HYDERABAD: With El Nino raising concerns over agricultural conditions in Telangana, the ability of the soils to retain moisture has come into focus, with Agriculture department tests showing that most districts have medium or low organic carbon content.
Organic carbon helps soil retain moisture, supports microbial activity and improves nutrient cycling. Its depletion can affect soil health and make crops more vulnerable to dry spells. The department’s findings point to the need for closer attention to soil management as farmers contend with weather-related risks.
The department has conducted nearly two lakh soil tests under a joint Centre-State initiative, with the Union government providing 60% of the funding. Of the state’s 621 mandals, tests were conducted in one mandal each in 2024-25 and 2025-26, according to the available data. Testing for 2026-27 is under way. The process resumed after being discontinued in 2019-20.
The findings show that only 14% of the tested soils have high organic carbon content. Many districts also have deficiencies in nitrogen, while phosphorus and potassium levels are low in about 20% of the soils.
The results are broadly in line with national trends. A study by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), based on Soil Health Card assessments for 2024-25, found that only 25% of Indian soils had sufficient organic carbon.
The study said organic carbon levels had fallen below 0.5% in an estimated 73-76% of agricultural soils, against a desirable range of 1-1.5% cited for tropical and subtropical soils.
Former professor of soil science at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Aribandi Prasad Rao, said plants require 16 essential nutrients, of which nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are needed in relatively large quantities. Organic manure supplies several other nutrients and contributes to soil health, he said.
“Ideally, one-third of manure should be organic and the remaining two-thirds chemical fertilisers. Long-term experiments show this combination is feasible, given the limited availability of organic manure. Soil tests should be conducted every five years, with solutions tailored to each farmer’s soil,” he said, adding that organic carbon content in Indian soils should ideally be around 1.5%.
GV Ramanjaneyulu, agriculture scientist and executive director of the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, has also linked soil degradation to lower fertiliser efficiency. In his article, “The real fertiliser emergency isn’t in Hormuz — it’s in our soils”, he argues that soils depleted of organic matter and microbial life retain and cycle nutrients less effectively, leading to greater nutrient losses.
The article points to natural farming as one possible response, citing the experience of the Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming programme.
A study led by GIST Impact with the Global Alliance for the Future of Food found that farms practising natural farming recorded average yields 11% higher than comparable conventional farms and net incomes 49% higher after accounting for input savings and wider costs and benefits.
Telangana joined the National Mission on Natural Farming in 2025-26.
The extent to which such practices can improve soil moisture retention and farm resilience in the state will depend on their implementation and the conditions under which farmers adopt them.