NILOFAR DOULAT SHAHI, M.V.S. NAIDU*, T. GIRIDHARA KRISHNA AND PRABHAKAR REDDY2

 Professor and Head, Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, S.V. Agricultural College, ANGRAU, Tirupati.

ABSTRACT

Soil survey was undertaken to study the vertical distribution of plant nutrients in the soil profiles / pedons in groundnut growing areas of Narayanavanam mandal of Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh to understand nutrient supply capacity of soils. The soils were slightly acidic to strongly alkaline (6.10 to 8.95), non saline (0.13 to 1.43 dSm-1), low to medium in organic carbon (0.03 to 0.74%) and texture varied from loamy sand to clay loam. The available P and K, exchangeable Ca and Mg and available S were sufficient in surface and sub-surface soils of all the pedons. DTPA extractable Zn was found to be deficient in both surface and sub-surface soils of all the pedons. DTPA extractable Cu was sufficient in surface horizons of all the pedons except in pedons 2 and 4 whereas most of the sub-surface horizons all the pedons were deficient in Cu. The DTPA extractable Mn was sufficient in both surface and sub-surface horizons of pedons 1 and 5 whereas in the remaining pedons, it was sufficient in surface horizons and sufficient to deficient in sub-surface horizons. However, the DTPA extractable Fe was sufficient in surface and subsurface horizons of pedon 1 and sufficient in surface horizons and sufficient to deficient in sub-surface horizons of all the reaming pedons.

KEYWORDS: Groundnut, Macro and Micronutrients, Organic carbon, pH, Surface and Sub -surface soil.