Department of Soils and Agricultural Chemistry, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orrisa, 751003.
Studies on the effect of climate and cultivation on organic matter and nitrogen content of virgin and cultivated soils of Orissa were made. Organic matter of a virgin soil increased with increase in rainfall and decrease in temperature. With cultivation, both organic carbon and nitrogen content decreased. Due to cultivation, a loss of about 200-20,000 kg organic carbon and 40–1100 kg nitrogen per hectare were observed in different soil groups, the highest loss being in case of Vertisols. The relationship between the CEC and the organic carbon was significantly positive, whereas the CEC and the soil water retention capacity taken together showed a stronger correlation. Humus was strongly correlated with organic carbon content and this relation followed in the decreasing order with total N, C/N ratio and available N.
Climate, cultivation, organic C, total N, soils of Orissa
