Temporal Variations in Primary, Secondary, and Micronutrient Contents in Soil of Litchi Orchard

Litchi is one of the important subtropical fruit crops in the state of Jharkhand, occupying around 33,000 ha with production of about 165,000 metric tons. Considering the importance of soil analysis in litchi crops, the present investigation was carried out in an established orchard (begun in 1979) at the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Program, Indian Council of Agriculture Research Complex for Eastern Region, Plandu (Ranchi), Jharkhand, India, to study the nutrient concentrations in soils of litchi and the interrelationships among available nutrient concentrations present in soil, and crop productivity in order to develop a sound fertilizer management program. Periodic collection of soil samples from the established orchard was carried out on the second week of every month during 2006–2007. Analysis of soil samples were carried out for macro- and micronutrients in soil. Mean soil nutrient contents for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were 232 kg ha⁻¹, 53 kg ha⁻¹, and 420 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. The greatest contents of N and K were observed at full canopy distance, whereas for that for P was at one-third and two-thirds the canopy distance. Mean soil nutrient contents were 1.52 C mol (P⁺) kg⁻¹, 1.11 C mol (P⁺) kg⁻¹, and 23 ppm for calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S), respectively. The greatest contents of Ca and Mg were observed at one-third the canopy distance whereas that for S was at two-thirds the canopy distance. However, mean soil nutrient contents were 1.03, 53, 65, and 1.42 ppm for copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn), respectively. The greatest content of Fe was observed at two-thirds the canopy distance whereas that for Cu was at one-third the canopy distance. The greatest Mn content was observed for both two-thirds and full canopy distance whereas Zn contents had no significant differences among the canopy distances. However, soil sampling at two-thirds canopy distance from the trunk was observed to be ideal for soil analysis.