Comparative Assessment of Physicochemical Variation of Soil Profiles Across Lowland and Upland Topographies in Mahewa District, Prayagraj, India

Topography influences soil physicochemical properties, directly impacting land management in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. To understand these effects, this study compared soil profiles from lowland and upland sites in the Mahewa district, Prayagraj, India. Two 1-m-deep soil pits were excavated (one in each lowland and upland area) and sampled at 0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80, and 80-100 cm depths (n=5 per site). The properties analyzed included pH, organic carbon (OC), available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), electrical conductivity (EC; indicates soluble salt content), and carbonate, using standard methods. Data underwent t-tests, ANOVA, correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and soil quality index calculation. The results showed that lowland soils were characterized by higher available phosphorus (P; 25.4±1.3 vs 20.0±0.8 mg/kg; P=0.010), calcium (Ca; 2.34±0.12 vs 1.72±0.08 cmol(+) kg⁻¹; P=0.004), iron (Fe; 12.0±0.3 vs 8.64±0.3 mg/kg; P<0.05), and soil quality index (SQI; 0.73 vs 0.59), while potassium was numerically higher in the lowland (K; 119.8±17.9 vs 94.6±6.7 mg/kg) when compared to upland soils. Both locations had a neutral pH (around 7.0), indicating neither acidity nor alkalinity. Strong correlations were observed for organic carbon-nitrogen (OC-N; r=0.98), clay-silt (r=0.82), and pH-phosphorus (pH-P; r=0.71). Principal component analysis (PCA) results distinguished texture/fertility factors (PC1) from depth-related factors (PC2), confirming that topography significantly affected most examined properties (ANOVA, P<0.001). These findings suggest that topography influences soil heterogeneity in Mahewa; lowlands exhibit higher nutrient levels and higher overall SQI. Site-specific management may enhance sustainable agriculture in this region.

Soil physicochemical properties, topography, lowland-upland, Prayagraj, soil quality index.

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