Digital mapping of soil physicochemical properties of Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir using geographic information system

A study was carried out to assess and generate the prediction maps of the physicochemical properties of the soils in the Ramban district. The Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir covers an area of 113787 ha and falls in the temperate zone of the state. It is an upland valley in the north-east corner of Jammu region. Soil samples were collected from the entire Ramban district in a stratified random manner. The digitization process and generation of maps was carried out with ArcGIS 10.0. Sandy loam was the dominant textural class in the district. Soil pH varied widely across the Ramban district ranging from as low as 5.70 to as high as 7.90. The electrical conductivity (EC) ranged from 0.16 to 6.90 dS m⁻¹. Organic carbon (OC) was found to be in a range from 0.11 to 1.95%.The calcium carbonate content ranged from traces to 2.20%. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) had values ranging from 4.34 to 42.04 cmol p+/kg. Almost all recorded physicochemical properties of Ramban district soils were conducive for crop growth, although the major area of the district was either devoid of cultivation or difficult to cultivate because the region is having undulating topography.