Evaluation of soil development and weathering intensity of shrink-swell soils within the Painganga valley, Yavatmal district, Maharashtra, India

Effective crop management in shrink-swell soils is constrained by the limited understanding of the chemical weathering processes influencing soil evolution in the Painganga valley. This study examined seven types of shrink-swell soils in the valley using physical, chemical, and geochemical analyses. The soils are moderately to strongly alkaline and display calcium carbonate accumulation in subsurface horizons, with dominance of calcium and magnesium in the exchange complex. Nutrient analysis rev