Soil Health and Nutritional Aspects of Protected cultivation

Dr. Narender K SankhyanScientist (Soils)

Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, CSK HP Agricultural University, PALAMPUR (HP)

SOIL HEALTH

A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. 

-   Franklin D. Roosevelt

SOIL HEALTHWHATEVER I DIG OF YOU, O EARTH

MAY YOU OF THAT HAVE QUICK

REPLENISHMENT

O PURIFYING ONE, MAY MY THRUST

NEVER

REACH UNTO YOUR VITAL

POINTS, YOUR HEART !!

Department of Soil ScienceHIMACHAL PRADESH AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITYPALAMPUR (HP), 176 062, INDIA

Soil HealthCapacity of soil to sustain higher yield while maintaining its quality

Chemical

And it is a combined effect of

Biological propertiesPhysical

Therefore, we need to constantly monitor the health of soil resources and devise appropriate management strategies for sustained productivity and least environmental degradation.

Present Day Problem in Indian Agriculture:

• Stagnation in crop productivity and slow down in agricultural growth.

• Declining soil health is considered as one of the factors for such a decline.

GENESIS OF THE SOIL HEALTH ISSUE

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Census year

Popu

latio

n (m

illion

)

1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001

Population growth rate continued to be more than 2 per cent per annum

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

Year

Food

gra

in p

rodu

ctio

n (M

t)

1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001

Rate of food grain production was more than population growth rate till 1991. But, declined to 1.16 percent per annum in 1991 - 2001

Population and food grain production growth rate in India

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Census year

Popu

latio

n (m

illion

)

1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001

As at the National level, population growth rate in Himachal also continued to be more than 2 per cent

0

500

1000

1500

Year

Food

gra

in p

rodu

ctio

n (M

t)

1971 1981 1991 2001

Rate of food grain production declined from 2.50 in 1981 to -1.73 in 1991-2001

Population and food grain production growth rate in Himachal

Population, food grain production and per capita land holding scenario

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1950 1975 2000 2025Year

Popu

latio

n/

F

ood

Gra

in P

rodu

ctio

n

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

Land

Ava

ilabi

lity

Population (million)Food Grain Production (million tonnes)Holding/ caputa (ha/ person)

Protected Cultivation Long growing period HYV (hybrids) Vigorous plant growth Irrigation management High productivity Controlled

environment Limited soil volume High nutrient removal

(kg/kg yield)

Soil Health Monitoring

Plant analysisSoil analysis/testingCrop responseVisual symptoms

Nutrients' required by plants

Chemical analysis of plants may indicate the presence of more than 90 elements but 16 of them have been established to be essential for successful growth and development of plants as per the criteria of essentiality.

Recently, some more elements viz. vanadium, silicon, cobalt, sodium and nickel have been found to be essential to some plants.

Nutritional disorders

A constant and balanced supply of these nutrients is essential for normal plant growth.

Any imbalance among them leads to the emergence of nutritional disorders owing to deficiencies or toxicities.

Deficiency symptoms

Visual deficiency symptoms are generally characteristic enough to permit easy identification of the deficiency of a nutrient as they appear on particular plant part on specific growth stages.

In case the symptoms are less characteristic, their presence need to be confirmed through soil and plant analysis.

The location of the symptoms of nutrient deficiency on plants depends on the extant and rate of nutrient mobility from older to new leaves.

Phloem mobility of plant Nutrients

Mobile Intermediate Immobile

N Zn CaP Fe BK Mn

Mg Cu

Na S

Cl Mo  

Id e n tific a tio n o f d e f ic ie n c y sy m p to m s

D e fic ie n c y sy m p to m s

O ld a n d N e w le a v e s Te rm in a l b u d sO ld le a v e s N e w le a v e s

N , P, K , M g , M o

K , M o

G re e n v e in s

M g

S , F e , M n , C u C a , BZ n

D e a d s p o ts N o D e a d sp o ts G re e n v e in s Ye llo w v e in s

N , P, M g F e , M n S , C u

Ye llo w v e in s

N

Nutritional Disorders

Chlorotic appearance Poor and stunted growthLess tillering Weak stemsPoor flowering Poor grain formation

General characteristics of Nutritional Disorders

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS Complete crop failure at the seedling stage. Severe stunting of plants. Specific leaf symptoms appearing at varying times

during the season Internal abnormalities such as clogged conductive

tissues. Delayed or abnormal maturity Obvious yield differences, with or without leaf

symptoms Poor quality of crops, including differences in protein,

oil, or starch content, and storage quality. Yield differences detected only by careful

experimental work

Nutritional becoming deficient

Green Revolution helped in achieving higher yields but led to multi micronutrient deficiencies in crops

-Fe -Zn

Nutrient Critical levelOrganic carbon 5-10 g/kg soil

Nitrogen 280-560 kg/ha

Phosphorus 10 -25 kg/ha

Potassium 118-260 kg/ha

Sulphur 22.5 kg/ha

Calcium 1.5 c mol (p+) kg-1

Magnesium 1.0 c mol (p+) kg-1

Iron 4.5 mg/kg

Manganese 1.0

Copper 0.2

Zinc 0.6

Boron 0.1

Molybdenum 0.1

Threshold deficiency level of nutrients in the Himalayan region

• Older leaf effected first and young leaves remain green for some time

• Plant become light green or pale yellow colour from tip towards the base of the leaf

