Study on some soil chemical properties in pennywort growing soil at Quang Dien district, Thua Thien Hue province

Abstract

Pennywort (Centella asiatica) plays an important role in cropping systems. Currently, the quality of agricultural production land and pennywort soil is at risk of degradation. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the quality of pennywort soil. The study was conducted in Quang Dien district, Thua Thien Hue province in 2024 to survey some pennywort soil chemical properties as a basis for evaluating soil quality and proposing some practices in improving the pennywort productivity and soil properties. 20 composed soil samples were collected from pennywwort soil at the 0-20 cm layer. The analytical parameters included pH_KCl, OM (Organic matter), total N, P₂O₅, K₂O, available P₂O₅ and CEC according to standard methods. The analysis results showed that the soil for growing pennywort contained pH_KCl (4.15 – 4.30), OM (2.41 – 2.78%), total N (0.066 – 0.085%), total P₂O₅ (0.045 – 0.080%), total K₂O (0.18 – 0.33%), available P₂O₅ (3.5 – 7.2 mg/100 g) and CEC (6.10 – 7.95 cmolc/kg). The general fertility of the soil for growing pennywort was from poor to medium level, with potassium content at poor level. Some practices for improving the soil quality by liming and using fertilizers appropriately for pennywort were proposed.