soil fertility status of Jharkhand, improving soil health, concept of organic farming, soil, soil fertility, soil productivity, functions of soil, soil environment, types of soils of Jharkhand, red soil, black soil, sandy soil, laterite soil, red micacious soil, soil order, biofertilizer, nitrogen fixation, symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria, Asymbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria, application, Azotobacter, Azospirillum , rhizobium culture, root nodules, vermicompost, vermicast, farm yard manure, compost, green manuring, green manure, organic farming, concept of organic farming, need of organic farming, key characteristics of organic farming, clostridium, nitrosomonas, blue green algae, cyanobacter, earthworms,

1. SOIL FERTILITY STATUS OF JHARKHAND, IMPROVING SOIL HEALTH AND CONCEPT OF ORGANIC FARMING
( झारखण्ड की मृदा उर्वरता की अर्स्था , ममट्टी की स्र्ास््य र्ृद्धि और जैवर्क खेती की अर्िारणा )

2. Soil (मृदा ) - Soil is defined as the thin layer of earth’s crust made up of disintegrated and decomposed
rocks, complex mineral compound, organic matter, water/air and living organism like bacteria,
fungi, insects and worms and serves as the natural medium of growth of plants.
Functions of soil (ममट्टी के कायव ) :
• It provides place and anchorage for plant growth and development.
• It serves as a medium for air and water circulation.
• It acts as a reservoir for water and nutrients.
• It provides space for beneficial microorganisms.
Soil Environment (मृदा र्ातार्रण ) :
- Physical : morphology, structure, texture , water holding capacity, aeration, resistance etc.
- Chemical : Nutrient availability , minerals, organic matters, PH, acidity, salinity etc.
- Biological : Organisms in soil
Soil fertility (मृदा उर्वरता) : is the status or inherent capacity of the soil to supply nutrients to the plants
in adequate amount and in suitable proportions. According to modern usage, soil fertility is the capacity
of the soil to produce crops of economic value to maintain health of the soil without deterioration.
Soil productivity (मृदा उत्पादकता ) : is the capacity of the soil to produce crops with specific systems of
management and is expressed in terms of yields. All productive soils are fertile, but all fertile soils need not be
productive.
SOIL, SOIL FERTILITY AND SOIL PRODUCTIVITY (मृदा, मृदा उर्वरता और मृदा उत्पादकता )

3. The soil of Jharkhand may broadly be classified into following five groups
( A ) Red soil
( B ) Sandy soil
( C ) Black soil
( D ) Laterite soil
( E ) Red micacious soil
( A ) Red soil ( लाल ममट्टी ) : These soils are made by the decomposition of crystalline metamorphic
rocks such as granite, geneiss , etc. The color of the soil is reddish (high content of Iron oxide ) at some
places and at many places it is just like chocolate which is dark in colour. This type of soil is found in most
areas of Jharkhand about 90% except in narrow trough basin of Damodar and in Rajmahal areas. In these
soils crops grown are Jowar, Bajra, Groundnut, Sugarcane and Rice.
The properties of the red soil are :
- It is less fertile
- Acidic in reaction, PH 5.0-5.6
- It has high iron content , low base exchange capacity,
- It is porous, shallow to medium soil depth
- It has adequate quantities of lime and potash
- It lacks nitrogen phosphorus and humus.
SOIL TYPES OF JHARKHAND (झारखण्ड की वर्मिन्न प्रकर की ममट्टटयाां )

4. ( B ) Sandy soil (बलुआई ममट्टी ) : This type of soil is found in east Hazaribagh and Dhanbad.
These two areas compose the trough basin of Damodar, which is famous for sandy soil. Such soil is
formed by the gradual decomposition of sand stones, sandy loam and sandy soil. The crop can be
grown are Coarse cereals.
The properties of this soil are:
- It is yellowish
- It is poor humus content
- It is less fertile.
( C ) Black soil (काली ममट्टी) : The soil is found in the Rajmahal areas. The soil of Rajmahal
contains basalt. The main ingredients are Kaolin, Potash and Iron-Oxide. This soil has higher
proportion of clay, which has a very high water retaining capacity. The areas with higher elevation
has thin layer of black soil with light color but in areas with lower heights, the soil has thick layer
and dark color.
The crops grown are Rice, Gram and cotton etc.
The main properties of this soil are given below:
- It has water retaining capacity
- It contains lime, iron, magnesium and lacking nitrogen, biological substances and phosphorous
- It becomes sticky after getting water.
- The soil of this type in lower areas is more fertile.
SOIL TYPES OF JHARKHAND (झारखण्ड की वर्मिन्न प्रकर की ममट्टटयाां )

