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Soil fertility status of Attock district 505

SOIL FERTILITY AND SALINITY STATUS OFATTOCK DISTRICT

Obaid-ur-Rehman, Bashir Ahmad* and Sher Afzal**

ABSTRACT

A total of 20711 soi l samp les collected from all tehsi ls of Attock distr ict (6696

samples from tehsil Attock, 2917 from Fateh Jang, 2582 from Pindi Gheb, 5552from Jand and 2964 samples from Hassan Abdal) were tested in Soil and Water

Testing Laboratory, Attock, Pakistan during 2004-05 to 2007-08. Samples were

analysed for different parameters like soil reaction (pH1:10), electrical

conductivity (EC1:10), soil texture, soil organic matter (SOM) and plant availablephosphorus (Olsen-P). The results revealed that pH, ranged between 7.5-8.5 in

94.62 percent samples while 99.60 percent samples were normal with respectto salinity/sod icity (EC < 4 dS/m and SAR < 15). Similarl y 21.15 percent sampleswere light (sandy loam) and 78.70 percent were medium (loam) in texture. Soils

were poor in organic matter (91.32% samples had less than 0.86% OM) and

available phosphorus (99.49% samples had less than 7 mg P/kg soil).

Depending upon the soil analyses, farmers were guided and fertilizerrecommendations were served according to crop, soil and water/rainfall

conditions for harvesting higher yield of different crops.

KEYWORDS: Soils; soil fertility; salinity; soil texture; Pakistan.INTRODUCTION

Attock, previously named as Campbellpur, comprises six tehsils with 72 union

councils and is located at 33 46' 20 N Latitude and 72 22' 6 E Longitude. Itis spread at an altitude of 348 meters (1145 feet) from sea level. Totalestimated population of the district was 1518000 by the end 2008 of which 80percent is rural and 20 percent urban (14). Annual average rainfall for the lastfive years (2004-08) of Attock district is 694 mm (1029 mm in Hassan Abdal,711 mm in Attock, 825 mm in Fateh Jang, 544 mm in Jand and 360 mm inPindi Gheb tehsils). On an average, rainfall is scanty, uncertain and unevenlydistributed and is mostly received in monsoon season. In winter, minimumtemperature falls below 0C with frost while maximum temperature exceeds45C in summer. Crop sector consists of 7-8 crops [wheat, chickpea, lentiland rapeseed in winter (rabi) while groundnut, maize, mung, mash in summer

*Agricultural Officers (Lab.), **Agricultural Officer (Field), Soil and Water TestingLaboratory, Attock, Pakistan.

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(kharif) with some area under vegetables (potato, peas, onions, garlic) andorchards (citrus, peach, grapes, etc.)]. The detail of area, yield andproduction of major rabi and kharif crops in district Attock are given in

Annexure-I (1). According to latest statistics, total geographical area of districtAttock is 692000 hectares with cultivated area of 318000 hectares. Total netcropped area is 23000 hectares of which 70 percent is for rabi and 30 percentfor kharif crops (9). As regards nutrient use in Attock, 35 kg NPK per hectareper annum is used with N:P ratio of 4.40:1 against recommended ratio of2:1(Annexure-II). So the present nutrient use rate is far below therecommendation and it is further skewing in favour of nitrogen.

Soil fertility status varies with nature of cropping pattern and managementpractices. In Pakistan, entire available soil is almost nutrient deficient (5).Soils are generally deficient in organic matter content reflecting the severedeficiency of nitrogen (almost 100 %) with phosphorus deficiency in more

than 90 percent soils and potassium in 50 percent soils (Annexure-III).Micronutrients; zinc, boron and iron are also emerging as deficient (7).

