Geostatistical and GIS-Based Mapping of Soil Microbiological Variability for Management Zone Delineation in an Organically Managed Farm in Hisar, India
摘要
Understanding the spatial variability of soil microbiological properties is essential for optimizing nutrient cycling, enhancing soil fertility and promoting sustainable agriculture. Microbial processes are inherently heterogeneous, making it crucial to study their distribution patterns across cultivated landscapes. Therefore, a study was conducted in 2022–2023 at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Centre of Excellence for Organic Farming, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India in semi-arid region where eighty-nine surface soil samples were collected and subjected to comprehensive laboratory analysis to determine various soil physico-chemical and microbiological properties. The results revealed considerable variability in microbial activity, with microbial biomass carbon ranging from 190.02 to 462.74 mg/kg, dehydrogenase activity from 44.93 to 110.73 μg tri-phenyl formazan (TPF)/(g soil 24 h), phosphatase activity from 117.39 to 252.73 μg p-nitrophenyl phosphate (PNP)/(g soil h) and urease activity from 32.36 to 84.17 μg