5. ( D ) Laterite soil (लैटेराइट ममट्टी) : The laterite soil is found in the highlands of Rajmahal,
western Ranchi plateau and Pat region of south Palamu, and Dhalbhum area of Singbhum. The
main components of this soil are aluminum, iron oxide and manganese oxide. The main defect of
the soil is acid reaction. The main crops of this soil are castor, pigeon pea, Ragi etc. If irrigation
facilities available than we can grow Rice, sugarcane etc.
The main properties of the soil are as follows:
- It has high iron content.
- It has low content of phosphorous, nitrogen and potash.
- It is prone to acid reaction.
- Its yield is low.
( E ) Red micacious soil ( लाल अभ्रक प्रिान ममट्टी ) : This soil is mostly found in mica areas
of Jharkhand such as Koderma, Mandu, Jhumri-Tilaiya, Barkagaon and areas around Mandar hills
etc. This soil becomes light pink in areas of dry higher elevation and yellow in low elevation and
high moisture.The crops grown are Ragi and Kurmi etc.
The main properties of the soil are as follows:
- soil acidity together with low potassium and sulphur content,
- moderate nitrogen
- deficient zones of zinc, copper and boron certainly indicate in general the low fertility
- It requires attention on soil management practices for optimum agricultural production.
SOIL TYPES OF JHARKHAND (झारखण्ड की वर्मिन्न प्रकर की ममट्टटयाां )

6. Soil fertility (मृदा उर्वरता ) is the aspect of soil plant relationship. Fertility status dependent on macro
and micro nutrient reserve of the soil. Continued removal of nutrients by crop with little or no
replacement will increase the nutrient stress in plant and ultimately lowers the productivity.
The fertility status of soil mainly depends on nature of vegetation, climate, topography, texture of soil,
and decomposition rate of organic matter
Soil orders in Jharkhand (झारखण्ड की मृदा सुव्यस्था ) :
( a ) Alfisols – dominant soil , 54 % of total geographical area
( b ) Inceptisols – 25% of total geographical area
( c ) Entisols – 20% of total geographical area
( d ) Vertisols - only 1% of total geographical area
According to GIS based data, soil fertility can be mapped,. Nitrogen, Phosphorous and potassium are the
major constituents which are considered important for soil fertility.
- Lohardaga and Simdega districts have less % of Nitrogen.
- Palamu, Chatar, Kodarma, Giridih, Dumka, Godda, Sahebganj have less % of Phosphorous.
- Kodarma,Latehar, Devghar, Simdega, Dumka have high % and Dhandad low % of Potassium.
Jharkhand soil in general, are low to very low in available phosphorous, medium in available nitrogen
and potassium status and deficient in boron.
Soil fertility status of Jharkhand (झारखण्ड की मृदा उर्वरता )

7. Biofertilizers (जैवर्क उर्वरक) are microorganism culture capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen when crops are
inoculated with them. Nitrogen fixing bacteria (नाइट्रोजन यौधिकीकरण र्ाले बैक्टीररया) , microorganisms capable of
transforming atmospheric nitrogen into fixed nitrogen (inorganic compounds usable by plants)
2 types of Nitrogen fixing bacteria:
(a) Symbiotic mutualistic bacteria (सहजीर्ी जीर्ाणु) : Rhizobium culture associated with leguminous crops ( pea family
crops) where almost 50% demand of nitrogen if met by these microorganisms
(b) Asymbiotic free living bacteria (असहजीर्ी जीर्ाणु) : includes cultures of Azotobacter, Azospirillum, cyanobacteria or
Blue green algae, Azolla, micorriza, Anabaena, Nostoc, and genera such Beijerinckia and Clostridium.
Symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria (सहजीर्ी नाइट्रोजन यौधिकीकरण) invade the root hairs of host plants, where they multiply
and stimulate formulation of root nodules, enlargement of plant cells and bacteria in intimate association. Within the
nodules the bacteria convert free nitrogen to ammonia which the host plant utilizes for it’s development.
Asymbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria (असहजीर्ी नाइट्रोजन यौधिकीकरण) grow on decomposing soil organic matter and produce
nitrogenous compounds for their own growth and development besides they leave behind a significant amount of
nitrogen in surroundings useful for plant growth.
Application of Nitrogen fixing bacteria :
- > 90% of all nitrogen fixation by these organisms playing important role in nitrogen cycle
- They increases soil productivity and fertility
- Helps plants with necessary amount of nitrogen compounds hence helping growth of plant.
NITROGEN FIXING BACTERIA AND THEIR APPLICATION (नाइट्रोजन यौधिकीकरण र्ाले बैक्टीररया तथा उनका उपयोि )

8. APPLICATION OF VERMICOMPOST AND FARM YARD MANURE
( कें चुआ खाद तथा िोबर खाद का उपयोि )
- It increased quality of soil by increasing the amount of various essential nutrients
- Helps crop growing faster and healthier
- It do not worsen the quality of soil even after multiple uses.
Vermicompost (कें चुआ खाद) is the product of the decomposition process
using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and
other earthworms, to create a mixture of decomposing vegetable or food
waste, bedding materials, and vermicast to transform organic waste into a
nutrient-rich fertilizer and ensure higher-quality compost material that is added
to soil to improve its quality. Vermicast is the end-product of the breakdown of
organic matter by earthworms.
Farm Yard Manure (िोबर खाद) is a decomposed mixture of cattle dung and
urine with straw and litter used is bedding material and residues from fodder fed
to cattle & agricultural wastes.
Compost (र्ानस्पततक खाद) : A mass of rotted organic matter made from
agricultural wastes is called compost. It is made farm wastes as sugarcane trash,
paddy straw, weeds, stubble, bhusa , sewage sludge etc.

