Soil fertility appraisal for apple orchards of Himachal Pradesh using GPS and GIS techniques

Abstract

About 420 geo-referenced soil samples (0-30 cm) were collected from apple orchards spread over 60 selected villages of Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh follo wing stratified random sampling approach and GIS technique. The soil samples were analyzed for 14 physico-chemical parameters, namely pH, EC, soil organic carbon and available macro (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) and micro nutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B and Mo). Different thematic maps were prepared using Arc GIS software version 9.3. The maps revealed that a major area of the district was slightly acidic to neutral in soil reaction (pH 5.53-7.55), non-saline and rich in organic carbon (0.84 to 5.5 %). Available N and Ca were low in 15 % and 18% area with overall fe rtility rating of high. Available P, K and micronutrients were sufficient but available N is the major constraint in apple orchards of Kinnaur district which warrants for soil test based integrated nutrient approach.