Soil fertility status and fertilizer requirements of sugarcane field in Bijapur District.

Characterization of surface soil (0-20cm) for fertility status was studied by taking 28 representative samples from Bijapur district. Study revealed that soils are sandy loam to clay loam in texture. The available nitrogen content varied from 295,5 to 405 kg/acre. The data available indicates low phosphorus (120 to 477kg/acre). Potassium status was medium (109.96kg) to high of (471 kg/acre) with high index value and high fertility rating. In India, current fertilizer recommendations are very old and developed based on agroclimatic zones, current agro-climate zone and suitability of current fertilizer recommendations. Sugarcane in Bijapur district was studied as a test crop. The results indicate that, agroclimatic zone vary widely in soil and in their potentials, behavior and response to the management. It was also observed that fertilizer application efficiency varied which contributed to errors of both excess and insufficient application. All these suggest that soil based fertilizer recommendations should be preferred to achieve precision in farming and to minimize crop production, maintain soil health and minimize fertilizer misapplication.

The status of pesticide pollution in surface water (Lakes) of Bijapur.

The paper evaluates and summarizes the results of the pollution of surface waters (lakes) of Bijapur by pesticides. Pesticide classes mostly detected involve herbicides used extensively in cotton, vegetables and grape production, organophosphorus insecticides as well as organochlorines due to their persistence in aquatic environment. The compounds most frequently detected were Endosulphan, 4- bromro-2-chlorphenol, Captan, Chloripyrifosethyl, Fipronil, Oxyfluorfenand monochrotophos respectively. . Nationwide, in many cases the reported concentrations ranged in low levels. However, elevated concentrations were recorded in areas of high pesticide use and intense agricultural practices. Generally, similar trends and levels of pesticides were found in Bijapur lakes. Monitoring of the Bijapur water resources for pesticide residues must continue, especially in agricultural regions, because the nationwide patterns of pesticide use are constantly changing. All these were present above the permissible limits specified by the European Economic Community (EEC), which is the norm used all over the Europe. Moreover emphasis should be placed on degradation products not sufficiently studied so far. Information on pesticide pollution of surface waters in Bijapur is reported.