Soil Fertility Status and Its Relation with Soil Physico-chemical Properties in Samastipur District of Bihar, India

The study was conducted in the department. of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Palli Siksha Bhavana, Institute of Agriculture, Visva-Bharati University, Sriniketan, West Bengal, India. One hundred surface soil samples (0–15cm) were collected from 10 villages of 5 different blocks of Samastipur district of Bihar. The samples were shade dried for 10-12 days, processed and sieved through 2 mm sieve Soil Physico-chemical properties (pH, EC, OC) were analyzed. Similarly, macronutrients (N, P, and K) as well as micronutrients (Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, and B) were also analyzed by adopting standard procedures. The textural class varied from sandy loam to loam, whereas the pH was in the alkaline range, EC was in the medium range, and OC was present under all ranges. N was found to be deficient in samples, and this may be due to extensive leaching as well as volatilization loss, whereas P and K were in the medium to higher range. All micronutrients except Mn content were in the medium to a higher range. Available N, P, K, Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn contents were negatively correlated with soil pH and sand contents and positively correlated with EC, organic carbon and clay contents. In contrast, available boron content was positively correlated with soil pH and organic carbon content and negatively correlated with EC, sand and clay contents.