Assessment of Soil Properties around Industries of Jharkhand

Accumulation of trace metals and their bio-availability in soils is likely to have for reacting consequences on soil health as well as growth, yield and quality of crops. To assess the soil properties samples were collected from farmers fields around industries of Patratu, Bokaro and Jamshedpur. Analysis of soil pH, electrical conductivity and organic carbon content revealed that soils collected from Patratu were moderately acidic in soil reaction. Soil reaction in case of Bokaro and Jamshedpur ranged from acidic to neutral or alkaline. The electrical conductivity was within the safe limit, while the organic carbon content was medium to high. The soils were low in available N and P, while low to medium in available K status. Available micronutrients were above the critical value. DTPA-Cd was detected in 50 per cent soil samples of Patratu, 45 per cent of Bokaro and 80 per cent of Jamshedpur. All soil samples from Patratu and nearly 50 per cent samples of Bokaro and Jamshedpur contained high DTPA extractable Pb, Ni and Co.