block of Kottayam district in Kerala

Abstract

The devastating flood of 2018 affected major parts of the state of Kerala. A study was conducted in 2019 to analyse various chemical attributes of soil viz., pH, EC, OC, available primary and secondary nutrients and boron in the post flood condition. The main crops generally cultivated in the Vaikom block are rice, coconut, banana and vegetables. Results of the study showed that most of the areas were having low pH which is a major constraint for crop production. Soil analysis for the nutrients revealed that all the nutrients except nitrogen and boron was in the sufficiency range. Nutrient index values were also calculated which was high for organic carbon and available phosphorous, medium for available potassium and low for nitrogen.