A GEOMETRICAL APPROACH FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF SOIL CALCAREOUS IN SEMI-ARID REGION OF TELANGANA STATE, INDIAR. UMA DEVI, D.B. SURESH BABU, KEZIA ELIZABETH, K. BALA CHANDU AND J. SWARAJAbstract Soils containing a high amount of calcium carbonate are identifying as calcareous soils. This type of soil severely affects the plantâs growth as they tend to be low in nutrient availability and organic matter. An extensive study was conducted to characterize the calcareousness in Zaheerabad Mandal, Telangana State, India. A total of 48 geo-referenced soil samples were collected in five villages and analyzed for soil texture, soil-water availability, hydro geomorphology, and free calcium carbonate. GIS-based soil characterization is done with Arc GIS - 10.3 software and verified with the ground truth data. The observations showed that 34.14 % of the study area is affected with 35-60% of soil calcareousness, which indicated high calcareousness, followed by slight soil calcareousness in 32.42 % of the study area, i.e., 15-35% of calcareousness and 31.54% of the study area is free from calcareousness. This characterization of soil calcareousness alarmed the inferior cultivation methods in the study area and alerting the farmers for better land management by avoiding high pH substances such as pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. |