Ahmad and Khan (1) declared that 75-92 percent soils of Pakistan aredeficient in organic matter (0-1%), 70-95 percent in phosphates and 20-60percent soils in potash. Crop yield increases 30-50 percent with balancedfertilization and production with 50 percent balanced fertilizer adoption can beincreased by 20 percent of current national production (2). Soil fertility statusof Attock (16, 17), Rawalpindi (12) and Gujrat (15) has shown that soils aredeficient in organic matter and available phosphorus and fertilizerrecommendations/application on the basis of soil tests are pre-requisite forhigher crop yields. Furrukh et al. (11) studied farmers fertility managementpattern with available resources and technology like chemical fertilizers, land

type, cropping pattern, fallow system and cultural practices. Farmers inrainfed tract of northern Punjab (Pakistan) i.e. Potohar Plateau, classify theirlands into two main types, Lepara (near the homestead with more organicmatter) and Mera (far from homestead with less or no organic matter) on thebasis of FYM application.

The objective of present study is to assess the soil fertility and salinity statusof Attock district for formulation of optimum fertilizer recommendations fordifferent crops grown in the area.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was conducted in Soil and Water Testing Laboratory, Attock,Pakistan during 2004-08. Composite soil samples from all tehsils of districtAttock (Attock = 6696, Fateh Jang = 2917, Pendi Ghab = 2582, Jand = 5552

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and Hassan Abdal = 2964 samples) were collected from 0-15 and 15-30 cmdepths for crops and vegetables while 0-15, 15-30, 30-60, 60-90, 90-120 and120-150 cm depths for fruit plants and orchards. Samples were air-dried,

ground and passed through a 2 mm sieve and analysed for physical andchemical properties. Soil texture was determined by measuring soil saturationpercentage (13). Similarly soil reaction (pH) and electrical conductivity (EC)were recorded with pH meter and EC meter, respectively by making soil andwater suspension of 1:10 (13). Samples were also analysed for organicmatter (10) and extractable phosphorus (18). The criteria used for theclassification is given in Table 1 as described by Malik et al. (13).

Table 1. Criteria of parameters used for classification.

(a) Soil texture

Saturation percentage Textural class

0-20 Sand

21-30 Sandy loam31-45 Loam46-65 Clay loam65-100 Clay

(b) Soil salinity/sodicity

Status pH EC (dS/m)

Normal (salts free) < 8.5 < 4Saline < 8.5 > 4Saline sodic > 8.5 > 4Sodic > 8.5 < 4

(c) Nutrient status

Status Organic matter (%) Olsen P (mg/kg soil)

Poor < 0.86 0-8

Satisfactory 0.86-1.29 8-15Adequate > 1.29 > 15

Source: Malik et al. (13)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Soil texture

The results (Table 2) showed that 21.15 percent soils in Attock district weresandy loam and 78.70 percent soils were loam in texture. Heavy texturedsoils (clay loam) were noticed at few sites (0.15 %). In tehsil Attock, 11.92percent soils were sandy loam and 87.78 percent soils were loam. In tehsilsFateh Jang and Hassan Abdal, 99.93 and 99.40 percent soils were loam,

respectively. In Pindi Gheb, 32.50 percent soils were sandy loam and 67.31percent soils were loam. In tehsil Jand, 49.17 percent soils were sandy loam

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while 50.83 percent soils were loam. This shows that soils are quiteheterogeneous and variable in texture. Regarding ranges (Table 3a & b),minimum saturation percentage (18%) appeared in tehsil Jand while

maximum (86 %) was found in tehsil Attock. These results are in conformitywith those of Rehman et al. (17) and Pervaiz et al. (15).

