Assessment of Soil Quality of Some Lands in Thanjavur and Tiruvarur Districts for Improved Cultivation of Rice and Sugarcane

Soil quality is defined as the soil’s capacity to function within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries and to sustain plant productivity while reducing soil degradation. It can be assessed by selecting different indicators upon which the functions of soil depend. Researchers at Bishop Heber College, India have formulated a Soil Quality Index called after their names as Heber Soil Quality Index (HSQI) for the first time in India. In the present work, an attempt has been made to use the soil Heber Soil Quality Index (HSQI) to assess the suitability of a soil of a chosen area for the cultivation of rice and sugar cane. The quantity of soil quality parameters chosen in this study was determined using the proven methods given in the literature.The overall HSQI values of all samples ranged from 76.18 – 85.40, which reveals that the quality of soils studied in this investigation is good for the cultivation of rice and sugarcane. HSQI also provides the necessary information needed to maintain the optimum fertility year after year. It is a time saving and economically convenient process.