Studies on Forms of Potassium and Nutrients Status of Soil in Central and Eastern Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra

Forms of potassium, nutrients status and their interrelationship with total and available nutrient were investigated in forty-five soil samples representing fourteen profiles from five districts (Typic Haplusterts) of Central and Western Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. The available, water soluble, exchangeable, non exchangeable and lattice K contributed 1.97, 0.12, 1.88, 11.25 and 86.76 per cent towards total soil K in the given soils. The soils of Wardha, Nagpur, Chandrapur and Bhandara districts were slightly calcarious neutral to alkaline in reaction and the soils of Gondia district was non calcarious and sightly acidic in reaction. The Central Vidarbha soils are clay in texture having high CEC and organic carbon content. Where as the soils of Eastern Vidarbha is clay loam, sandy clay loam, low in CEC and organic carbon content. No definite trend was observed in the forms of potassium except exchangeable and available K they are decreased with increase in depth. The available K, exchangeable K, total K and lattice K, influenced by total N (r=0.3268*, r=0.3122*, r=0.2950, r=0.3079*) respectively. The available K and exchangeable K is also affected by available N (r=0.9784**, r=0.9773**) respectively, in Vidarbha region. In Central Vidarbha available and exchangeable K influenced by total and available N respectively. In eastern Vidarbha the available K and exchangeable K influenced by total S and available N.