Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Soil Quality and Fibrous Mineral in Black Soils of Maharashtra


Affiliations
1 Division of Soil Resources Studies, ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Amravati Road, Nagpur - 440 010, India
 

There are many reports on soil parameters that have both yield-reducing and yield-favouring potential. However, only a few are available on the index soil properties of fibrous minerals containing soils on crop yields in the semi-arid tropical (SAT) regions. These minerals in soils are mostly palygorskite and sepiolite. In the present study, only the palygorskite mineral in black soils (cracking clay soils), its formation and probable influence on soil quality is addressed. The present study was also undertaken to indicate a possible genesis of palygorskite in Indian black soils with and without soil modifiers (Ca-zeolites and gypsum) supporting both rainfed and irrigated agriculture in SAT environments. Palygorskite is absent in aridic/ gypsic/sodic intergrades of black soils (Haplusterts), which might indicate non-interference of soil modifiers in its formation. Palygorskite is present only in sodic black soils (Calciusterts) in Maharashtra and parts of central and western India that contain no soil modifiers, and are under both rainfed and irrigated agricultural systems. The severe impairment of hydraulic properties of palygorskite containing naturally degraded black soils warrants a new research initiative for soils containing fibrous minerals.

Keywords

Fibrous Minerals, Palygorskite, Black Soils, Soil Quality.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Sarma, V. A. K. and Sidhu, P. S., Genesis and transformation of clay minerals. In 12th International Congress of Soil Science, New Delhi, 1982, pp. 718–724.

  • Zade, S. P., Pedogenic studies of some deep shrink–swell soils of Marathwada Region of Maharashtra to develop a viable land use plan. Ph D thesis, Dr PDKV, Akola, Maharashtra, 2007.

  • Hillier, S. and Pharande, A. L., Contemporary formation of palygorskite in irrigation induced saline–sodic, shrink–swell soils of Maharashtra, India. Clays Clay Miner., 2008, 56, 531–548.

  • Kolhe, A. H., Characteristics and genesis of red swell-shrink soils of Hingoli District of Maharashtra, M Sc thesis submitted to Dr. PDKV, Akola, 2010, p. 91.

  • Pal, D. K., Bhattacharyya, T., Ray, S. K. and Bhuse, S. R., Developing a model on the formation and resilience of naturally degraded black soils of the Peninsular India as a decision support system for better land use planning. NRDMS, DST Project Report, NBSS&LUP (ICAR), Nagpur, 2003, p. 144.

  • Singer, A., Pedogenic palygorskite in the aid environment. In Palygorskite–Sepiolite Occurrences, Genesis and Uses (eds Singer, A. and Galan, E.), Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1984, pp. 169–176.

  • Singer, A., Palygorskite and sepiolite. In Soil Mineralogy with Environmental Applications (eds Dixon, J. B. and Schulze, D. G.), SSSA Book Series, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI, 2002, vol. 7, pp. 555–583.

  • Jones, B. F. and Galan, E., Sepiolite and palygorskite. In Hydrous Phyllosilicates. Reviews in Mineralogy, 19, Mineralogical Society of America (ed. Bailey, S. W.), Washington DC, USA, 1988, pp. 631–674.

  • Millot, G., Panquet, H. and Ruellan, A., Neoformation de I’attapulgite dans les sols a carapaces calcaires de la basse Moulouya (Maroc oriental). C.R. Academy of Sciences, Paris, 1969, 268, 2771–2774.

  • Ducloux, J., Delhoume, J. P., Petit, S. and Decarreau, A., Clay differentiation in Aridisols of northern Mexico. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 1995, 59, 269–276.

  • Zelazny, L. W. and Calhoun, F. G., Palygorskite (attapulgite), sepiolite, talc, pyrophyllite and zeolites. In Minerals in Soil Environment (eds Dixon, J. B. and Weed, S. B.), Soil Science Society of America, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, 1977, pp. 435–470.

  • Heidari, A., Mahmoodi, Sh., Roozitalab, M. H. and Mermut, A.

  • R., Diversity of clay minerals in the black soils of three different climatic regions in western Iran. J. Agric. Sci. Technol., 2008, 10, 269–284.

  • Callen, R. A., Clays of the palygorskite–sepiolite group: depositional environment, age and distribution. In Palygorskite–Sepiolite Occurrences, Genesis and Uses ((eds Singer, A. and Galan, E.), Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1984, pp. 1–37.

  • Singer, A., Palygorskite and sepiolite group minerals. In Minerals in Soil Environments (eds Dixon, J. B. and Weed, S. B.), SSSA Book Series No. 1, Madison, WI, USA, 1989, 2nd edn, pp. 830–873.

  • Bigham, J. M., Jaynes, W. F. and Allen, B. L., Pedogenic degradation of sepiolite and palygorskite on the Texas High Plains. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 1980, 44, 159–165.

  • Fassi, D., L’encroutement calcaire differencie. Approche analytique intergree d’un profil du Sais. Rev. Geogr. Moracaine, 1987, 10, 115–148.

