MAPPING AND ASSESSMENT OF SOILS IN NAGARJUNASAGAR CATCHMENT, LINGASUGUR TALUK OF KARNATAKA

A detailed soil survey was carried out in the 4D5A2s, 4D5A2t, 4D5A2u and 4D5A3j Subwatersheds of Nagarjunasagar catchment, Lingasugur taluk of Raichur district, Karnataka, India covering an area of 22381 ha, spread over 47 villages. The survey area is represented by four major physiographic division namely subdued hills, upper pediplains, lower pediplains and alluvial plains developed over granite. Nine soil series were identified and mapped into 27 mapping units. The soils developed subdued hills is excessively drained, shallow, yellowish red to reddish brown, gravely sandy loam to gravelly clay, mapped into a single mapping unit and classified under LCC VI. The soils is spread over 0.7 percent of the total area and classified into Lithic Ustorthents. The soils of upper pediplains are well drained, shallow to deep, reddish brown to dark yellowish brown, gravelly sandy loam to gravelly clay and mapped into 14 mapping units. These soils belong to LCC II, III and IV and classified into Typic Haplustalfs, Typic Ustorthents and Typic Haplustepts which represent the 18.7 percent of the total area. The soils of lower pediplains and alluvial plains are moderately well drained to well drained, moderately deep to very deep, dark brown to dark grayish brown, calcareous, gravelly clay loam to clay, mapped under 12 mapping units which belongs to land capability classes II, III and V and classified into Typic, Sodic and Fluventic Haplustepts which represents the 78.04 percent of the total area.