Abstract:
An Investigation into the causes of tho poor productivity of tho rice fields in tho Pazhamchira "ela” at Mel- kadakkavur of Chirayinkll Taluk was taken up to suggest ways and moans to Increase rlco and straw production and to bring to light tho physico-chemical characteristics of tho soil. Fifty surface soil samples and two profiles wore examined, analysed and investigated. Field trials in Randomised Block Design spread over the Kharif and Rabi seasons of 1934-85 with rice varieties Ptb-9 and Vyttila-1 respectively were conducted in a cultivator's field. The surface soil studies revealed that the soils were highly acidic with appreciable electrical conductivity. The soils were of low CEC, with an average base saturation of 49*7 with more than 59 percent of the exchange sites occupied by exchangeable A1 and iron. The N and K content of the soils were low to medium and P content was low.
