Assessment of Soil Nutrient Status of Priyadarshini Jurala Irrigation Project Command Area

The Priyadarshini Jurala Project (PJP) is a multipurpose project across the river Krishna, located 18 km downstream of Telangana - Karnataka border (16020'15"E and 77042'15" N) on Krishna River in Telangana state falling in the Southern Plateau and Hill Agro-climatic region of India. Despite the importance of the irrigated area of the project, meager data is available on physico chemical properties and nutrient status PJP command area soils. To assess the soil physical and nutrient status of PJP command area, an investigation on soil fertility with respect to soil texture, pH, Texture, N, P2O5, and K2O was conducted by using standard procedures. The texture of soils of Jurala command area varied from sandy loam to sandy clay loam. The mean pH values for kharif ranged from 4.81 to 8.14 and 4.96 to 8.12 with an average value of 6.45 and 6.80, respectively under PJP right and left main canal command area. The EC of the surface soil samples (0-30cm) indicated that the soils of Jurala command area are non saline. The mean value of available nitrogen was 184 kg N ha-1 in the PJP right main canal and 201 kg N ha-1 in the PJP left main canal. The available nitrogen is low (< 280 kg N ha-1) in all soil samples. Out of the total samples collected in PJP right main canal, all the samples were high in available phosphorus whereas in the PJP left main canal 28, 25 and 47 per cent were low, medium and high in available phosphorus. In case of K2O, 75, 23 and 2 per cent and 75, 19 and 6 per cent of the samples were low, medium and high in available potassium in PJP right and left main canal. For paddy crop under PJP command area, application of nitrogen and potassium is essential and the level phosphorus need to be reduced.