Assessment of Soil Fertility Status for Sustainable Productivity: A Study in Some Tea Garden Belts of Assam, India

The conventional farming has posed a serious threat on food quality, environments and water quality.
Inadequate and unbalanced application of agrochemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and
insecticides) to soil and intensive soil tillage practices are the main cause of soil quality degradation in
irrigated areas resulting in stagnating or even declining of crop productivity and quality. With the
increasing population growth, there is a rapid demand of increasing food productions, so that it
encourage the use of high yielding varieties and need for use of inorganic chemicals to meet the
demand of consumers.
During late 60’s time reached when the production became plateau with the use of the inorganic
fertilizer; at the same time it created many adverse effect like the deterioration of soil quality and the
environmental quality; ultimately the food quality. The need of the hour is to achieve higher crop yield
from our limited land resources on a sustainable basis. Hence organic farming for sustainable
agriculture is gaining momentum throughout the world to provide a better environments, better food
quality to the consumers. For conventional agricultural system to sustainable agricultural system it in
necessary to analyze the soil quality status, since fertile soil is the fundamental resource for higher
crop production, better food quality and environment.
Keeping on this mind a study was carried out in the paddy fields of tea garden belts viz. Rungagora,
Balijan, Banwaripur, Khomtai, Rungajaun, Lattakoojan, Borjan, Behora, Negheriting and Borsapori of
Golaghat district of Assam to investigate the fertility status of soil with respect to pH, electrical
conductance (EC), soil organic matter (SOM), available nitrogen (AN), exchangeable potassium (EK),
available phosphorous (AP) and bulk density (BD) during 2008-2010. Depending on the SOM,
available N, available P and exchangeable K in soil, the study area were grouped in to six fertility
classes as MMML, MMHL, MMMM, MHHL, MHHM and MMHM. Majority of the soil samples observed
under MMML group and soils of Rungagora, Negheriting, Borsapori, Behora and Khomtai TE belt
were found no change in soil fertility group. Borjan TE belts found changing from MMHL to MMML
group, Balijan TE belts from MMHL to MHHL group, Rungajaun TE belts from MHHM to MMHM group
and Lattakoojan TE belts from MMMM to MMML group during the study.