Abstract

Nanjinad is an important rice growing tract which belonged to erstwhile Travancore State but now is in Madras State. The paddy lands in this tract cover an area of 50,000 acres and are mostly double cropped. The soil as a rule is very productive but the strain of bearing an annual crop coupled with inadequate application of fertilizers is bound to result in the gradual depletion of plant foods. Pillai and Iyer (1) who carried out the soil survey of this tract concluded that these soils are well supplied with potash based on total potash content. Some cultivators, have, however, expressed the opinion that satisfactory crop yields were not forthcoming in the absence of systematic applications of potash. This has led them to coin the proverb. Ash in the pot-dung in the hay'. In view of this, an investigation of the potash status of these soils was carried out by the author prior to inclusion of this area in Madras State.

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