Journal of Environmental Biology

Spatial variability of soil physical health indicators in Karnal and Kaithal districts of Haryana

N. Mandal¹, P.P. Maity¹*, N. Mridha², T.K. Das³, K.K. Bandyopadhyay⁴ and S. Adak⁵     

¹Division of Agricultural Physics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012, India

²ICAR-National Institute of Natural Fibre Engineering and Technology, Kolkata-700 040, India

³Division of Agronomy, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012, India

⁴ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, Bhubaneshwar-751 023, India

⁵ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Nagpur-440 023, India

Received: 23 September 2025                   Revised: 15 December 2025                   Accepted: 10 February 2026

*Corresponding Author Email: pragati.iari@gmail.com                  *ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9577-644X

Abstract

Aim: Geospatial data is essential for delineating the geographical distribution of soil physical attributes across various agricultural systems.The study aimed to determine the spatial variability of different soil physical properties under conservation agriculture practice as well as conventional practices at district level.

Methodology: Different soil physical parameters, namely bulk density, porosity, Hydraulic conductivity, mean weight diameter, EC, and pH, were analysed in laboratory after collecting 150 samples from approximately. 60 villages of Karnal and Kaithal district. Spatial mapping was done through the inverse distance weightage (IDW) method in ArcGIS version 8.7.

Results: The spatial variability map of soil properties for the study area revealed that the eastern part of the study area, i.e., Nilokheri blocks, and some parts of the Karnal district where conservation agriculture was followed had the highest value of soil properties, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, mean weight diameter and lower value of bulk density, electrical conductivity and pH. On the other hand, the areas where Conservation tillage was practised, i.e., some parts of Assandh, Gharaunda, Alewa, and Kalayathad, had contrasting values.

Interpretation: Spatial variability mapping effectively identified areas with degraded soil physical properties under Conservation tillage and demonstrated the positive impact of conservation agriculture on soil physical health. These maps serve as a baseline for targeted soil management interventions and monitoring long-term changes in soil physical health across the study districts.

Key words: Bulk density, Electrical conductivity, Hydraulic conductivity, Inverse distance weightage, Soil aggregate

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