9. Concept of Organic farming ( जैवर्क खेती की अर्िारणा )
Organic farming (जैवर्क खेती) is a method of farming system which primarily aimed at cultivating
the land and raising crops in such a way, as to keep the soil alive and in good health by use of organic
wastes (crop, animal and farm wastes, aquatic wastes) and other biological materials along with
beneficial microbes (biofertilizers) to release nutrients to crops for increased sustainable production in
an eco friendly pollution free environment .
As per the definition of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) study team
on organic farming “organic farming (जैवर्क खेती) is a system and to the maximum extent
feasible rely upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, off-farm organic waste,
mineral grade rock additives and biological system of nutrient mobilization and plant
protection”.
FAO suggested that “Organic agriculture (जैवर्क खेती) is a unique production management
system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity,
biological cycles and soil biological activity, and this is accomplished by using on-farm
agronomic, biological and mechanical methods in exclusion of all synthetic off-farm inputs”.

10. Green manuring :
(हररत खाद ) Green manuring is
the plowing under or soil
incorporation of any green
manure crops while they are
green or soon after they flower.
Green manures are forage or
leguminous crops that are
grown for their leafy materials
needed for adding organic
matter to the soil and soil
conservation. Green manuring
(GM) with legumes improves soil
N via biological N-fixation.
Sunnhemp (Crotolaria juncea)
and Dhaincha (Sesbania
aculeata) are the most common
Green Manuring crops .

11. Need of Organic farming ( जैवर्क खेती की आर्श्यकता )
With the increase in population our compulsion would be not only to stabilize agricultural production but to
increase it further in sustainable manner. The scientists have realized that the ‘Green Revolution’ with high
input use has reached a plateau and is now sustained with diminishing return of falling dividends. Thus, a
natural balance needs to be maintained at all cost for existence of life and property. The obvious choice for
that would be more relevant in the present era, when these agrochemicals which are produced from fossil
fuel and are not renewable and are diminishing in availability. It may also cost heavily on our foreign
exchange in future.
The key characteristics of Organic farming includes ( जैवर्क खेती के प्रमुख लक्षण )
•Protecting the long term fertility of soils by maintaining organic matter levels, encouraging soil biological
activity, and careful mechanical intervention
•Providing crop nutrients indirectly using relatively insoluble nutrient sources which are made available to
the plant by the action of soil micro-organisms
•Nitrogen self-sufficiency through the use of legumes and biological nitrogen fixation, as well as effective
recycling of organic materials including crop residues and livestock manures
•Weed, disease and pest control relying primarily on crop rotations, natural predators, diversity, organic
manuring, resistant varieties and limited (preferably minimal) thermal, biological and chemical intervention
•The extensive management of livestock, paying full regard to their evolutionary adaptations, behavioral
needs and animal welfare issues with respect to nutrition, housing, health, breeding and rearing
•Careful attention to the impact of the farming system on the wider environment and the conservation of
wildlife and natural habitat.

12. Youtube Channel Name: “JOURNEY WITH VIJAYKUMAR SHRIVASTAV”
published contents :
1. Seed Science and Technology – Basics
Link : https://youtu.be/JxCJnmq3o8s
2. Seed Development Programs & Seed and Agricultural Organizations
Link :
3. Principles of Hybrid seed Production
Link : https://youtu.be/6TvYhv4XG8c
4. An Introduction to Agriculture and Agronomy
Link : https://youtu.be/HM0WMe5X228
5. Agro-climatic zones of Jharkhand, Rainfall pattern and Abiotic stress (Hindi)
Link : https://youtu.be/sGG7AT6-EoY
6. Agro-climatic zones of Jharkhand, Rainfall pattern and Abiotic stress
Link : https://youtu.be/00rL1Pj5Kkk
7. Rainfed Agriculture of Jharkhand ,Major Crops, Rain Water Harvesting and Fish Farming
Link : https://youtu.be/8UGR1RTJeVQ
8. Rainfed Agriculture of Jharkhand ,Major Crops, Rain Water Harvesting and Fish Farming (Hindi)
Link : https://youtu.be/mi4AwBvkAeg
9. Soil fertility status of Jharkhand, improving soil health and concept of Organic farming
Link : https://youtu.be/1gxu6hmZ0us
https://youtu.be/kWBc2Eobdxc
VIJAY KUMAR SHRIVASTAV