Dissolved salts (electrical conductivi ty)

Dissolved salts in soils create hindrance in normal nutrient uptake process byimbalance of ions, antagonistic and osmotic effects. Normally for researchpurpose, electrical conductivity of soil extract (ECe) is used for total dissolvedsalts but for assessing soil salinity and sodicity for advisory purpose, a soil-water suspension of EC1:10 is normally used as described in the manual ofMalik et al. (13). Various workers (12, 15, 17) used the same method forelectrical conductivity. However, EC1:10 is converted to ECe by multiplying

with the factor Saturation percentage/100 as described by US Salinity Lab.Staff (4). The data (Table 2) showed that 99.60 percent of soil samplesanalysed in district Attock were free from salinity/sodicity. All tehsils showedsimilar trend i.e. > 99 percent soils had total dissolved salts in normal rangeexcept a few sites (0.38 %) which were sodic in nature. Regarding ranges ofEC (Table 3a & b), minimum value (0.02 dS/m) was observed in tehsil Attockwhile maximum value (9.50 dS/m) was noticed in tehsil Fateh Jang during theyear 2004-05. However, higher EC was also observed in tehsil Pindi Gheb(4.20 dS/m) and Jand (4.96 dS/m). Attock and Hassan Abdal tehsils had lowdissolved salts i.e. EC < 1.70 and 1.50 dS/m, respectively. The reason for lowaccumulation of salts in soils is that texture of the most of soils is sandy loamto loam and high and sporadic rainfall in monsoon season leaches / washes

the salts, if any, from the root zone. The drainage is also very good due tohigh slopes. Salt affected area was negligible in Campbellpur (renamed asAttock) as per survey carried out during 1971 (14) but with the passage oftime, no considerable increase in salt affected area was observed whichmight be due to soil texture. These results are in line with those of Rehman etal. (17) and Mahmood et al. (12).

S

oil reaction (pH)

The results (Table 2) further revealed that 5 percent soils at district level hadpH < 7.5, which are considered as the best for agricultural use especially forgrowing high value crops, fruits and vegetables. Similarly 94.62 percent soilshad pH 7.5-8.5. These soils are also good for agriculture but pH towards

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higher side (i.e. > 8.2) has some limitations for high value crops. Soils havingpH > 8.5 need special attention and some suitable amendment (acid orgypsum) is to be applied for their reclamation according to the soil gypsum

requirement. Such soils in Attock district are very few (0.38 %). Regarding pHranges, minimum (6.5) and maximum (9.6) values were found in tehsil Attockin different years (Table 3a & b). However, pH > 8.5 was noticed in soils of alltehsils but their extent is very low. As the pH of soils is alkaline due to theindigenous parent material, calcareousness and low organic matter, thissituation is similar in almost all soils. These results are supported by thefindings of earlier workers (12, 15, 16, 17).Organic matter

Higher organic matter reflects the higher crops yield. The data (Table 2)showed that 91.32 percent soils in Attock district were poor and only 7.82percent were satisfactory with respect to organic matter. Soils in tehsil Jand

were found deficient (98.52 %) in organic matter while 17.88 percent soils intehsil Hassan Abdal were satisfactory in organic matter. With regards toranges traces of organic matter were found in some soils of tehsils Attock andJand (Table 3a & b) while maximum organic matter was present (2.41 %) intehsil Attock followed by tehsil Fateh Jang (2.36 %). The reason for loworganic matter in these tehsils is that temperature in summer exceeds 45 Cdue to which its decomposition rate is increased. Also farmers generally donot use farm yard manure and remove crops totally (grain plus straw) fromsoils leaving it fallow. The trend of green manuring is also not observed.These results are in line with those of earlier scientists (1, 12, 15, 16, 17) whofound that soils in these areas are deficient in organic matter.

Plant available phosphorus

With regards to phosphorus availability to plants, the results (Table 2)showed that 99.49 percent soils of Attock district were poor in this nutrient. Alltehsils had similar trend and were quite deficient in plant availablephosphorus. Traces of plant available phosphorus were found in some soilsof tehsil Jand while maximum value (19.2 mg P/ kg) was observed in soils oftehsil Pindi Gheb followed by Fateh Jang (17.0 mg p/kg) and Hassan Abdal(16 mg P/kg) tehsils. The reasons for poor plant available phosphorus is thatfarmers do not apply phosphatic fertilizers to crops according torecommendations and only nitrogenous fertilizers are applied due to pricehike of phosphatic fertilizers. N:P ratios described in annexure-II clarifies theposition. Current agronomic recommendations rate among NPK should be1:0.6:0.4 but presently it is stagnant at 1:0.3:0.01 and percent share of urea

in fertilizer off-take is 68 while that of DAP is 17 (7). These results coincidewith the findings of previous scientists (1, 7, 12, 15, 16, 17) according towhich soils in this tract are poor in available phosphorus.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

- Soil organic matter level and soil fertility status may be increased bygreen manuring (sesbania, guar, etc.) once in three years. With thispractice, the sufficient moisture can be preserved for rabi crops (wheat,canola, etc).

