Soils of HaryanaBooklet No. 364 Soil Science SSS-10 Content Preface I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. Geographical Situation Physiography Climate Vegetation Soils 1. Reddish chestnut soils 2. Typical arid brown soils 3. Arid brown soils 4. Sierozem soils 5. Desert soils Problem Soils Management of Problem Soils Cropping Pattern and lrrigation Soils and Fertilizer Management Response of Major Crops to Fertilizers Nutrient Consumption Trend Fertilizer Recommendations for Important Crops Techniques for Efficient fertilizer Use Water Sources and Water Quality Priorities for Future Preface The State of Haryana has larger areas of problem soil and water sources compared to other states. Still it is in the forefront in agricultural sector. In order to ensure optimum, agricultural production, it is essential to know the basic facts about the soil of a place and then its management with the use of fertilizer and other inputs to achieve high productivity. The present booklet is a valuable record of scientific information on the various soils and crop management in Haryana. Dr. K. T. Chandy, Agricultural & Environmental Education I. Geographical Situation The state of Haryana lies between 27°39' -30° 55' N latitude and 74°27' -77°36' E longitudes. Geologically, the state has been divided into three zones. The land use pattern in Haryana is given in Table 1. It is to be noted that the total cropped area is more than the total geographical are showing high cropping intensity. Table 1: Land use pattern in Haryana Sl.No Land use 1 2 Total geographical area Reporting area for land utilization statistics Area (m.ha) 4.42 4.40 The mean daily pan evaporation ranges from 2.06 0. The mean annual temperature ranges from 23°C to 26°C. Climate Though Haryana lies in the sub-tropical belt but in the state as a whole there are three types of climate: (i) Arid (ii) Semi-arid and (iii) Sub-humid. The normal annual rainfall varies from 300 mm in the south-western parts of Bhiwani and Sirsa districts to about 1560 mm in the north-eastern hilly tract of Ambala district.83 Geologically Haryana is divided into three zones which are described as follows. vegetation. Relic (old and recent). Aeolian plain with sand dunes. limestones. II. The potential evaporation is 200 mm per annum. Sahibi flood plain. IV. Physiography On the basis of visual interpretations of multispectrum and multitempora1landsat imagery nine major physiographic zones. The Siwalik hills They are in the north and north-eastern parts of the state and have been formed by the sedimentary river deposits. The maximum thickness of alluvium is about 3000 metre. Vegetation . older alluvial plain.3 4 5 6 7 8 Forest Not available for cultivation Other uncultivated land excluding fallow land (current) Fallow land Net area sown Area sown more than once Total cropped area 0. varying in relief. III. soil characteristics. Minimum temperature becomes close to freezing in December/ January and the maximum daily temperature is above 40°C in May/June. Piedmont plain. Yamuna flood plain. 1.42 0. The Indo-Gangetic alluvial plain (Quarternary alluvium) It lies between the Siwalik and Aravalli zones and covers a large part of the state. soil problems and hence land use and management have been identified. They are:. Wind velocity is maximum in May and June (8-11 km/hr).17 5.66 2. The sub-surface lithological section have made it clear that the thickness increases towards the hill but it steadily decreases from north to south and also towards the western boundary 3. consist of slates.12 3. Chautang flood plain. sandstones. The Aravalli Delhi wedge (precambrian rocks) The Aravalli-Delhi systems which are of the older geological formations.4 mm in May and June. quartzitic. phyllites and micaschists.4 mm in December and January to 13. Ghaggar flood plains and pediments with Aravalli hills. 