Soil Fertility Maps Preparation Using GPS and GIS in Dhenkanal District, Odisha, India

Soil fertility maps of Dhenkanal district, Odisha were prepared by using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) to make awareness among the farmers regarding use of balanced fertilization according to soil test based recommendation and integrated nutrient management for higher and sustainable crop production. Soils of different villages for each block were collected by GPS instrument. These soil samples were processed and analysed in laboratory using standard methods. The soil characteristics data were entered in attributed table and linked with the GIS software to develop a relational database. The analogue soil fertility maps on 1:25000 scale were geo-referenced and digitized by using ArcGIS software. Thematic layers were developed for block boundaries to prepare the base map. Superimposing polygons (Spatial coverage) of block units and the base map, soil fertility maps were prepared. These maps were integrated in GIS to generate a composite database of GPS based soil of Dhenkanal district. These maps were divided into 8 mapping units (8blocks of Dhenkanal district). Based on the generated soil fertility maps, the status of organic carbon, available N, available P, available K, available S and micronutrients like Boron was assessed and suitable crops such as rice, fingermillet, pulses, vegetables and fruit crops have been identified.