Critical Analysis of Soil for Better Rice and Sugarcane Farming in Thanjavur Region of India

Understanding the quality of soil by analyzing all soil quality parameters with reference to a particular crop is difficult and time consuming. Therefore, the need for soil quality index was formulated with scientific strategies. Heber Soil Quality Index (HSQI) was exploited in this study to understand the overall quality of Thanjavur region for better rice and sugarcane production. Thanjavur is one of the important cities of Tamil Nadu often referred as rice bowl of the state. Different varieties of crops are being cultivated in the district which includes paddy, sugarcane, pulses and coconut. The farmers in the district are very progressive and innovative in adopting modern technologies and crop varieties. The ultimate HSQI values of the samples examined in the current inspection ranged from 66.26 – 80.27 which suggests that they are of medium to good quality. The index was found to be time saving and economical way of assessing the fertile nature of the soil for the effective cultivation of rice and sugarcane. The twelve parameters in the HSQI are proved highly useful.

Keywords: Micronutrients; Bulk density; Heber soil quality index; Chloride; Electrical conductivity; Total organic matter; Bacterial content