Punjab-Soil Health and Green Revolution: A Quantitative Analysis of Major Soil Parameters

Soil health in the Indian Punjab has been a debatable issue for the last two decades mainly because of lack of pragmatic scientific inquiry. The currently available literature not only seems in contradiction but also limited relative to investigation of the soil health in the light of sustainability indicators. The current systematic and multifaceted study was designed to provide a deep understanding of the soil health issues in Punjab, the epicenter of “green revolution,” in the light of socioeconomic factors. The results should be applicable to the entire Indo-Gangetic Plain. We used a database of 120 soil samples to measure the current state of soil health in Punjab and pointed out the main socioeconomic factors that affected it. The results were compared and contrasted with the available literature to investigate the temporal changes in soil health between 1980–1981 and 2010–2011. Results revealed average soil pH to be 8.2; electrical conductivity (EC) 0.27 dS/m; organic carbon (OC) 0.49%; available phosphorus (P) content 17 mg/kg soil; and available potassium (K) content 171 mg/kg soil. Besides agro-climatic conditions, the size of landholding and farmer education showed a significant association with soil health. Large landowners had healthier soils than the small and medium holders. Contrary to expectations, graduate farmers had poorer soils than those who were either illiterate or possessed average education. An examination of the temporal changes revealed that Punjab soils had become healthier across time, particularly with respect to OC, P, and K. The pH exhibited a declining trend, whereas EC stayed almost constant between 1980–1981 and 2010–2011. Crop intensity had no negative impacts on soil health; therefore, farmers may grow leguminous crops during April--May as third (Zaid) crop, which will not only improve soil nitrogen supply but also fetch additional earnings.