LAND RESOURCE INVENTORY AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF FARM HOUSEHOLDS FOR WATERSHED PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT YADGIR RF-1 (4D2D6A2b) MICROWATERSHED Gurumitkal Hobli, Yadgir Taluk and District, Karnataka

Abstract

The land resource inventory of Yadgir RF1Microwatershed was conducted using village cadastral maps and IRS satellite imagery on 1:7920 scale. The false colour composites of IRS imagery were interpreted for physiography and the physiographic delineations were used as base for mapping soils. The soils were studied in several transects and a soil map was prepared with phases of soil series as mapping units. Random checks were made all over the area outside the transects to confirm and validate the soil map unit boundaries. The soil map shows the geographic distribution and extent, characteristics, classification, behavior and use potentials of the soils in the microwatershed. The present study covers an area of 643 ha in Yadgir taluk & district, Karnataka. The climate is semiarid and categorized as drought-prone with an average annual rainfall of 866 mm, of which about 652 mm is received during south-west monsoon, 138 mm during north-east and the remaining 76 mm during the rest of the year. An area of 339 ha in the microwatershed is covered by soils, 293 ha by forest and 11 ha by others (habitation and water body). The salient findings from the land resource inventory are summarized briefly below.  The soils belong to 8 soil series and 12 soil phases (management units) and 4 land management units.  The length of crop growing period is about 120-150 days starting from 1st week of June to 4th week of October.  From the master soil map, several interpretative and thematic maps like land capability, soil depth, surface soil texture, soil gravelliness, available water capacity, soil slope and soil erosion were generated.  Soil fertility status maps for macro and micronutrients were generated based on the surface soil samples collected at every 320 m grid interval.  Land suitability for growing 29 major agricultural and horticultural crops was assessed and maps showing the degree of suitability along with constraints were generated.  About 53 per cent area in the microwatershed is suitable for agriculture.  About 29 per cent area is very shallow (<25 cm), 20 per cent area is shallow (25- 50 cm), <1 per cent area is moderately shallow (50-75 cm) and 4 per cent area of the microwatershed has soils that are deep to very deep (100->150 cm).  About 10 per cent area in the microwatershed has sandy soils, 4 per cent loamy soils and 38 per cent clayey soils at the surface.  About 10 per cent area in the microwatershed is gravelly (15-35%) and 42 per cent is non gravelly (<15%).  About 49 per cent is very low (<50 mm/m) in available water capacity and 4 per cent is very high (>200 mm/m).  About 44 per cent area in the microwatershed has very gently sloping (1-3% slope) lands and 9 per cent has gently sloping (3-5% slope) lands.  An area of about 3 per cent is slightly eroded (e1), 17 per cent is moderately (e2) eroded and 33 per cent area is severely (e3) eroded.  An area of about <1 per cent is slightly acid (pH 6.0-6.5) in soil reaction, 51 per cent area is neutral (pH 6.5-7.3) and 1 per cent is slightly alkaline (pH 7.3-7.8).  The Electrical Conductivity (EC) of entire soils of the microwatershed is dominantly <2 dsm-1indicating that the soils are non-saline.  About 5 per cent of the soils are medium (0.5-0.75%) in organic carbon content and 47 per cent area is high (>0.75%).  An area of about 34 per cent is medium (23-57 kg/ha) in available phosphorus, 6 per cent is high (>57 kg/ha) and 13 per cent area is low (<23 kg/ha) in the microwatershed.  About 9 per cent is low (<145 kg/ha) in available potassium, 39 per cent is medium (145-337 kg/ha) and 6 per cent is high (>337 kg/ha) in the microwatershed.  Available sulphur is medium (10-20 ppm) in 31 per cent area and low (<10 ppm) in 22 per cent area of the microwatershed.  Available boron is low (<0.5 ppm) in an area of about 36 per cent and medium (0.5-1.0 ppm) in 17 per cent area of the microwatershed.  Available iron is sufficient (>4.5 ppm) in the entire cultivated area of the microwatershed.  Available manganese and copper are sufficient in all the cultivated soils of the microwatershed.  Available zinc is deficient (<0.6 ppm) in an area of 29 per cent and sufficient (>0.6 ppm) in 24 per cent of cultivated area of the microwatershed.  The land suitability for 29 major crops grown in the microwatershed were assessed and the areas that are highly suitable (S1) and moderately suitable (S2) are given below. It is however to be noted that a given soil may be suitable for various crops but what specific crop to be grown may be decided by the farmer looking to his capacity to invest on various inputs, marketing infrastructure, market price and finally the demand and supply position.