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Profiles of arid and semi-arid zones soils of Punjab, northwestern India, were investigated for different forms of iron ( Fe): total Fe, diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Fe, soil solution plus exchangeable Fe, Fe adsorbed onto inorganic sites and oxide surfaces, and Fe bound by organic sites. Irrespective of the different fractions of Fe present, its content was higher in the fine-textured Alfisols and Inceptisols than in the coarse-textured Entisols and Aridisols. Lower content of total Fe was observed in the surface horizon and then increased in the subsurface horizons, whereas no set pattern was observed in Entisols. Also, irrespective of the soil orders, the contents of different forms of Fe were higher in the surface horizon and then decreased by depth. None of the forms of Fe exhibited any consistent pattern of distribution.

Organic matter and the content of clay and silt fractions had a strong bearing on the distribution of forms of Fe. Based on a linear coefficient of correlation, the soil solution plus exchangeable Fe adsorbed onto inorganic sites and DTPA-extractable Fe increased with increase in soil organic carbon but decreased with increase in soil pH and calcium carbonate content. Total Fe increased with increase in cation exchange capacity (CEC) and clay and silt content. The results also revealed that there was equilibrium in different fractions of this element. Among the different Fe forms, Fe bound by organic sites, water-soluble plus exchangeable Fe, and Fe adsorbed onto oxides (amorphous surfaces) were positively correlated with the DTPA-extractable Fe. Though some forms are interrelated, none of the forms had any relationship with the total Fe.