Deficiency of nutrients in agricultural soils of the world is one of the major factors of soil degradation. The deficiency of nutrients especially sulfur (S) and micronutrients in different soils affect global crop production. Delineation of soil management zones (MZs), by understanding spatial distribution of soil parameters, could be an efficient way for devising strategies for effective nutrient management and sustainable crop production. In this study, we aimed at creation of soil MZs for ameliorating S and micronutrients deficiencies in the Narmada River basin (NRB), an important agricultural area of central India. We collected 5,984 geo-referenced top layer (0–15 cm) soil samples from the NRB, India, and analyzed for soil acidity (soil-water suspension), electrical conductivity (soil-water suspension), soil organic carbon (Walkley and Black carbon), phyto-available S (0.15% calcium chloride [CaCl₂] extractable), and phyto-available (diethylene triamine penta acetic acid extractable) micronutrients namely zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and boron (B) (hot-water-soluble). The values of studied soil parameters varied widely with coefficient of variation values ranging from 11.0 to 74.9%. Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis revealed significant correlations among the soil parameters. Geostatistical analysis revealed exponential, pentaspherical, K-Bessel, and circular best-fit semi-variogram models for different soil parameters with moderate to strong spatial dependence. About 41.2, 78.6, 10.1, 2.70, and 32.6% of the area of the NRB had a deficit concentration of phyto-available S, Zn, Fe, Mn, and B, respectively. The principal component analysis and fuzzy c-means clustering produced five MZs. The produced MZ maps could be utilized for prioritization of nutrients supply and adoption of zone-specific soil nutrient management strategies in order to achieve sustainable crop production in the NRB of India.

中文翻译：

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为可持续作物生产建立土壤硫磺和微量营养素管理区

世界农业土壤养分缺乏是土壤退化的主要因素之一。不同土壤中养分特别是硫（S）和微量养分的缺乏影响全球作物生产。通过了解土壤参数的空间分布，划分土壤管理区 (MZ) 可能是制定有效养分管理和可持续作物生产策略的有效方法。在这项研究中，我们旨在创建土壤 MZ，以改善印度中部重要农业区纳尔马达河流域 (NRB) 的硫和微量营养素缺乏症。我们从印度 NRB 收集了 5,984 个地理参考顶层（0-15 厘米）土壤样本，并分析了土壤酸度（水土悬浮）、电导率（水土悬浮）、₂ ] 可提取）和植物可利用（二亚乙基三胺五乙酸可提取）微量营养素，即锌 (Zn)、铜 (Cu)、锰 (Mn)、铁 (Fe) 和硼 (B)（可溶于热水） ）。研究的土壤参数值变化很大，变异系数值在 11.0% 到 74.9% 之间。Pearson 相关系数分析揭示了土壤参数之间的显着相关性。地统计分析揭示了不同土壤参数的指数、五球面、K-贝塞尔和圆形最佳拟合半变异函数模型，具有中度至强的空间依赖性。大约 41.2%、78.6%、10.1%、2.70% 和 32.6% 的 NRB 区域的植物可利用 S、Zn、Fe、Mn 和 B 浓度分别不足。主成分分析和模糊C -意味着聚类产生了五个 MZ。生成的 MZ 地图可用于确定养分供应的优先级和采用特定区域的土壤养分管理策略，以实现印度 NRB 的可持续作物生产。