SULPHUR STATUS OF SOIL SERIES OF WESTERN MAHARASHTRA REGION

S.K. GHODKE¹*, A.G. DURGUDE², A.L. PHARANDE³, O.Y. HIREY^4
1Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India
²Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India
³Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India
⁴Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India
* Corresponding Author : ghodkesk18@gmail.com

Received : 04-07-2016     Accepted : 24-07-2016     Published : 24-10-2016
Volume : 8     Issue : 50       Pages : 2150 - 2153
Int J Agr Sci 8.50 (2016):2150-2153

Keywords : Sulphur, Soil Series, Soil reaction, Available Nitrogen, Available Phosphorus, Available Potassium
Academic Editor : Gopal Singh Tagore, Dr M. B. Viradia, Nilay Borah, Dwivedi B.S.
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : None declared
Author Contribution : None declared

An experiment entitled “Sulphur status of soil series of Western Maharashtra region” was conducted during the year 2011-2012. For the present investigation total 208 soil samples were collected from 208 soil series of Western Maharashtra on the basis of technical bulletin of Soil series of Maharashtra published by National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning. All the 208 soil samples were analyzed for physical properties viz., bulk density, hydraulic conductivity and chemical properties viz., pH, EC, organic carbon, calcium carbonate. These soil samples were also analyzed for available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and different forms of sulphur viz., total sulphur, organic sulphur, water soluble (1% NaCl extractable) sulphur, sulphate sulphur (0.15% CaCl2 extractable) and non-sulphate sulphur by using standard method. The average different forms of sulphur in the different soil series of Western Maharashtra were in the order of total sulphur (481 mg kg-1)> non sulphate sulphur (292 mg kg-1)> organic sulphur (218 mg kg-1)> water soluble sulphur (20.27 mg kg-1)> available sulphur (18.43 mg kg-1). All the soil samples collected from different soil series of Western Maharashtra were 22 per cent deficient and 78 per cent sufficient in available sulphur. The highest available sulphur deficiency (31 per cent) was noticed in Kolhapur district of Sangmeswar, Rajapur, Ratnagiri, Nandgaon, Amboli, Chandgad, Malegaon and Wadkudi soil series. In Western Maharashtra number of soil series categorized in available sulphur was high (88) followed by medium (74) and low (46).