Physico-chemical properties of soils from Jamnagar district of Gujarat and their better management for favorable crop growth

Twenty soil samples each from ten talukas of Jamnagar district were collected in the year 2011 for the determination of EC, pH, organic carbon, particle density, bulk density, water holding capacity, saturated hydraulic conductivity. The result revealed that EC and pH of soil samples were within normal limits, except either sodic or saline or saline-sodic and alkaline nature of some soil samples. The overall organic carbon content was low.The water holding capacity of soils varied 36.47 to 73.02%, while saturated hydraulic conductivity (HCsat) varied from 0.032 to 0.485 cm hr⁻¹ indicating slow to very slow status.Available water capacity (AWC) was found to vary widely. The areas of Dhrol, Jamjodhpur, Lalpur, Jamnagar and Jamjodhpur talukas having AWC>0.15m³/m³ indicated their possibility of quick moisture stress, and hence might requirehigher frequency of irrigation. The B.D. was highly significantly and negatively correlated with O.C. (r=-0.191**), AWC (r=-0.256**), where as the HCsat was significantly and negatively correlated with EC(r=-0.199**), pH(r=0.177*), B.D (r=-0.170*) and AWC (r=-0.196**).