Pedospheric Distribution of Micronutrient Cations in Soils Developed on Various Landforms in North-east Punjab

摘要

The pedosphere is a unique biologically active dynamic layer forming a continuous interface between the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. The soil layer or pedosphere is essentially the skin of the terrestrial earth, functioning as earth geomembrane, regulating the biogeochemical and hy-drological cycling of matter and energy with terrestrial surfaces (Huete 2004). Soils exhibit great spatial variability across any landscape as a result of tnor-phogenic properties unique to the environment under which they were formed. The pedospheric variations due to parent material, topography, climate etc. lead to spatial variation of micronutrients in the soils (Katyal and Sharma 1991; Sharma et al. 2005). Physiography influences soil formation through water, temperature, soil erosion and microclimate relations which in turn affects the pedogenic processes producing soils of varying nutrient supplying capacities (Verma et al. 2005). Keeping in view the close relationship between physiographyand soil development, the present study was undertaken to analyze the influence of physiography on availability of total and DTPA- extractable micronutrients (Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn) vis-?vis soil characteristics in typical soil profiles of Nawan Shehar district, Punjab.