Evaluation Of Soil Quality And Heavy Metal Contaminants In Agricultural Soils

Agriculture is an important and significant sector in all the countries. Soil serves as a natural medium for the growth of the plants. Agricultural soil should be periodically tested for the improvement of crops. Soil physicochemical properties indicates the soil nutrient content and characteristics. The physicochemical parameters and heavy metal contamination in different agricultural soils of Coimbatore were analyzed. Soil samples were collected at the depth of 15 cm from five agricultural field. Soil samples were analyzed for physicochemical parameters and heavy metal contamination in the laboratory using standard protocols. Different agricultural soil samples were analyzed for parameters like pH, electrical conductivity (EC), TDS and salinity. Macronutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were estimated. Micronutrients like sodium and potassium also estimated for all the samples. Heavy metals like nickel, cadmium, lead, zinc, copper and manganese were estimated to check contamination status. The results stated that, all the soil samples were acidic in nature. Paddy cultivated soil was slightly alkaline in nature. All the soil samples were non-saline. Micro and macro nutrients were present in optimum level in all the soil samples. Heavy metals were present within their threshold limit and permissible limit. The study concluded that soil physicochemical parameters and heavy metal concentrations varied in five agricultural soils. Soils are good in their physicochemical parameters. This study indicates the quality of agricultural soil and it is useful to farmers regarding the nutritional and contamination status.