Soil Micronutrient Status of District Budgam Kirmani N A, J A Sofi, M A Bhat, S A Bangroo and Shabir A Bhat* Division of Soil Science, S. K. University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar-191 121, Srinagar (J & K), India *Department of Soil Survey, Lal Mandi, Srinagar-190 001 (J & K), India e-mail: afaq_n@rediffmail.com A B S T R A C T To assess the micronutrient status of soils of Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir a study was undertaken during 2006-07, in which 141 surface soil samples (0-20cm) were collected and analyzed for various physico-chemical parameters like pH, E.C., organic carbon and available micronutrients. In general, the soils exhibited normal reaction with some soils having slightly acidic reaction. Electrical conductivity was found in normal range. Organic carbon was found in higher range almost in all soils. The average content of available zinc, copper, iron and manganese were found to be 1.97, 6.15, 79.21 and 24.56 ppm, respectively. Only one percent of soil samples were found deficient in available micronutrients. Key words: Available micronutrients, Physico-chemical properties, Alluvial soils The district is alluvial filled basin similar to the valley, the Karewa formation in valley belongs to Pleistocene and post Pleistocene age, having horizontally stratified depositions of lacustrine origins consisting beds of sand, silt and clay along with fine grained and buff colored sandy clay and partly compacted conglomerates. Owing to adaptation each distinctive soil type within any climate region more or less supports a characteristic group of flora. As a result of centuries of cultivation, more information about the original natural vegetation for both the areas is not available. The district is mostly under rice cultivation where assured irrigation is available and the Karewa areas are mostly under apple, pear, walnut and other temperate fruits. Some areas are growing vegetable to a large extent and some upland area has be exploited for Saffron cultivation. Soils’, being the important natural resource of the district, their fertility information was not available till date, thus the present investigation was proposed thereof. MATERIALS AND METHODS Soil survey of the district was conducted by using the index map1:50,000 of district Budgam prepared from the Survey of India toposheets of 1:50,000 scale. Soil samples (0 to 20cm) were collected from 144 sites covering 6 blocks keeping in view the physiographic characteristics in upland, midland and lowland area, the proposed samples were analyzed for physico-chemical properties using standard procedures. The pH and electrical conductivity of soil samples was determined in 1: 2.5, soil: water suspension Jackson (1973). The wet digestion method of Walkley and Black (1934) as modified by Walkley (1935) was followed for the estimation of organic carbon. The available micronutrients were determined by standard procedures. The method of Lindsay and Norvell (1978) was used for the estimation of micronutrient cations. Ten grams of soil were shaken for 2 hours with 20ml of extracting solution consisting of 0.005 M DTPA (Di-ethylene tri- amine penta-acetic acid), 0.01 M CaCl 2 and 0.1M TEA (Tri-ethanol amine) buffered at 7.3, the filtrate was analyzed for zinc, copper, manganese and iron by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer, after standardizing the instrument with proper standards. Fig 1 Location map of District Budgam Climate, location and extent The average rainfall of the district is 585mm and is of temperate type. The area qualifies for Mesic soil temperature regime (with mean annual soil temperature of 8°C to < 15°C) and the moisture balance data suggests UDIC moisture regime (where water moves into the soil almost throughout the year). The Budgam Research Journal of Agricultural Sciences 2011, 2(1): 30-32 30 www.rjas.info District Budgam Location 33°44ʹ - 34°09ʹ N 74°24ʹ - 74°55ʹ E