The geochemical characteristics of zinc in soils of Hengyang basin in the middle south of Huxian Province is closely related to rice growth.The content of available zinc extracted by DTPA solution in the calcarcous and neutral soil is correlated significantly with the content of zinc in rice ulants (r=0.83;p<0.05).The availability of zinc is affected by the factors such as soil pH,content of organic matter,parent material and soil type.The content of phosphorus in paddy soils derived from purple soils is rather high,and the soil available zinc is <0.5ppm.