Vol. 12, Issue 3 (2023)

Author(s):
R Teena, Shankar Meti, MS Nagaraj, H Yogeeshapa, HP Hadimani and V Shreepad

Abstract:
Sirsi taluk is having highest area in traditional arecanut growing belt but low productivity is a serious concern which may be due to sustained nutrient requirement and low nutrient use efficiency. So there is a need to assess soil fertility status of arecanut holdings. Geo- referenced 150 surface soil samples were collected from arecanut gardens of 42 villages of Sirsi hobli, Uttara Kannada district, and were analysed for soil chemical parameters. The fertility status revealed that the soils were slightly acidic to neutral in soil reaction, non-saline and high in organic carbon content. The macro nutrient availability showed low available N (100%), low to high available P (24%, 74% and 3%) and medium available K (99%) and sufficient in exchangeable Ca and Mg and medium to high in available S (56% and 94%). With regards to micronutrients, the soils were deficient in Zn (28%) and sufficient in all other micronutrients viz., available Fe, Cu and Mn. Using the all database creation, thematic maps for all the parameters were prepared using QGIS 3.8 software. By overlaying all the nutrient maps, management zone map/ constraint map was prepared, which indicated that the overall study area was poor in available N and deficient in available Zn.