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Soil assessment using Heber soil quality index for improving the cultivation of rice and sugarcane

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Abstract

From the extensive literature survey, it is understood that only a few soil quality indices have been formulated to check the quality of soil systems which is suitable for the cultivation of rice and sugarcane. The present work assesses the quality of the soil samples collected from 15 places of Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts, Tamil Nadu, India. Soil samples were assessed according to the Heber soil quality index (HSQI) for the following 12 parameters: available nitrogen (kg/ha), pH, water holding capacity (%), available phosphorous (kg/ha), texture, available potassium (kg/ha), organic matter (%), bacterial content (SPC/g), electrical conductance (mmho/cm), chloride (mg/L), total hardness (mg/L), and bulk density (g/m3). Each parameter was subjected to statistical Q test analysis. The information such as the test result, weighting factor, and the Q value were used to formulate the soil quality index based on HSQI. The total HSQI values of all the samples investigated in this study ranged from 72.75 to 85.72, which indicates that these soil samples are of good quality. This work will be highly useful and may result in better farm management through more cost-effective nutrient decisions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the principal and the management of Sir Theagaraya College, Chennai—21 and the director, Research and Development Center of Bharathiar University, Coimbatore—46 for the constant encouragement and support rendered to accomplish the piece of task.

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  1. Research and Development Centre, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641 046, India

    M. Shanmuganathan

  2. Department of Chemistry, Sir Theagaraya College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600 021, India

    A. Rajendran

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Shanmuganathan, M., Rajendran, A. Soil assessment using Heber soil quality index for improving the cultivation of rice and sugarcane. Org. Agr. 9, 81–98 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-017-0203-9

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