{
  "abstract": "Mapping of soils and depicting spatial variability across agro-ecological regions remains underexplored, especially in Nepal’s hilly areas. The current study aimed to assess spatial variability and map key soil properties such as pH, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium across the Kaski district, Nepal. A total of 263 composite, geo-referenced samples from 0–20 cm depth were collected using a proportional random sampling design across different land- use types. Fertility maps were generated using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation in ArcGIS 10.8. Descriptive statistics revealed significant spatial variability among soil parameters, with a coefficient of variation from 15.2% (low) for pH to 137.93% (high) for available phosphorus. Most soils were moderately to strongly acidic with a mean of 5.48 ± 0.004. Soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus showed medium fertility levels (SNI = 1.91, 2.19 & 1.95), whereas available potassium reflected a low soil nutrient index (SNI = 1.61), indicating potassium deficiency. Spatial autocorrelation analysis confirmed significant positive clustering for SOM and potassium, while nitrogen exhibited a random distribution pattern (I = 0.25, z = 1.46, p = 0.14). Trend analysis revealed directional gradients with saddle-shaped curves in pH, SOM, and total nitrogen, influenced by topography, elevation, and fertilizer management practices. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of soil fertility, highlighting fertility constraints and offering insights for precision agriculture and land-use planning aimed at sustainable soil management in the Kaski district of Nepal.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Soil and Fertilizer Testing Section, Province Agriculture Laboratory, Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives, Pokhara, Kaski, Gandaki Province, Nepal",
    "Department of Soil Science, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan, Bagmati Province, Nepal",
    "Department of Agrigenomics, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany",
    "Institute of Forestry (IOF), Pokhara Campus, Tribhuwan University, Pokhara, Nepal"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Karishma Bhusal"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yojana Adhikari"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Nirajan Acharya"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Sadikshya Pokharel"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sunil Pandey"
    },
    {
      "name": "Rabindra Adhikari"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6yhzjsrtwdy9d.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360670",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6yhzjsrtwdy9d",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360670",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Agricultural soil science"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Computer and information sciences/Geoinformatics/Geographic information systems"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Computer and information sciences/Geoinformatics/Spatial autocorrelation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geography/Geoinformatics/Geographic information systems"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geography/Geoinformatics/Spatial autocorrelation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geography/Human geography/Land use"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Soil science/Agricultural soil science"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Soil science/Soil chemistry"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Soil science/Soil chemistry/Soil pH"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Soil science/Soil ecology"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Environmental chemistry/Soil chemistry"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Environmental chemistry/Soil chemistry/Soil pH"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Geographical locations/Asia/Nepal"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Environmental chemistry/Soil chemistry"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Environmental chemistry/Soil chemistry/Soil pH"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Human geography/Land use"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-05",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6yhzjsrtwdy9d.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T12:20:42Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360670",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360670"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "plos:environmental chemistry",
      "subfield": "environmental"
    },
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "plos:soil science",
      "subfield": "hydrology-soils"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Spatial variability of soil fertility parameters in Kaski District, Nepal: A geostatistical approach",
  "title_text": "Spatial variability of soil fertility parameters in Kaski District, Nepal: A geostatistical approach",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:20:24Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6yhzjsrtwdy9d",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}