Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(12): 2854-2866 2854 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2018.712.325 Application of Geo-Informatics for Soil Nutrient and Jute Fibre Quality Mapping in Barasat-II Block of West Bengal, India B. Saha*, Koushik Manna, S.C. Saha and Saptarshi Sarkar ICAR-National Institute of Research on Jute and Allied Fibre Technology, 12 Regent Park, Kolkata - 700 040, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction In 21st century, geospatial technologies have emerged as very useful and effective tool in diverse application and have been found to be advantageous over conventional methods of soil surveys. These geospatial methods are used to record, store, and retrieve data from many soil observations including their location co-ordinates (latitude, longitude). Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) have added new approaches for analysing geo-coded data for making all kinds of predictions. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite- based radio-navigation system owned by the government of United States and operated by the United States Air Force. It is a global navigation satellite system that provides the exact position of an object on the earth surface in terms of geographical co-ordinates. Currently, there are about 29–32 usable GPS satellites broadcasting radio signals toward Earth. The signals contain approximate and precise information about the satellite’s position in its orbit around Earth. As a result of its design, this constellation of GPS satellites provides at least four satellites at any International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 12 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Soil is non-renewable natural resource and supports all the lives on earth. Soil nutrients are the major contributors towards soil fertility and cater to the needs of essential elements of plant. Jute is one of the important cash crops of West Bengal. Jute fibre quality is very much dependent on soil nutrients. A detailed soil nutrient status and Jute fibre quality of the Barasat-II block of North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal was investigated during 2017-18. Geo-referenced (GPS based) composite surface soil samples (15cm) and jute fibre samples were collected from seven Gram-panchayets of Barasat-II block. Soil samples were analyzed for pH, OC (%) and available N, P, K, Ca. Most of the soils were found to be clayey in texture. Jute fibre quality parameters strength and fineness were analyzed. A strong positive correlation between soil fertility parameters and fibre quality parameters were observed. The thematic maps of soil fertility and jute fibre quality (fineness, strength) were developed for facilitating decision making toward comprehensive development of jute sector. Keywords Soil, GPS, GIS, Soil fertility maps, Fibre Quality maps Accepted: 20 November 2018 Available Online: 10 December 2018 Article Info