Assessment of Morphological and Physico-chemical Properties of Dominant Soil Series in Western and North-Western Zones of Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

A comprehensive soil analysis was conducted in the Western and North-Western regions, encompassing four districts: Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode and Salem in Tamil Nadu, India. Owing to differences in topography and terrain features, seven distinct soil series i.e. Somayanur, Ammapettai, Palathurai, Tulukkanur, Yethapur, Suramangalam and Salem were recognized. Seven representative pedons were examined for their morphological, physical and physico-chemical attributes. The soils range from shallow to profoundly deep, with drainage varying from well-drained to poorly drained. When moist, they exhibit a hue from light brown to dark red to dark brown and when dry light brown to light yellowish brown. Soils have textures spanning from light (sandy loam) to heavy (silty clay). The pH values ranged from 6.2 to 8.92 in water, 5.41 to 7.68 in CaCl2 and 5.65 to 7.89 in KCl, Electrical conductivity (EC) varied between 0.11 and 0.41 dS m-1, organic carbon content was between 1.2 g.kg-1 and 9.6 g.kg-1, cation exchange capacity varies from 5.60 to 30.80 cmol(p+).kg-1, base saturation percentage and exchangeable sodium percentage varies from 81.0 to 98.2% and 0.37 to 3.88%. Free calcium carbonate of soil ranges from 0 to 10 % which indicates non-calcareous to calcareous nature of soils. Implementing suitable site-specific technologies is essential for attaining sustainable productivity of the soils of Western and North-Western Zones of Tamil Nadu.