ASSESSMENT OF SOIL PROPERTIES AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON CROP YIELD
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53555/gafs.v12i2.2581Keywords:
Soil physicochemical properties, crop yield, pigeonpea, soil fertility, cation exchange capacity, micronutrients, principal component analysisAbstract
Soil quality is a key determinant of crop productivity because soil physical and chemical characteristics regulate nutrient availability, water retention, root development, and plant growth. The present study was aimed at understanding the variability in the soil physicochemical properties and their correlation with pigeonpea yield under rain-fed situations. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, principal component analysis and regression modelling were used to assess soil characteristics and crop performance in 23 soil phases. Soil texture, water-retention levels, nutrient availability, cation exchange capacity, organic carbon and micronutrients differed significantly across the soils. Mean pigeonpea seed yield increased from 1300.91 ± 51.01 kg ha⁻¹ in 2018–19 to 1421.00 ± 47.69 kg ha⁻¹ in 2019–20. The first soil property, iron, had the strongest positive association with seed yield (r = 0.653, p < 0.001), while sulfur was negatively associated with yield (r = −0.474, p = 0.022). Soil status analysis revealed positive relationships between yield and the bulk of CEC, FC, AWC, clay, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, nitrogen and organic carbon, and negative relationships with bulk of sand and bulk density. Eight components accounting for 86.59% of the total soil variability were found using principal component analysis. The results indicate that the interplay of soil fertility, water holding capacity, soil texture and micronutrient status can play a crucial role in crop productivity under rainfed conditions.
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