Crop suitability assessment of ground nut in Ponnaniyar basin soils of Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Crop suitability was assessed in five pedons for their suitability to ground nut on the basis of variation in physiography, parent materials, and soil nutrients in Ponnaniyar basin soils of Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. The pedons were developed by non-calcareous gneiss with feldspar (P1), granite and feldspar intermingled in pedon 2, weathered gneiss (P3), weathered quartz and felspatic gneiss (P4) and gneiss with lime parent materials (P5) and classified as Vertisol (P3, P5), Inceptisol (P1, P2) and Alfisol (P4). In general, sand, silt and clay contents ranged from 16.00 to 71.55, 8.95 to 49.50 and 12.35 to 55.25% in different horizons, respectively. The soils were calcareous and moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline in reaction. The organic carbon ranged from 0.13 to 0.39 g kg-1 and cation exchange capacity from 16.23 to 19.91 cmol (p+) kg-1 soil. The soils were low, medium and high in available N, P and K respectively. All five pedons are moderately suitable (S1) for Ground nut cultivation, except Eliyattur series, it showed temporarily not suitable (N1) category.