Biochar is a solid material obtained from the carbonization of any biomass including weeds, crop residues and other wastes of plant origin. Biochar plays an important role in climate change mitigation by sequestering carbon in the soil and reducing nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) gas emissions to the environment through enhancing soil absorption. Here we review the potential of biochar to reduce N2O and CH4 emissions from agricultural practices and sequester atmospheric CO2 in the soil including potential mechanism behind observed effects. However, some fundamental mechanism and manipulation of biochar remain understandable and need further investigation.
Anthropogenically disturbed soils have unique properties. In most of the ecosystems, especially under disturbed soil conditions, the soil properties are controlled by the accumulated materials. However, the equilibrium between the already present soil mass and the accumulated soil mass is very fragile and is affected by many factors. This study was carried out in the forest soil of Doodhpathri which is a famous tourist place in Kashmir in the spring and summer seasons at three sites (forest, meadow, and deforested sites) in 2019. Soil samples were collected at 15-30 cm depth. We determined soil texture, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), moisture, organic carbon (OC), available macronutrients (Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus, Calcium, and Magnesium), and heavy metals (Copper; Cu, Nickel; Ni, Cadmium; Cd, Manganese; Mn, Lead; Pb, and Zinc; Zn). Soil texture analysis revealed the soils at all the study sites with a major proportion being comprised by the silt fraction and having a silty clay loam character. pH and electrical conductivity were found to be high at the deforested site in the summer. Organic carbon and moisture content were found higher at the forest site in summer and spring respectively. Nitrogen, potassium, and total bacterial count follow the same trend as higher concentration was found at the forest site in the summer while Phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium follow the same trend as their high concentration was found at the meadow site in the summer. Significantly higher values of heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Cd, Mn, Pb, and Zn) were found at the meadow site in the summer. The results could help to formulate conservation strategies for the soil at Doodhpathri that is affected by anthropogenic activities.
The present study was carried out at Doodhpathri, a forest ecosystem and tourist resort, in the Kashmir valley during 2018 with the objectives of determining the municipal solid waste (MSW) generation at 3 sites in the months of May, June and July and also, the tourist rush (number of tourist and vehicles) in these months were also analyzed. Maximum solid waste was generated in the month of July (167.02 kg) followed by June (162.53 kg) and May (136.41 kg). The total quantity of biodegradable waste generated in the month of July was 167.02 kg while as 140.81 kg of non-biodegradable waste was generated during the same month. Similarly, in the month of June, total quantity of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste generated was 162.53 and 132.58 kg respectively, compared to 136.41 and 108.65 kg respectively in the month of May. The data indicated that the quantity of biodegradable waste generated was higher as compared to non-biodegradable. The tourist flow was significantly higher in the month of July. The total number of tourists in the month of July was 5870 followed by June (5505) and May (4250) (DDA).
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