Soil fertility assessment in mulberry (Morus alba L.) cultivation across North and North-Western India

A roving survey was conducted from the years 2016-17 to 2018-19 in different phases and the soil samples were collected from the field of sericulture farmers of North Western and North India which included districts of the states Jammu, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. The samples were analyzed for nutrient availability using standard soil analysis procedures. Most soils were suitable for mulberry cultivation with a pH range of 6.5–7.5, except in Uttar Pradesh (pH=7.94) and Haryana (pH=7.81), where soils were alkaline. The EC ranged from 0.17–0.29 ds/m across all states, while organic carbon (OC) in Uttar Pradesh (0.77%) and Haryana (0.70%) was within the optimum range, and other states had higher OC (0.70–1.52%). Nitrogen and potassium levels were optimal in all states, except Rajasthan, where potassium was low (31.9 kg/ha). Phosphorus and sulphur levels were high, ranging from 84.97 kg/ha and 22.26 ppm in Rajasthan and Kashmir to 117.36 kg/ha and 44.41 ppm in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Micronutrient availability was high, with zinc (1.45–5.32 ppm), boron (1.61–30 2.92 ppm), iron (11.63–22.93 ppm), manganese (4.09–21.52 ppm), and copper (3.47–5.97 ppm) in adequate amounts, except in Rajasthan, where zinc (1.18 ppm) and boron (0.76 ppm) levels were optimum.