Assessment of Cationic Micronutrient Status for Efficient Experimental Farm Management in the Tiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu, India

The experiment delineated micronutrient Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) availability in the soils of experimental farm of Agricultural college and Research Institute, Vazhavachanur under the Alfisols soil order of Tamil Nadu, India. Grid wise (50 x 50 m grids) geocoded surface soil samples were collected from 118 locations and analysed for various micronutrients. Available Zn in the soil varied from 0.09 to 1.69 mg kg-1 with an average value of 0.83 mg kg-1. The major portion of the soil samples (71.2%) falls under low category while only 1.7 per cent samples were high in available Zn. Nutrient index value (NIV) of Zn availability in soil was also calculated (NIV=1.31) and found to be low. Fe availability in soil samples varied between 0.26 to 8.58 mg kg-1 with an average value of 4.15 mg kg-1. The Fe content in 43.2 per cent of the soil samples falls under low category and 55.1 per cent of the samples were under medium category. The NIV value of Fe was found to be low. Available Cu ranged from 0.09 to 3.88 mg kg-1 with an average of 1.88 mg kg-1. The Cu availability is high in 51.7 per cent of the soil samples and the NIV was medium. The Mn availability in the soil samples varied from 0.26 to 6.10 mg kg-1 with an average value of 2.92 mg kg-1. The Mn content in 67 per cent of the soils falls under medium category and NIV was also medium. Thus, results revealed that soils of the experimental farm were potential Zn and Fe deficient areas. Application of Zn and Fe both as soil as well as soil plus foliar might be beneficial in enhancing the yield and quality of crops of the experimental farm.