Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(6): 257-277 International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 06 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2018.706.031 Nutrient Status of Aprioct (Prunus armeniaca L.) Orchards of District Kargil, Ladakh, India Mansoor Ali1*, M.A. Malik2, Tsering Dolkar3 and Ahmad Ali1 1Division of Soil Science, 2Division of Fruit Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology Kashmir, India 3Collage of Agriculture Engineering, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology Kashmir, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Aprioct (Prunus armeniaca L.) is the main fruit in Ladakh region. Soil nutrients play a vital role in the growth, development and yield of apricot tree and the information on the nutritional status of an area can go a long way in planning judicious fertilizers and soil management practices to develop economically viable alternatives for the orchardists. K e yw or ds Twenty one orchards with uniform age and vigour were selected and surveyed (simple random survey) for the purpose of collection of soil and leaf samples in District Kargil. Apricot, Soil, Orchards, The soil samples were collected from the three different depths viz., 0-20 cm, 20-40 cm District Kargil, available nutrients and micro and 40-60 cm. The soils were mostly sandy loam with sand, silt and clay with neutral to nutrients alkaline in reaction. Most of the soil samples were within the safe limit of salinity and were grouped under class A <0.5 dsm-1. Organic carbon is almost low irrespective of all Article Info locations. While in available nutrients contents nitrogen is low at all locations, phosphorus Accepted: is adequate and potassium is varied from medium to high category. The available calcium 02 May 2018 and magnesium did not reveal a definite pattern along the depth. The available sulphur Available Online: content in these soils was sufficient and did not exhibit any definite trend in its vertical 10 June 2018 distribution. The DTPA-extractable zinc was found to be low, copper was found to be optimum in 95.23% soil samples. Iron was found low in 42.85% soil samples and medium to high in 57.14% soil samples. Manganese was found to be low in almost all samples with the surface soils containing higher amount than the sub-surface soils. All the micronutrients cations showed a decreasing trend with the increase in soil depth. Introduction Himalaya and Western Tibet. It is probably a native of Western China. In India, it is Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) belongs to cultivated in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal family Rosaceae. It is grown mostly in the Pradesh and hills of Uttar Pradesh. In Jammu temperate regions of the world e.g. Western and Kashmir State, about 3030 hectare area and Central Asia, Europe, North Western covered under this fruit. Ladakh is named as 257 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(6): 257-277 cold arid of North-Western Himalayas in while as the soils in the Leh (igoo-phey Indian Subcontinent. Apricot being the most command area) are coarse textured with sand dominant fruit crop in the Ladakh region. The content of 95.0% and clay content ranging market value of the fruit (Apricot) produced from 1.20 to 2.40%. The percentage of sand in from the cold arid areas, is almost double that Thicksay is relatively less (50 to 60%) with a of the fruit produced from other temperate and clay content varying between 13-22%. Soils sub temperate parts of the country. Seedling are thus loose with good aeration and lack in originated apricots grow successfully up to an the capacity to absorb and hold the sufficient altitude of 3,500 meters a.m.s.l. Ladakh moisture and nutrients (Talib 1986). pH and comprises of Kargil and Leh district of Jammu Electrical conductivity of District Kargil and Kashmir state and is spread over an ranged between 7.5 to 8.5 in April and 8.0 to geographical area of 96,701 km2 accounting 8.7 in September for all locations. While-as in for 43% of the area of the state and 75% of the the sub-surface layer the value stood at > 8.0, cold arid region of the India. Fruit crops are 0.002 to 0.080 (mmhos/cm) respectively raised in 47 villages of Kargil and 54 villages reported in Apricot orchards of district Kargil of Leh District, based on the length of the (Norboo, 1994) and Sanjay et al., (2005) also cropping season and elevation Sharma and reported electrical conductivity varied from Mir (1997) identified three climatic divisions 0.05 to 1.41 and 0.08 to 1.55 dS m-l (i.e., the upper, middle and lower) within the respectively in soils of Leh