2.13 0. quartzites.Siwalik hills. . reddish and brown in colour. Typic Ustochrepts These soils are coarse to fine loam in texture. Typic Ustorthents These soils are coarse loamy. a.The dominant vegetation in the state comprises of trees like: Kikar (Acacia nilotica). (b) Typic Ustorthents and (c) Alfic Ustochrepts soil associations. a. Typical arid brown soils These soils are found in areas having annual rainfall of 750-1000 mm. Reddish chestnut soils They are found in the areas having annual rainfall of 1000 to 1500 mm. deep and light coloured soils of ustic (very dry) moisture regime. Soil erosion by water is a serious problem in these soils. Neem Azadirachta indica). Ber (Ziziphusjujaba). These soils are further grouped as (a) Typic/ Alfic Ustochrepts. Sisham (Dalbergia sissoo) and also various kinds of weeds and grasses. (b) Typic Camborthids and (c) Typic/Aquick Natrustalfs. I. These are deep soils of semi-arid region that have a shallow horizon in which carbonates have accumulated. b. Pipal (Ficus riligiosa). 2. 1) which are described here. Salvadora sp. These soils do not have calcium carbonate layer within one meter depth. c. They do not show any sign of development and generally marked by stratified depositions by various agencies at different places. These soils are further classified into three types: (a) Typic Ustochrepts. Typic/Alfic Ustochrepts . The soils are mildly acidic to neutral in reaction. V. Soils Broadly the soils of Haryana have been classified into five major groups (Fig. There are some pockets of depressions which are poorly drained. Typic/Alfic Ustochrepts These soils are similar to Typic Ustochrepts except that the soils have high base saturation. Jand (Prosopis spicigera). Sierozem soils These soils are found in areas where rainfall varies from 300-500 mm. Rohtak districts. Typic Calciorthids and Typic/Ustic Torripsamments. b. 3. These soils are classified as Typic/Torri Ustipsarnrnents as explained before. VI. Hence only the rest are described here. Typic Haplaquepts These soils are coarse to fine loam in texture and are affected by sodicity. Associations recognised are Typic/Aquick Natrustalfs. salinity and flood deposites. They have grey to black surface horizon and mottled grey sub-surface horizon due to natural drainage. c. Typic Ustochrepts and Typic Halaquepts. a. Typic Ustochrepts. These are followed by alkalinity. Desert soils The soils are found in the areas having rainfall about 300 millimetre. 4. They are calcarious in nature and kankar layer. b. Salinity and alkalinity are serious problems in irrigated areas. Salinity and alkalinity problems appear in irrigated areas. Characteristics associated with wetness are present in this type of soil. High salts cause physiological draught. coarse loamy soils which have more than 15% calcium carbonate. Typic Camborthids These soils are deep. Water erosion is a serious problem in the northern part of Ambala and in remaining parts of Ambala waterlogging is an acute problem. a. They are coarse to fine loam in texture. These soils are deep and have coarse texture. light coloured soils with cambic or calcic horizon. Soils are classified into Typic Camborthids. 5. Arid brown soils These soils are found in areas where rainfall varies from 500=750 millimetre. . Problem Soils The major soil problems of Haryana in the order of priority in terms of the area affected are given in table 2 according to which wind erosion and waterlogging are more serious than others. Calcic horizon is within one meter of the surface. Hissar and Jind districts of Haryana where as alkali soils occur in parts of Kamal. Wind erosion is a serious problem. Mahendragarh. These soils are affected by salinity and alkalinity problems. Sonipat. Rohtak. Gaurgaon and Hissar are affected by wind erosion. They are calcarious and usually have a kankar layer at a depth of 75-125 centirnetres. occurs at a depth of 1-1. Typic/Ustic Torripsamments They are loamy sand or coarse up to one meter of soil surface. Typic/Aquick Natrnstalfs They are coarse to fine loam in texture. Southern parts of Mahendragarh.These soils are similar to Typic Ustochrepts except that the soils have high base saturation.5 metre. Saline soils occur in parts of Gurgaon. Typic Calciorthids These are light-caloured. The first two are already discribed. Kurukshetra and. 50 1. the investigations of Leather were mostly confined to saline alkali soils.20 0. Wind erosion The sand dunes could be stabilized by plantation of wind breaks and grasses.13 0.28 0.0 9.22 0. somewhat similar to those found in Uttar Pradesh.7 9.30 0.7 8.5 11. Kalrati and barisoils (local names) of the Punjab. Muzaffarnagar and the command areas of Chenab canals. Ferozpur.7 3. The majority of the soils examined had a layer of Kankar at some depth in the profile.0 6. Management of Problem Soils Crop production in Haryana is affected adversely due to number of soil constraints. The salts were made up of sodium carbonate and sulphate and to a lesser extent chlorides.4 12.0 9.7 9.22 8. Water erosion .27 0. sprinkler irrigation.5 12.7 9.7 8. 