- Inorganic fertilizers (NPK) should be applied in balanced form accordingto soil test value and their use efficiency can be increased by bandplacement for row-sown crops. Recommendations for district Attock onthe basis of results are given below.

Nutrients recommendations for different crops.

(a) Arable crops and vegetables

Crop Mode of irrigation/ categoryof farmers Fertilitystatus/rainfall Fertilizer rate(kg/acre)

N P K

Wheat Progressive farmers 64 44 25

Irrigated Poor 52 46 25

Rainfed (Tehsils Jand andPindi Gheb)

Low rainfall(< 350 mm)

23 23 25

Rainfed (Tehsils Attock andHazro)

Medium rainfall(351-500 mm)

34 23 25

Rainfed (Tehsils HassanAbdal and Fateh Jang)

High rainfall(> 500 mm)

46 34 25

Chickpea Rainfed Poor soil 12 37 0Lentil/mung/mash Rainfed Poor soil 12 23 0

Maize Irrigated Poor 68 54 41Medium 51 40 34

Rainfed Poor 54 41 0Medium 40 31 0

Groundnut Poor 9 36 28Millet Poor 27 14 0Sorghum Poor 23 12 0Raya Poor 46 27 25Potato Poor 92 46 75

Medium 69 34 50Onion Medium 46 23 25Tomato Medium 50 36 25Peas Medium 12 36 12

Source: Soil Fertility Survey and Soil Testing Institute, Punjab, Lahore.

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(b) Citrus

Age of plant FYM N P K Zn

(kg/plant/year) (g/plant/ year)At plantation 20 0 0 0 01 year 0 0 0 0 02 years 10 125 0 0 03 years 15 250 125 0 04 years 20 500 250 0 05-9 years 40 1000 500 500 50> 10 years 60 1500 750 500 50

All P, K and Zn to be applied with FYM in December every year below the canopy ofthe plant but one meter away from the stem of tree. Fertilizers and FYM to be mixedin the soil with hoeing to be followed by irrigation. Half N to be applied in March andremaining half N to be applied by the end of June or beginning of July.

Source: NFDC, 2003 (6).

(c) Deciduous fruits (peach)

Age of plant FYM N P K Zn Fe

(kg/plant/year) (g/plant/ year)

At plantation 20 0 180 0 20 251 year 0 150 0 0 0 02 years 0 150 0 0 0 03 years 0 200 0 0 0 04 years 25 250 225 225 20 255 years 30 250 225 225 0 06 years 40 300 225 225 20 25

All P, K, Zn and Fe to be applied with FYM in December every year below the canopyof the plant but away from the stem of tree. Fertilizers and FYM to be mixed in the soilwith hoeing to be followed by irrigation. Nitrogen in two splits i.e. mid February andmid March should be applied.

Source: NFDC, 2003 (6).

REFERENCES

1. Ahmad, N. and A. A. Khan. 2006. Nutrient management for sustainableagriculture in Pakistan. In: Poster Session. IFA Conference OptimizingResource Use Efficiency for Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture.Feb. 27-March 4, 2006; Kunming, China.

2. Anon. 2006. Balanced fertilization through phosphate promotion at farmlevel; Impact on crop production. Final Report on three phases of trials(1987-2005). NFDC, Islamabad.

3. Anon. 2009. Data on area, yield and production of major rabi and kharifcrops. Personal Communication, District Officer, Extension Wing,

Agriculture Department, Attock.

