Most Indian Soils Low In Nitrogen, Organic Carbon: Study

India's soils are alarmingly deficient in essential nutrients such as nitrogen and organic carbon, a study said on Tuesday, raising serious concerns for the future of sustainable agriculture.

- Press Trust Of India

The study by Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is based on the government's own Soil Health Card data.

It found that 64 per cent of soil samples were low in nitrogen and 48.5 per cent were low in organic carbon, two key indicators of soil fertility and climate resilience.

The findings suggested that India's heavy use of fertilisers has failed to improve soil health.

Data indicates that applying nitrogen-based_fertil-isers to the soil does not lead to any "corresponding improvement in soil nitrogen levels", the s tudy said, adding that there is "no improvement in soil organic carbon due to use of total (NPK) fertiliser”.

The CSE study warned that this deficiency threatens long-term productivity and the ability of soils to store carbon, which is essential for climate change mitigation.