Variability in Soil Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Population in an Indian Subtropical Forest

Abstract

Aim:The below ground biota in forest ecosystems determine and regulate the availability of nutrients in soil and is likely to indicate variation in population and metabolism with respect to the soil quality. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to study the physico-chemical characteristics, bacterial-fungal population and soil respiration in different land use zones of a sub tropical Indian forest. Methodology: Soil samples were collected from 0-20 cm depth using a core sampler (5 cm diameter) and from 12 sub plots and three regions for physicochemical and microbiological studies. For measurement of soil respiration 20 cm x 20 cm soil blocks were cut from the sub plots. Sampling was done three times in a month for two months in natural sal (Shorea robusta) forest, bamboo plantation and wet land of the Chandaka-Dampara wild life sanctuary, India in the dry season (March-April). The samples were carried to the laboratory for experimental purpose. Results: In the soil, the sand percentage varied from 81.4% (Wet land) to 89.2% (Sal forest), clay Original Research Article

Determination of Physico-chemical Properties in Soil Samples of Prayagraj (Allahabad) District, Uttar Pradesh, India

“…Soil is a dynamic, 3-dimensional natural body of the landscape developed from the weathering of rocks through various pedogenic processes, consisting of mineral & organic constituents [1][2][3], processing a definite set of physical, chemical and biological properties, having a variable depth covering the surface of earth & providing a medium for growth of the terrestrial plant [4-9].…”