CHARACTERIZATION AND FERTILITY ASSESSMENT OF SOILS OF MARKAPUR MANDAL, PRAKASAM DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH FOR SUSTAINABLE LAND USE PLANNING.

A rapid reconnaissance soil survey of Markapur mandal of Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh was carried out in 2009-10 using geo-referred false colour composite image (IRS-P6, LISS-III) and Survey of India (SOI) topo-maps (1:50,000 scale) set. The soils of hill side slope and undulating pediments developed over quartzite, sandstone and shale complex was shallow to moderately deep, brown (7.5 YR 4/4) to dark brown (7.5 YR 3/4) in colour, well drained with poor fertility. These soils are under forest, open scrub and rainfed farming in patches. The soils of pediplains and stream bank from shale was yellowish red (5 YR 4/6) to dark reddish brown (5 YR 3/3), deep to very deep low fertility and cultivated (rainfed) in pediplains but waste land in stream bank. The soils of undulating pediments and hill side slope were grouped under land capability class IV and VII whereas soils of pediplains and stream bank were placed under land capability class II and III respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]