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4. Anon. 1954. Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline and Alkali Soils.USDA Handbook No. 60, U. S. Salinity Lab. Staff. Washington, DC,USA. p. 16-17.

5. Anon. 2008. Economic Survey of Pakistan. Govt. of Pakistan,Islamabad.

6. Anon. 2003. Fertilizers and their Use in Pakistan. Training Bulletin. 3rdEd. NFDC, Islamabad.

7. Anon. 2008b. Fertilizer use efficiency and crop productivity: where westand and what should be done (Panel discussion). Proc. Symp.Balanced Fertilizer Use: Impact on Crop Production Oct. 30-31, 2006.NFDC, Islamabad.

8. Anon. 2008a. Pakistan Fertilizer Related Statistics. Review Report01/2008 Statistical Bulletin. NFDC, Islamabad.

9. Anon. 2008. Punjab Development Statistics. Govt. of the Punjab,Lahore.

10. Cottenie, A. M., G. Velgis and I. Kicken. 1979. Analytical Method forPlant and Soils. Laboratory of Analytical and Agro-chemistry. StateUniversity, Belgium.

11. Furrukh, A. M., I. Saeed, M. Dawson and Z. Ahmad. 1992. Farmersrationale for fertility moisture management in rainfed Punjab(Pakistan). J. Agric. Res. 30 (3): 371-379.

12. Mahmood, T., H. Mahmood, M. R. Raja and K. H. Gill. 1998. Soil fertilitystatus of Rawalpindi district. Pak. J. Soil Sci. 14 (1-2): 66-69.

13. Malik, D. M., M. A. Khan and T. A. Chaudhry. 1984. Analysis Manual forSoils, Plants and Waters. Rapid Soil Fertility Survey and Soil TestingInstitute, Lahore, Pakistan.

14. Muhammed, S. 1978. Salt affected soils of Pakistan. Proc.

Workshop/Seminar on Membrane Bio-Physics and Salt Tolerance inPlants. Qureshi et al. (eds.), Univ. Agric., Faisalabad.15. Pervaiz, Z., S. S. H. Kazmi, K. H. Gill and M. Mukhtar. 2002. Soil fertility

and salinity status of Gujrat district. Pak. J. Soil Sci. 21 (1-2): 11-14.16. Rehman, O., A. A. Sheikh and K. H. Gill. 2000. Available phosphorus

and pH status of Attock soils. Pak. J. Agri. Sci. 37 (1-2): 74-76.17. Rehman, O., K. H. Gill, M. R. Raja, A. Hussain and G. M. Din. 1995.

Soil fertility and salinity status of Attock district. Sarhad J. Agric. 11 (3):355-362.

18. Watanabe, F. S. and S. R. Olsen. 1965. Test of an ascorbic acidmethod for determining phosphorus in water and sodium bicarbonateextract from soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Pro. 29: 405-410.

Annexure I

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Area, Product ion and Yield of Major Crops(a) Rabi Crops

Nameof crop

Area/Produc tion/average yield

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09

Wheat Area (acres) 343544 368840 375115 395000 419000Production (tons) 3091090 265564.80 336853 173800 335200

Av. yield (kg) 900 720 898 440 800

Chickpea Area (acres) 8759 11218 13273 13275 12000

Produc tion (tones) 2627 2692.32 3780.15 2124 3552Av. yield (kg ) 300 240 284.8 180 296

Oilseed Area (acres ) 12715 13410 8185 8350 9430

Production (toes) 4068 2365.20 2799.27 2000 3206

Av. Yield (kg ) 320 180 342 300 340

Lenti l Area (acres) 861 1210 1907 1920 2100

Production (tons) 206 242 277.27 1536 588

Av. yield (kg ) 240 200 145.40 80 280

(b) Kharif Crops

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Groundnut

Area (acres) 58355 60170 58810 58408 58850 57400

Produc tion (tons) 21007 168476 14114 14602 23540 13776Av. yield (kg ) 360 280 240 250 400 240

