Assessment of Soil Quality of Selected Districts of Kaleshwaram Project Command Area of Telangana State, India

A study was conducted with an objective to assess the soil quality of command areas of Kaleshwaram Project in Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Warangal districts. The assessment was made by developing a soil quality index (SQI) based on relationships among pairs of soil parameters, followed by principal component analysis. The study indicated about superiority of soil pH, available Cu, Mn, P, K and Fe that have significantly contributed to the SQI. Four leading principal components were significant based on eigenvalue of ‘more than 1’ and explained 62.11% of variance in soil parameters. All Kaleshwaram project command areas in Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Warangal were found to have SQIs in the medium range (0.35-0.55) when soil quality was evaluated by looking at the variability present in soil parameters.