West Arani

Nutrient by nutrient

• Nitrogen

  From 1,893 soil tests

  Poor
  Low 90% Medium 10%

  9 in 10 soil tests here came out low

  If your field is low: add about a quarter more urea than the usual dose, in two or three splits. A pulse crop in rotation also adds nitrogen.

  What this means

  Grows leaves and stems. Short soil gives pale, yellow leaves.

  Low under 280 kg/ha Medium 280–560 kg/ha High over 560 kg/ha

  Healthy soil has 280 kg/ha or more.

  Compared with the wider area

  Place	Low	Medium	High
  Here	90%	10%	0%
  Tiruvannamalai	98%	2%	0%
  Tamil Nadu	99%	1%	0%
  India	65%	29%	6%

• Phosphorus

  From 1,896 soil tests

  Okay
  Low 22% Medium 60% High 18%

  2 in 10 soil tests here came out low

  If your field is low: add about a quarter more DAP or single super phosphate than the usual dose, at sowing.

  What this means

  Builds roots and helps the crop flower and fill grain.

  Low under 10 kg/ha Medium 10–25 kg/ha High over 25 kg/ha

  Healthy soil has 10 kg/ha or more.

  Compared with the wider area

  Place	Low	Medium	High
  Here	22%	60%	18%
  Tiruvannamalai	18%	51%	31%
  Tamil Nadu	21%	43%	36%
  India	13%	41%	45%

• Potassium

  From 1,900 soil tests

  Good
  Low 7% Medium 69% High 24%

  1 in 10 soil tests here came out low

  What this means

  Fills grain and fruit, and helps crops stand drought and disease.

  Low under 110 kg/ha Medium 110–280 kg/ha High over 280 kg/ha

  Healthy soil has 110 kg/ha or more.

  Compared with the wider area

  Place	Low	Medium	High
  Here	7%	69%	24%
  Tiruvannamalai	19%	68%	13%
  Tamil Nadu	11%	43%	46%
  India	14%	53%	33%

• Organic carbon

  From 1,892 soil tests

  Poor
  Low 93% Medium 7%

  9 in 10 soil tests here came out low

  If your field is low: add 4 tonnes of compost or farmyard manure per acre before sowing, and plough crop leftovers back in instead of burning them.

  What this means

  Shows how much organic matter the soil has. It keeps soil loose, holds water and feeds the crop slowly.

  Low under 0.5% Medium 0.5–0.75% High over 0.75%

  Healthy soil has 0.5% or more.

  Compared with the wider area

  Place	Low	Medium	High
  Here	93%	7%	0%
  Tiruvannamalai	93%	6%	1%
  Tamil Nadu	88%	9%	3%
  India	49%	28%	23%

• pH

  From 1,885 soil tests

  Good
  Neutral 99%

  Almost every soil test here came out neutral

  What this means

  How sour (acidic) or alkaline the soil is. It decides which nutrients roots can take up.

  Acidic Neutral Alkaline

  In these tests, neutral means about pH 6 to 8, which suits most crops; acidic is below about 6 and alkaline above about 8.

  Compared with the wider area

  Place	Acidic	Neutral	Alkaline
  Here	0%	99%	0%
  Tiruvannamalai	1%	97%	1%
  Tamil Nadu	2%	93%	5%
  India	11%	86%	2%

• Salt

  From 1,889 soil tests

  Good
  Not salty 100%

  Almost no soil tests here came out salty

  What this means

  Salt in the soil, shown as EC on the card. Salt makes it hard for roots to drink.

  Not salty Salty

  Under 1 dS/m is fine. Between 1 and 4, only crops that can't take salt lose yield. Above 4 harms most crops.

  Compared with the wider area

  Place	Not salty	Salty
  Here	100%	0%
  Tiruvannamalai	100%	0%
  Tamil Nadu	98%	2%
  India	96%	4%

• Sulphur

  From 1,901 soil tests

  Okay
  Short 29% Enough 71%

  3 in 10 soil tests here came out short

  If your field is short: use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.

  What this means

  Makes oil in oilseeds and protein in pulses.

  Short under 10 ppm Enough 10 ppm or more

  Healthy soil has 10 ppm or more.

  Compared with the wider area

  Place	Short	Enough
  Here	29%	71%
  Tiruvannamalai	40%	60%
  Tamil Nadu	35%	65%
  India	24%	76%

• Zinc

  From 1,903 soil tests

  Okay
  Short 39% Enough 61%

  4 in 10 soil tests here came out short

  If your field is short: mix 10 kg of zinc sulphate per acre into the soil before sowing. One dose lasts two or three seasons.

  What this means

  Needed for growth and healthy leaves. Rice and wheat often run short.

  Short under 0.6 ppm Enough 0.6 ppm or more

  Healthy soil has 0.6 ppm or more.

  Compared with the wider area

  Place	Short	Enough
  Here	39%	61%
  Tiruvannamalai	60%	40%
  Tamil Nadu	42%	58%
  India	35%	65%

• Iron

  From 1,903 soil tests

  Okay
  Short 25% Enough 75%

  2 in 10 soil tests here came out short

  If your field is short: spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.

  What this means

  Keeps young leaves green.

  Short under 4.5 ppm Enough 4.5 ppm or more

  Healthy soil has 4.5 ppm or more.

  Compared with the wider area

  Place	Short	Enough
  Here	25%	75%
  Tiruvannamalai	22%	78%
  Tamil Nadu	37%	63%
  India	24%	76%

• Copper

  From 1,892 soil tests

  Good
  Enough 100%

  Almost every soil test here had enough

  What this means

  Helps the crop set seed and resist disease.

  Short under 0.2 ppm Enough 0.2 ppm or more

  Healthy soil has 0.2 ppm or more.

  Compared with the wider area

  Place	Short	Enough
  Here	0%	100%
  Tiruvannamalai	1%	99%
  Tamil Nadu	3%	97%
  India	5%	95%

• Boron

  From 1,901 soil tests

  Okay
  Short 33% Enough 67%

  3 in 10 soil tests here came out short

  If your field is short: mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.

  What this means

  Needed for flowers to set seed and fruit.

  Short under 0.5 ppm Enough 0.5 ppm or more

  Healthy soil has 0.5 ppm or more.

  Compared with the wider area

  Place	Short	Enough
  Here	33%	67%
  Tiruvannamalai	43%	57%
  Tamil Nadu	45%	55%
  India	44%	56%

The tests here for manganese look like a testing error: almost every test reads the same, unlike the districts around. They aren't used.

Fixes are the usual advice. Your Soil Health Card or nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra gives the exact dose for your field.

Climate in Tiruvannamalai

Villages in this block