  • Kadir, S. and Eren, M., The occurrence and genesis of clay minerals associated with quaternary caliches in the Mersin area, southern Turkey. Clays Clay Min., 2008, 56, 244–258.

  • Xie, Q. et al., Mechanism of palygorskite formation in the red clay formation on the Chinese Loess Plateau, northwest China. Geoderma, 2013, 192, 39–49.

  • Sombroek, W. G., The use of palygorskite as diagnostic criteria in soil classification. Pedologie, 1981, 31, 121.

  • Singer, A. and Norrish, K., Pedogenic palygorskite occurrence in Australia. Am. Mineral, 1974, 59, 508–517.

  • Neaman, A. and Singer, A., The effects of palygorskite on chemical and physico-chemical properties of soils: a review. Geoderma, 2004, 123, 297–303.

  • Bhattacharyya, T., Pal, D. K. and Deshpande, S. B., Genesis and transformation of minerals in the formation of red (Alfisols) and black (Inceptisols and black soils) soils on Deccan basalt. J. Soil Sci., 1993, 44, 159–171.

  • Pal, D. K., Bhattacharyya, T., Ray, S. K., Chandran, P., Srivastava, P., Durge, S. L. and Bhuse, S. R., Significance of soil modifiers (Ca-zeolites and gypsum) in naturally-degraded black soils of the Peninsular India in redefining the sodic soils. Geoderma, 2006, 136, 210–228.

  • Pal, D. K. and Deshpande, S. B., Characteristics and genesis of minerals in some benchmark black soils of India. Pedologie, 1987, 37, 259–275.

  • Pal, D. K. et al., Black soils (cracking clay soils) in a climosequence of Peninsular India: evidence for Holocene climate changes. Quaternary Int., 2009, 209, 6–21.

  • Pal, D. K., Wani, S. P. and Sahrawat, K. L., Black soils of tropical Indian environments: pedology and edaphology. Geoderma, 2012, 189–190, 28–49.

  • Bhattacharyya, T., Sarkar, D. and Pal, D. K. (eds), Soil Survey Manual, NBSS&LUP Publication No. 146, NBSS&LUP, Nagpur, 2009, p. 400.

  • Jackson, M. L., Soil Chemical Analysis – Advanced Course, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA (Published by the author), 1979, 2nd edn.

  • Piper, C. S., Soil and Plant Analysis, Hans Publishers, Bombay, 1966.

  • Richards, L. A., Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline and Alkali Soils, USDA Agricultural Handbook, US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, USA, 1954, vol. 60.

  • Brown, G., Associated minerals. In Crystal Structures of Clay Minerals and their X-ray Identification (eds Brindley, G. W. and Brown, G. W.), Mineralogical Society, London, UK, 1984, pp. 361–410.

  • Gjems, O., Studies on clay minerals and clay mineral formation of soil profiles in Scandinavia. Medd. Nor. Inst. Skogforsok., 1967, 21, 303–415.

  • Van Scoyoc, G. E., Serna, C. J. and Ahlrichs, J. L., Structural changes in palygorskite during dehydration and dehydroxylation. Am. Mineral., 1979, 64, 215–223.

  • Nathan, Y., An improved X-ray method for detecting small quantities of palygorskite in clay mineral mixtures. Clays Clay Miner., 1970, 18, 363–365.

  • Kadu, P. R., Vaidya, P. H., Balpande, S. S., Satyavathi, P. L. A.

  • and Pal, D. K., Use of hydraulic conductivity to evaluate the suitability of black soils for deep ischolar_mained crops in semi-arid parts of Central India. Soil Use Manage., 2003, 19, 208–216.

  • Owliaie, H. R., Abtahi, A. and Heck, R. J., Pedogenesis and clay mineralogical investigation of soils formed on gypsiferous and calcareous materials, on a transect, southwestern Iran. Geoderma, 2006, 134, 62–81.

  • Srivastava, P., Bhattacharyya, T. and Pal, D. K., Significance of the formation of calcium carbonate minerals in the pedogenesis and management of cracking clay soils (black soils) of India. Clays Clay Miner., 2002, 50, 110–125.

  • Pal, D. K., Dasog, G. S., Vadivelu, S., Ahuja, R. L. and Bhattacharyya, T., Secondary calcium carbonate in soils of arid and semi-arid regions of India. In Global Climate Change and Pedogenic Carbonates (eds Lal, R. et al.), Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Florida, 2000, pp. 149–185.

  • Pal, D. K., Deshpande, S. B., Venugopal, K. R. and Kabande, A. R., Formation of di and trioctahedral smectite as evidence for paleoclimatic changes of southern and central Peninsular India. Geoderma, 1989, 45, 175–184.

  • Pal, D. K. et al., Clay minerals record from Late Quaternary drill cores of the Ganga Plains and their implications for provenance and climate change in the Himalayan Foreland. Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol., 2012, 356–357, 27–37.

