Effect of Inorganic Fertilizers on some Physical Properties of Red Acidic Soil of Kanke (Ranchi)

Soil samples from 0-15 cm depth were collected from the plots of the fertilizer trial experiment to determine the effects of continuous application of MgSO₄ and other inorganic fertilizers on aggregate stability and some other physical properties of Kanke soils. There is no effect of the different treatments on the organic carbon content of the soil. Water stable aggregates have increased considerably in the soil under the treatments which included superphosphate. Inclusion of potassium in the form of muriate of potash and Mg as MgSO₄ in any of the treatments seems to have detrimental effect on soil aggregation. MgSO₄ in its increasing doses has less detrimental effect on soil aggregation. There does not seem to be any effect of different, treatments on pore space, bulk density and water holding capacity of the soil. Hydraulic conductivity of soils under all but the treatment NK is considerably higher than the control plots.