Identification of Physicochemical Properties of Agriculture Land Soil Near Highway in Udham Singh Nagar District of Uttarakhand

Abstract

Soil plays a major role in providing facilities to our society, most importantly, food production. The word soil came from the Latin word ‘solum’, which means earthly material in which a plant grows. The weathering process of rocks forms soil. Soil quality and health are defined as the soil volume that functions as an energetic living system within land-use limits. Roadways crisscross many forest areas, and they might have destructive effects on forest soils, including the modified stability of soil organic matter (SOM). Soil health has become a serious concern worldwide, specifically in India, due to increasing traffic and anthropogenic actions. Highways navigate many agricultural areas and often have destructive effects on agricultural soils, including the modified stability of SOM. This study aimed to test the hypotheses that a highway will adapt the composition of the CE capacity of adjacent agricultural soil and significantly decrease the stability of SOM. Systematic information regarding the impact of highways on soil properties in the selected region will be used to achieve the expected data. Various parameters like soil moisture, OC, available N, P, K, clay, and CE are the basis of the physicochemical study of soil. Here, we analyze the physicochemical properties of the soil of Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, India. All representative samples were obtained from the selected region of Udham Singh Nagar district along the road route based on distance from the highway and analyzed for their physicochemical properties. The current study will help farmers understand soil quality and determine which fertilizers or manures need to be added to their soil for optimal productivity.