<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; text-indent: 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Times New Roman\',\'serif\'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: \'Times New Roman\'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;\" lang=\"EN-US\">The development of landscape adaptive cotton based systems in Hot Semi-Arid Eco-Region of Yavatmal district under Deccan plateau of Western Maharashtra have generated interest in identifying agroecological limitations for enhancing cotton productivity and evaluation of soil resource information on 1:50000scale.</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"> T</span></span><span style=\"font-family: \'Times New Roman\',\'serif\'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: \'Times New Roman\'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;\" lang=\"EN-US\">hirteen landforms were identified and estimated area under each land form with the dominance of plateaus (29.3% of total area) in association with pediplains (28.8 per cent), isolated hills, mesas / butte / escarpments (17.7 per cent), and plains (8.1 per cent) in south western parts of the district. Thirty three soil series classified under the subgroups of Vertisols (16), Inceptisols(12 ) and Entisols(%) were further grouped as twenty six series on basaltic, four series on limestone (Chanoda, Wanjari, Wanodi and Sindola), two series on sandstone (Wani and Selodi) and one series on granite (Korta). Fourty eight soil mapping units were designed to generate soil series association map with dominant association of Lakhi- rock outcrops and Moho series on plateaus and escarpments (13.43% of total area) and Lakhi &ndash; Borgaon - Arni - Waghari series association on moderately sloping hills (7.55% of area). Based on FAO land evaluation method, only 25.04 per cent arable land was estimated as suitable for </span><span style=\"color: black; font-family: \'Times New Roman\',\'serif\'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: \'Times New Roman\'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: \'Times New Roman\';\" lang=\"EN-US\">cotton - sorghum - wheat &ndash; soybean combinations (25.04%) on deep vertic clay</span><span style=\"font-family: \'Times New Roman\',\'serif\'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: \'Times New Roman\'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;\" lang=\"EN-US\"> soils (12.01% of area) and in gravelly clay top soils with hard root restricting layers and deep vertic properties(23.1 % of area) and shallow gravelly clay top soils with hard root restricting layers (19.17 % of area). Numerical technique was used to arrive five homogenous soil management groups and estimated nutrient recommendations to attain target yield of 15q/ha of cotton varying from 123kg/ha N for soils of hills/ridges to 142kg/ha N for soils on pediplains and valleys whereas <span style=\"background: white; color: black;\">64 kg/ha P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> for soils on pediplains to 83kg/ha P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>for interveining valleys and 51kg/ha K<sub>2</sub>O for soils on valleys to 69 kg/ha K<sub>2</sub>O for soils on plateaus and lower pediplains in the region. The agronomic interpretation of a given soil cover was possible through establishment of relation between soil &ndash; crop productivity and by deriving homogenous soil groups that requires same set of agrotechnologies.</span></span></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; text-indent: 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;\"><strong style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"><span style=\"background: white; color: black; font-family: \'Times New Roman\',\'serif\'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: \'Times New Roman\'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;\" lang=\"EN-US\">Key words</span></strong><span style=\"background: white; color: black; font-family: \'Times New Roman\',\'serif\'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: \'Times New Roman\'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;\" lang=\"EN-US\"> :- Shrink-swell soils, Rainfed Cotton, Soil map, Soil taxonomy, Yavatmal</span></p>