2. The areas having sandy sheet cover are managed by proper levelling.17 0.50 1.20 0.11 0.No 1 2 3 4 5 6 Problem Sq.The very early investigation in the nature of saline constituents in the Kallar.5 Total soluble salt % 0.2 8.28 0.6 In Haryana "the saline efflorescene" and salt-encrusted .km 8285 1430 1860 1770 2960 5567 Wind erosion Water erosion Flood deposits Salinity Alkalinity Water logging Extent percentage 18. salinity and alkalinity. excessive permeability. calcariousness and poor soil structure.80 10.' The percentages of total soluble salts and calcium carbonates for two levels of pH for the same depths of thur soil is given in table 3. some of them forming part of West Punjab (now in Pakistan). Table 3: Composition ofthur soils Sl. crusting.6 11.20 Calcium carbonate pH Total soluble Calcium salt % carbonate 2. bunding.2 14. were undertaken by Leather (1897) in the districts of Karnal.19 0.8 9.No Depth pH 1 2 3 4 5 6 30 60 90 120 150 210 8.2 4. waterlogging.15 1. Among these are air and water erosion.7 8.3 2.15 0. The contents decreased with depth. soils are called ‘thur. 1.9 VII.soil mulching and application of organic manures. Obviously.6 9.2 4. Table 2: Major soil problems in Haryana Sl. etc. medium and high in organic carbon content respectively. 5. is under food grains. rap seed and mustard are other crops grown in irrigated conditions. and adequate drainage should also be adopted to lower down the water table. Application of recommended dose of gypsum ie 1. parts of Rohtak. checkdams. barley. This include plantation of trees and grasses to reduce surface runoff. Cultivation of salt tolerant crops like rice. 1. Soil fertility status On an average about 80. Cotton. pearl millet.67 indicating low nitrogen status of all areas. 4. The excessive sodium is leached with the irrigation water and the physical property of the soil is improved. Water logging Provision of adequate drainage system will maintain the water table below the critical limit Proper and low frequency of irrigation will protect the lands from high water and secondary salinization. The soils are low to medium in phosphorus in major parts and medium to high in .4 million ha. Green manuring with Sesbania aculeata has been found to be beneficial for reclaiming these soils. however.7 tonnes/ha for replacing one me/100g of exchangeable sodium will be useful in alkali soils.18 and 2 per cent of Baryana soils have low. Status of crop wise irrigation is clear from table 4 given here. Bhiwani.8 mha is under irrigation. 2. leaching of excess salts from the rootzone using good quality water and growing of salt-tolerant crops are recommended. Soil and Fertilizer Management The status of soil fertility. Mahendragarh. deficiency and toxicity are narrated here. Table 4: lnigated area under important crops (1981-82) Sl.No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Crops Wheat Rice Gram Cotton Sugarcane Pearl Millet Rapseeds mustard Others Total Area (000ha) 1452 483 336 323 130 115 100 516 3455 IX. Pyrites could also serve the same purpose. Bissar. 3. gaily plugging and storage of excess runoff. Coarse textured soils of Sirsa. Out of the total irrigated area. VIII. the block average of nutrients index was 1. Salinity and alkalinity Surface and subsurface drainage. Gurgaon and Faridabad have generally very low available nitrogen. sugarcane. Cropping Pattern and Irrigation Out of total cropped area.Adopting proper soil conservation measures can solve the problem. are given here. Soils of Haryana are high in boron and molybdenum due to high pH. The blockwise distribution of available N. 2. Response of Major Crops to Fertilizers Different doses of fertilizers to which different crops respond.e 5 kg grain/kg K2O. X. About 9. The toxicity of selenium in Jind and Karnal districts has been reported. Wheat In wheat. Rice It has been observed that one kg of nitrogen produces 20. response to per kg of P2O5 has normally been low compared to nitrogen. 