Mung

Area (acres) 296 273 217 140 80 30

Produc tion (tons) 35.52 30.03 22.78 143 9.6 3.09

Av. yield (kg) 120 110 105 102 120 103

Mash

Area (acres) 48 350 125 0 50 35

Production (tons) 7.68 45.5 15 0 6.5 4.375

Av. yield (kg ) 160 130 120 0 130 125

Maize

Area (acres) 32400 21286 16755 15351 14756 15225

Production (tons) 184680 117073 8378 8596 8559 7308

Av. yield (kg) 570 550 500 560 580 480

Source: Extension Wing, Agricu lture Department, Attock.

Annexu re-II

District-wise nutrient use rate during 2006-07 (kg/ha)

NPK (kg/ha) Pakistan Punjab Districts

< 50 22 8 Attock = 35, Chakwal = 11, Jhelum = 25,Khushab = 19, Mianwal i = 47, Bhakkar = 33,

Rawalpindi = 45, Islamabad = 1951-100 17 5 Sargodha = 71, Jhang = 99, Gujrat = 84, Sialkot =

85, Mandi Bahaudddin = 79

> 100 52 22 Multan = 313, Rajanpur = 230, Lahore = 215,Sahiwal = 200, Rahim Yar Khan = 209

Total 91 35

Fertilizers (t) sold i n Attock

Year Urea CAN NP MAP DAP SSP NPK Total

2000-01 9950 2910 1270 0 2517 160 0 16807

2001-02 9920 3890 2260 0 727 80 0 168772002-03 8575 3060 1402 0 548 180 0 13765

2003-04 9924 945 702 0 1466 380 15 12752

2004-05 12740 710 735 70 1215 170 192 15832

2005-06 19938 217 34 0 1668 380 153 223902006-07 12325 886 836 0 2648 260 150 17138

Nutrient-wise offtake (t) in Attock

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Year Nitrogen Phosphates Potash Total

2000-01 6079 1479 0 75582001-02 6225 869 0 7094

2002-03 5161 607 0 5768

2003-04 4925 907 3 58352004-05 6460 840 30 73292005-06 9555 886 16 10456

2006-07 6579 1497 18 8094

Nutrient use rate (kg/ha)

Year Cropped area Attock Punjab Pakistan

000 ha

2000-01 229.7 32.90 128.80 128.802001-02 229.7 30.88 123.46 133.00

2002-03 224.3 25.72 128.34 135.85

2003-04 224.8 25.90 141.30 147.50

2004-05 240.1 30.50 156.70 161.00

2005-06 240.1 43.60 162.80 168.90

2006-07 231.0 35.00 149.80 158.70

N:P Ratios (Recommended 2 : 1)

Year Attock Punjab Pakistan2002-03 8.50 3.36 3.612003-04 5.43 3.59 3.75

2004-05 7.69 3.00 3.23

2005-06 10.78 3.39 3.44

2006-07 4.40 2.61 2.71

Source: NFDC, 2008 a (8).Annexure III

Nutrient deficiency extent in soils and fertili zer use efficiency

Nutrient Percent soils deficiency Percent fertilizer use efficiency

Nitrogen 100 40-60Phosphorus 90 15-20

Potassium 50 75-85

Zinc 70 4-5

Iron 70 11-15

Boron 50 6-8Copper 15 3-5

Factors contributing to low fertilizer use efficiency

S. No. Factor Percent contri bution to low fertilizeruse efficiency

1 Poor seed bed preparati on 10-252 Improper seeding 5-20

3 Delayed sow ing 20-40

4 Inappropriate variety 20-40

5 Inadequate plant population 10-25

6 Improper fertilizer placement 5-107 Imbalanced ferti lizer use 20-50

8 Inadequate irrigation 10-20

9 Weed infestation 15-50

10 Insect attack 5-50

Source: NFDC, 2008 b (7).

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