  • Pal, D. K., Potassium release from muscovite and biotite under alkaline conditions. Pedologie, 1985, 35, 133–146.

  • Thakare, P. V., Ray, S. K., Chandran, P., Bhattacharyya, T. and Pal, D. K., Does sodicity in Black soils affect the layer charge of smectites? Clay Res., 2013, 32, 76–90.

  • Rengasamy, P., Sarma, V. A. K., Murthy, R. S. and Krishna Murti, G. S. R., Mineralogy, genesis and classification of ferruginous soils of the eastern Mysore plateau. J. Soil Sci., 1978, 29, 431-445.

  • De Kimpe, C., Gastuche, M. C. and Brindley, G. W., Ionic coordination in aluminosilicic gels in relation to clay mineral formation. Am. Mineral., 1961, 46, 1370–1381.

  • Singer, A., Palygorskite in sediments: detrital, diagenetic or neoformed – a critical review. Geol. Rundsch., 1979, 68, 996–1008.

  • Daoudi, L., Palygorskite in the uppermost Cretaceous–Eocene frocks from Marrakech High Atlas, Morocco. J. Afr. Earth Sci., 2004, 39, 353–358.

  • Siddiqui, M. K. H., Palygorskite clays from Andhra Pradesh, India. Clay Min., 1967, 7, 120–123.

  • Shrivastava, J. P., Salil, M. S, and Pattanayak, S. K., Clay mineralogy of Ir-bearing Anjar Intertrappeans, Kutch, Gujarat, India: inferences on paleoenvironment. J. Geol. Soc. India, 2000, 55, 197–206.

  • Kolhe, A. H., Chandran P., Ray, S. K., Bhattacharyya, T., Pal, D.

  • K. and Sarkar, D., Genesis of associated red and black shrinkswell soils of Maharashtra. Clay Res., 2011, 30, 1–11.

  • Pal, D. K., Sarkar, D., Bhattacharyya, T., Datta, S. C., Chandran, P. and Ray, S. K., Impact of climate change in soils of semi-arid tropics (SAT). In Climate Change and Agriculture (eds Bhattacharyya, T. et al.), Studium Press, New Delhi, 2013, pp. 113–121.

  • Bhattacharyya, T., Pal, D. K. and Srivastava, P., Role of zeolites in persistence of high altitude ferruginous Alfisols of the Western Ghats, India. Geoderma, 1999, 90, 263–276.

  • Bhattacharyya, T., Pal, D. K., Lal, S., Chandran, P. and Ray, S. K., Formation and persistence of Mollisols on zeolitic Deccan basalt of humid tropical India. Geoderma, 2006, 136, 609–620.

  • Soil Survey Staff, Keys to Soil Taxonomy, United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC, USA, 10th edn, 2006.

  • Velayutham M., Mandal D. K., Mandal, C. and Sehgal, J., Agro-ecological subregions of India for planning and development, NBSS&LUP Publ. No. 35, NBSSLUP, Nagpur, 1999, p. 372.


Abstract Views: 245

PDF Views: 73




  • Soil Quality and Fibrous Mineral in Black Soils of Maharashtra

Abstract Views: 245  |  PDF Views: 73

Authors

T. Bhattacharyya
Division of Soil Resources Studies, ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Amravati Road, Nagpur - 440 010, India
S. K. Ray
Division of Soil Resources Studies, ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Amravati Road, Nagpur - 440 010, India
P. Chandran
Division of Soil Resources Studies, ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Amravati Road, Nagpur - 440 010, India
K. Karthikeyan
Division of Soil Resources Studies, ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Amravati Road, Nagpur - 440 010, India
D. K. Pal
Division of Soil Resources Studies, ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Amravati Road, Nagpur - 440 010, India

Abstract


There are many reports on soil parameters that have both yield-reducing and yield-favouring potential. However, only a few are available on the index soil properties of fibrous minerals containing soils on crop yields in the semi-arid tropical (SAT) regions. These minerals in soils are mostly palygorskite and sepiolite. In the present study, only the palygorskite mineral in black soils (cracking clay soils), its formation and probable influence on soil quality is addressed. The present study was also undertaken to indicate a possible genesis of palygorskite in Indian black soils with and without soil modifiers (Ca-zeolites and gypsum) supporting both rainfed and irrigated agriculture in SAT environments. Palygorskite is absent in aridic/ gypsic/sodic intergrades of black soils (Haplusterts), which might indicate non-interference of soil modifiers in its formation. Palygorskite is present only in sodic black soils (Calciusterts) in Maharashtra and parts of central and western India that contain no soil modifiers, and are under both rainfed and irrigated agricultural systems. The severe impairment of hydraulic properties of palygorskite containing naturally degraded black soils warrants a new research initiative for soils containing fibrous minerals.

Keywords


Fibrous Minerals, Palygorskite, Black Soils, Soil Quality.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv115%2Fi3%2F482-492