91. Mahendragarh. Animats may suffer due to selinium toxicity. response to nitrogen ranges from 10-25 kg grain per kg of nitrogen (N) in irrigated conditions. In respect of phosphorus. manganese and copper respectively. Karnal. 74 and 66 per cent soils of Rohtak. on farmers field. Kurukshetra. Some underground waters contained also high fluorine in Sonepat district. 2.potassium in most parts of the state. however.33 (high) (low) (medium) Percent of blocks in each category 100 15 67 18 18 82 In a study of fertility status of Haryana soils.K Sl. 53.5 kg paddy in the presence of 80 kg Nand 60 kg P205/ha. grown on these soils respond to sulphur application. Some ground waters also contain toxic amounts of boron. 5 and 1 per cent soils are deficient in iron.33 >2. all were found to be in 'medium' category. The response of potassium is generally low i. About 60. Sonipat. The survey of Haryana indicates that about 74 % of the soils are deficient in zinc. one kg of K2O produce 26. Pearl millet . Pulses and oilseeds. Rice generally does not respond to application of K2O. Normally one kg P2O5 produces 7-10 kg grains. 50. 1.P. In Ambala and Gurgaon potassium belonged to medium category and in remaining districts potassium was 'high'. 82. Only in Radaur block of Kurukshetra. and k has been given in the table 5. However. almost all the districts were found to fall under 'low' category. except two namely Hissar and Kurukshetra belonging to low category. respectively are deficient in zinc. 3.67-2.67 1.35 kg paddy. 10 kg grain/kg of N is achieved in rainfed areas in the presence of 40 kg phosphorus (P205) per hectare. Deficiency and toxicity of secondary and micronutrients Sulphur deficiency has been reported in coarse textured soils. Table 5: Block wise distribution of N. Sirsa and Hissar districts. P.No Nutrient 1 2 3 Available N Available P Available K Nutrient index value <1. 73 2.70 0.4 31.It is grown in semi-arid climate. P2O5 and K2O produces 8 to 10.30 Total 50. Sugarcane Planted crop of sugarcane responds to nitrogen and phosphorus both but ratoon sugarcane largely responds to nitrogen anplication only.8 251. 4. response to N in rainfed condition is about 5 kg grain only. Table 6: Year wise consumption of nutrients in Haryana Sl.2 259. Application of 25 kg zinc sulphate gives 30-35 kg grain/kg zinc (zn). However.4 53.0 13. 6.42 20. Kamal and Kurukshetra are the two districts using maximum NPK while Bhiwani and Mahendragarh are minimum users. 5.51 17.1 10.22 . Legume Application of nitrogen up to 15 kg /ha produced significantly higher grain yield of gram than control. respectively in irrigated conditions.7 326.82) is given iti Table 7.2 37.15 7. On an average. Cotton Cotton responds more to nitrogen than phosphorus. But in the case of potassium consumption the trend is decreasing. Germany etc. In some areas response of sulphur application has also been observed.75 3. Response to per kg of P2O5 up to 10-12 kg grain has been observed. Nutrient Consumption Trend Table 6 give the nutrient consumption trend.1 230. Table 7: District wise consumption of N. one kg of N.7 32. 5 and 3 kg of pearl millets grain.3 12.P and K(kg/ha) Sl.1 District wise consumption of NP & K (kg/ha) of cropped area (1981. XI.1 285.8 208.7 349.7 263. in marginally deficient soils and more in highly deficient soils.6 216. 7.No Year 1 2 3 4 5 1980-81 1981-82 1982-83 1983-84 1984-85 Year nutrient consumption (000 tonns) N P K Total 187. There is a steady increase in the consumption of nitrogen and phosphorus.90 2.No 1 2 3 Sirsa Bhiwani Gurgaon Consumption kg/ha N P2O5 40. In Sirsa areas cotton also so responds to potassium application.90 0. Oilseeds Oilseed crops are grown in dry land areas and one kg of nitrogen normally produces 510 kg seeds of rapseed and mustard.2 56.01 0.19 K2O 2.3 9. The average consumption of NPK in Haryana is much lower than developed countries like Japan.2 7. 28 128.19 1.92 0.50 3.No 1 Crop Wheat 2 Rice 3 Pearl millet Condition Recommendation (kg/ha) N P2O5 K2O 120 60 60 60 30 30 ZnSO4 25 (once in 2 crops) - - - - - 30 15 15 - 120 60 60 Local tall Irrigated 60 120 30 60 30 40 Unirrigat ed American 40 20 - 25 (once in 2 crops) .83 9.61 17.43 40.55 2.(coarse textured) 25 (As per soils test value) -do- 40 20 - - 6 7 XIII.44 0.07 45.50 81.25 1.25 4.82 48.5 XII. Techniques for Efficient Fertilizer Use .24 102.80 0.90 38.84 6.20 1.05 94.44 19.20 58.23 4.13 24.56 31.60 5.00 35.4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Jind Mahendragarh Ambala Karnal Kurukshetra Rohtak Sonepat Faridabad Average 31.26 72.56 15.