Status of available cations in soils of wet temperate zone of Uttar Pradesh

Wet temperate zone of Uttar Pradesh represents major soils as plain, low land and khather developed from alluvium under varying status of nutrients contents. The soils were shallow to moderately shallow, light yellowish brown in color, neutral to saline in reaction and low in organic carbon. The available nitrogen varied from 95.02 to 572.50 kg/ha with a mean value of 210.0 kg/ha. The soils of these tracts were poor in available phosphorus while moderate in potash but near to lower side status. Sulphur was deficient in all the soils. The soils were well supplied with DTPA-extractable cations as iron and manganese whereas 68.5% and 63.6% soil samples were below the critical level in available zinc and copper, respectively. Hence, the application of zinc and copper was found essential in addition to fertilizer recommendations for increasing the crop productivity.