Spatial Variation in Soil Nutrient Status under Intensively Jute Cultivated Areas of the Coastal Ecosystem
Jute is a significant fibercrop in Eastern India, where it plays an essential role in people’s livelihoods. The crop’s production has been dropping in recent years due to a variety of abiotic issues, the most prominent of which is poor soil nutrient management. To address the issue,surface soil samples were taken from four blocks in Odisha’s Kendrapada district to determine the status and extent of soil major and micronutrient deficiency, as well as the relationship between soil attributes and nutrient availability, including the temporal changes in nutrients over 12 years periods. The result showed that the extent of NPS deficiency in this jute-growing region was 97.5, 34.58, and 70.83% respectively. The multi-nutrient deficiency was highest for N+S (29%) and lowest for N+P+S (12%). Among micronutrients Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn varied from 53.32 to 225.36, 40 to 167, 2.57 to 8.10, and 0.76 to 2.20 mg/kg, respectively. A regression study revealed that basic soil parameters such as pH, EC, and OC, etc. influenced soil nutrients to the greatest amount (59.8% for Fe, followed by K).When present soil nutrient status was compared to data from 12 years ago, N and S levels had fallen, but other major and micronutrient levels had stayed essentially stable. According to the findings, jute farming requires management to restore long-term output and soil health.