amounts of H+ ions in the soil (Ruth and Goh,
1992). Saha et al. (2010) reported that a higher
pH value was recorded from the use of farmyard
manure compared to a control. The OM in the soil
increases the buffering capacity of that soil; hence,
the soil pH is more or less stable. Despites
differences, the pH values of the studied soils were
mostly within the acceptable range for apple
production as suggested by Kanwar (1987).
The level of N was low when compared
to criteria suggested in the interpretation of soil
analytical data. This showed that there may be
either high nutrient competition among the orchard
grasses or leaching of N during the rainy season
(June–September). In addition, the N fertilizers
were not adequate which has a greater impact on
the soil N level (Wrona and Sadowski, 2004).
There was also a close relationship between the
amount of N and the organic carbon in the soil in
the current study (Table 3). This result was similar
to the findings of Jindaluang et al. (2009).
In general, the available P level was rated
moderate to high when compared to the standard
(Soil Survey Unit, 2010). The higher amount of
available P under inorganic fertilizer practices may
have been due to the blanket application of P in
fertilizer on an annual basis, which in turn may
have accumulated in the soil (Table 1).
Furthermore, the added P might not have all been
taken up by the plants due to the low requirement
for P by apple trees (Sadhu, 1988). The decreasing
amount of available P with increasing soil depth
indicated that the substantial amount of applied P
had accumulated in the top soil layer which may
have been due to its slow mobility within the soil
layer, high competition for P nutrients among
orchard grasses at lower soil depths and low fixing
capacity within the soil layer (Wojcik and Wojcik,
2007).
The study revealed moderate levels of
available K from the inorganic practices. The
surface soil (0–20 cm) had a higher amount
compared to the subsoil (21–40 cm). The sampled