(when soil tests) - 80-100 30 30 Irrigated dwarf Unirrigat ed dwarf Irrigated local Local unirrigate d Dwarf 4 Cotton 5 Desi Sugarcane Planted 50 150 30 - 30 - Ratoon Gram Oil seed Irrigated crops Unirrigat ed 225 15 60 40 30 - .20 6.52 3. Fertilizer Recommendations for Important Crops The fertilizer recommendations for important crops of Haryana has been given in table 8 Table 8: Fertilizer recommendations for different crops Sl.00 9.57 2.81 19.80 17. If urea is applied under saturated conditions and after two days an irrigation is done. applied in line transplanted rice among four hills have given better efficiency. The information on the potential salinizing areas is also missing and needs a systematic survey. Management of problem soils need more attention. 18% alkali. P and K fertilizers is the most effective than broadcasting. 11% saline and 26% saline alkali. are now facing the problems of high water table and also rapid and more salinization of lands due to inadequate drainage facility. The classification of bench mark soils of Haryana is urgently called for. losses are reduced. Systematic study should be undertaken to know the effects of iron and manganese in crop production. 8% normal which can be used with little management. Neem-cake coated urea. potassium . Water Sources and Water Quality The major sources of irrigation are canals and tube wells. nutrient availability and nutrient index is also highly required. Many areas in Haryana where irrigation was introduced.The fertilizer use efficiency is low in Haryana under low land rice as well as upland crops. More area is irrigated by canals. leaching and denitrification losses should be developed. Therefore. XV. In coarse textured soils. models for the process like nitrogen movement. Phosphorus and potassium should be applied before transplanting as per recommended doses. The nitrogen balance studies with the help of tracer techiques need to be taken up. Urea broadcasted without incorporation increases volatalization as well as leaching losses. blue green algae. In fertilizer research multinutrient deficiencies in crops and cropping systems need to be indentified and cured. The mechanism of nitrogen loss under specific soil conditions need to be worked out. Based on such studies. On the basis of information available about 37% of the underground waters are of good quality. etc. Dynamics of potassium release. urea should be applied after irrigation. Soil health care and soil pollution by industrial wastes need proper attention. there is an urgent need to develop a method for best utilization of soil characteristics for soil fertility and crop production. Rock phosphate and coated urea is also effective in some areas. are not effective in Haryana. Since the classification is based on profile characteristics and fertility studies involve mainly surface soils. Priorities for Future The classification of Haryana soils goes only up to series level. Soil and water management are the key factors for crop production. the information available about the state is inadequate. volatilization. Urea super granules. During recent past reckless development of irrigation sources and exploitation of soil lead to more problems than solved. Thus 63% of the water sources in Haryana are problems infested. Two splits of N in wheat and pearlmillets are more effective than single dose of three splits. XIV. Effective utilization of indegenous phosphorus sources for economic and higher crop production is strictly required to be studied. second at 21 days and 3rd at 42 days gives better efficiency and higher rice yields. There is an urgent need to develop technology for management of such lands for higher production. In upland crops also. drilling of N. Split application of urea in three splits -first before transplanting or within seven days of transplanting. responsive cropping systems and minerology of potassium containing minerals should be studied. Therefore. As regards the management of micronutrients. With the fast growing industrialization. better and effective sources are needed to be worked out. soil health and pollution will be of immense danger. . urgent research is needed on these lines. %%%% .