• Lower leaves become yellow including mid-rib and later dry and fall

• Few tillers stalks become short and slender

• N deficiency symptoms in all crops are generally alike with slight variation in some crop

Visual symptoms or Plant appearanceNitrogen (N)

Corn – for N deficiency

Phosphorus (P)

• Leaves are dark green or purplish with tip

• Green portion of leaves may be gray green and base of stem is purple

• Stunted growth and reduced tillering

• Maturity is delayed leading to poor grain yield

• Severe deficiency causes yellowish red leaves starting first in the lower mature leaves from tip towards base

Phosphorus (P)

• The affected leaves appear faded out and develop chlorosis followed by appearance of necrotic areas at the tip and along the margins extending inwards with time

• The margins of the affected leaves may roll upwards

• Plant may bear shriveled seeds

• Weak stalks that lodge easily

Potassium (K)

The Mg-deficient leaves show advanced interveinal chlorosis, with necrosis developing in the highly chlorotic tissue. In its advanced form, magnesium deficiency may superficially resemble potassium deficiency. In the case of magnesium deficiency the symptoms generally start with mottled chlorotic areas developing in the interveinal tissue

Magnesium.

Calcium

Calcium deficiency symptoms appear initially as localised tissue necrosis leading to stunted plant growth, necrotic leaf margins on young leaves or curling of the leaves, and eventual death of terminal buds and root tips. Generally the new growth and rapidly growing tissues of the plant are affected first. Leads to blossom end rot

Blossom end rot in tomato

Blossom end rot in Capsicum

Symptoms begin as a water-soaked brown spot on the blossom end (left), later developing into a black leathery rot

• S deficiency in crop first appears on young leaves

• Generally yellowing of leaves from tip towards base

• In case of acute deficiency the whole plant appear Chlorotic or pale yellow.

• The growth is restricted and the plant looks stunted

• Stem thin and woody

Sulphur (S)

•Symptoms first appear on thesecond or third leaves from top of the plant at tillering stage•Leaves are thick, stalks will be short •The leaves develop minute reddish brown spot which coalesce to form reddish brown or rusty in colour lesions, leading to necrosis.•The Zn-deficient plant generally shorter inter-nodal length, small ear and poor grain formation.•Maturity is delayed

Zinc (Zn)

Corn – for Zn deficiency

•Young leaves affected first •Interveinal chlorosis of the young or new leaves•Veins remain green, and with time the affected leaves become papery white, necrotic and ultimately die•Under acute deficiency of Fe there is bleaching of the affected leaves and newly emerging leaves also look white or bleached•In some crops reddish spots may also develops

Iron (Fe)

• Mn deficiency first appear in middle to young leaves as small Chlorotic spot in the intervential area of the basal part of the leaves and later extended towards the tip.•Veins remain green •Small necrotic spots develop on the leaves with yellow stripes•Stunted growth •Ears are Small, weak and twisted as sickle shaped which emerges with great difficulty

Manganese (Mn)

• In cereals, the young leaves die off and the dead leaves curl•In dicot plants leaves are malformed and cupped •The plant produce more tillers and basal part of the plant remain green.•The grain formation is severely restricted.

Copper (Cu)

Cauliflower –for B deficiency

Whiptail in cauliflower (Mo Deficiency)

Facts about Nutritional disorders

Nutrient deficiency always appear on the plant leaf Nutrient deficiency always more in cool climate as compare to

warm climate Nutrient deficiency rarely occur in tap root crops Critical concentration for a cropping system provides better

solution of amelioration than the deficiency or sufficiency for an individual crop.

Nutrient deficiency symptoms if any in the field should be identified as early as possible

Diagnosis of nutrient deficiency in field becomes complicated when :

– Multinutrient deficiency is there.– Occurrence of deficiency and toxicity simultaneously

Remedial Measures

Remedial Measures

Right choice of fertilizer material Right quantity of fertilizer material Right mode/method of fertilizer application Right time of application

Nutrient Soil Plant

N Apply recommended doses of nitrogenous fertilizers e.g. Urea, CAN etc.

Foliar application of 2.0% urea

P Apply recommended phosphatic fertilizer such as DAP, SSP or nitro phosphate

Foliar application of 1 to 2.0% DAP

K Apply Recommended doses of potassic fertilizers e.g. Murate of Potash ,

sulphate of Potash

Foliar application of Murate of potash @1.0% solution

S Apply gypsum@500kg /ha followed by mixing and light irrigation

Foliar application of potassium sulphate solution @ 0.5%

Zn 25 kg Zinc Sulphate/ha Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 0.5% with 0.25% unslaked lime

Fe 50-100 kg Ferrous sulphate /ha Foliar application of FeSO4 solution @ 1.0%

Mn 40-50 kg Manganese sulphate /ha Foliar application of MnSO4 @ 0.5% solution

Cu 10 kg Copper sulphate /ha Foliar application of CuSO4 @ 0.2% solution

Suggested remedial measures

A fertile soil, busy workshop , and easy conveyance for mean and goods from place to place –

these three things make a nation great and prosperous

- Francis Bacon

Thank You