Soil Quality and Productivity Assessment for Bridging the Yield Gap in Farmers’ Fields of Coastal Deltaic Region of Karaikal

Abstract

The study was conducted in the form of sampling and survey in farmers’ fields of Karaikal region representing the irrigated lowland rice ecosystems of the Cauvery deltaic region of Karaikal in the union territory of Puducherry. The main objective is to assess the variability in nutrient supply, its relationship with rice yields at farmers’ fertilizer practices in the farm sites. The rabi season (2019–20) data from the survey, initial soil and post-harvest plant analyses revealed wide variations of rice yield among the farmers. Soil nutrient uptake varied between the sites but matched with the grain yields. Sharp variations were noticed in grain yields ranging from 3.59 t ha⁻¹ among low yielders to 4.67 t ha⁻¹ among high yielders of Karaikal region. Soil parameters data were pooled in different categories, and the resulting soil quality index generated showed variations in the quality and health of the soil across different farmer categories. Nutrient requirement for per ton of grain yield was calculated, and the recommendation for low yielders from the study was 13.7: 13.17: 27.54 kg NPK t⁻¹ grain yield.