and Kargil District cold arid region. and further confirmed that electrical conductivity were within the safe limits The lower belt includes area from Saspol to (grouped under class A, <0.5 dS m-l). Batalik, Nubra valley and larger parts of Kargil. Double cropping is practiced in these Whereas the organic carbon content were lower belts and in fruit production, both in ranged between 0.7 to 14.1 and 1.4 to 35.8g terms of variety and quantity is maximum in kg-1 respectively in both districts. Macro- these areas. The apricot growing areas in nutrients like Nitrogen, Phosphorus and District Kargil are Karkitchoo, Hardass, Potassium were varied from 91.99 to 223.66 Hunderman, Shilikchey, Poyen, Akchamal, kg/ha and phosphorus is within the normal Batalik, Chulichan, Gargardo, Darchiks, range irrespective of locations and various soil Garkhon and Sanjak. These apricot growing depths (Norboo, 1994). While as potassium areas are situated between 34.5o to 34.7o North varied from 11 to 496 and 103 to 861 kg/ha in latitude, 76.2o to 76.5o East longitude and at an soil samples of Leh and Kargil District, altitude of 2,500-2,750 meters a.m.s.l. respectively (Sanjay et al., (2005). While studying the micro-nutrients (Zn, Cu, Fe and Generally speaking, the soils in Ladakh show Mn) in the soils of Ladakh it has been reported a very wide variation in texture-sandy, loamy, that Zinc (0.08 to 2.08 mg/kg), copper (0.28 to silty loam, etc. and crops perform differently 1.24 mg/kg), Fe (1.56 to 14.62 mg/kg), Mn in the different soil types about which there is (2.12 to 5.92) (Jalali et al., 2000). Soil very little awareness among the local farmers nutrients play a vital role in the growth, (Singh, 1995). The sand content in the soils of development and yield of plant and the Kargil (Kurbathang plateau) is relatively less information on the nutritional status of an area (51.29 to 93.00%) with sandy loam as can go a long way in planning judicious predominant surface texture. The soils in fertilizers and soil management practices to Drass areas are relatively finer with sandy develop economically viable alternatives for loam to clay loam as the dominant texture the farming community. 258 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(6): 257-277 Materials and Methods Vegetation Survey of study area With the changing weather pattern, cropping pattern in the cold desert region is changing Investigations were carried out in 21 orchards rapidly and farmers have shifted from old of uniform age, vigour and growth selected traditional crops like buckwheat, barley, black from main apricot growing areas of District peas to low volume high value crops such as Kargil located at different locations and peas potato, apple, apricot, almond and accordingly soil samples and leaf samples seabuckthorn. In fodders alfa alfa is widely were collected under the standard procedure. grown. Willows (Salix species) and Poplars A comprehensive survey was conducted in (Populas species) are found along the Indus order to evaluate apricot growing orchards at basin. different locations in District Kargil. The design of the survey used in achieving the The soil samples were collected from the drip objectives of the current study was simple line of fruit trees from 21 different apricot random sampling. The Global Positioning orchards in different blocks of Kargil at System (GPS) co-ordinates (Table 1) were different depths i.e., 0-20 cm, 20-40 cm and taken along the sampling sites and were used 40-60 cm. The soil samples after collection to draw the Arc Map (Map 1) in Arc GIS 10.2. were dried, crushed and sieved through 2 mm sieve and packed for analysis. Mechanical Climate properties (Piper, 1966), pH and electrical conductivity (1:2.5 soil: water ratio), Organic Cold arid zone is experienced by harsh climate carbon (Walkey and Black, 1934), nitrogen dryness from extreme heat and cold, excessive (Subbiah and Asija, 1956), phosphorus dryness and very low rainfall and as such this (Jackson, 1973). Potassium (Jackson, 1973), region is called the cold arid or cold desert sulphur (Chesnin and Yien, 1951) zone of the state. Based on the length of the exchangeable calcium and magnesium (Black cropping season and elevation Sharma and 1965). The available (DTPA-extractable) Mir (1997) identified three climatic divisions micronutrients (Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn) contents (i.e., the upper, middle and lower) within the of the soil were determined by Lindsay and cold arid region. The lower belt includes area Norvell (1978). Simple coefficient of from Saspol to Batalik, Nubra valley and correlation „r‟ was worked out between larger parts of Kargil.