Soil Carbon and Nutrient Accumulation under Forest Plantations in Jharkhand State of India

Abstract

The decrease and degradation of the tropical forests affect not only the production of timber but also the global environment in a large scale. The ability of soil to sustain and its supply of nutrients to a growing forest are controlled by a complex of biogeochemical processes. The purpose of the present study aims to assess the degraded forest fringe areas, to promote plantations of various types and to evaluate their impacts on the soil nutrients and carbon content accumulation. The soil organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient content were evaluated and compared between plantations of mixed native species (MNS), some native tree species as Shorea robusta, Dalbergia sissoo, Dendrocalamus spp., certain agro-forestry species and some exotic varieties. The impacts of the plantations on the SOC and the nutrients were firstly analyzed through comprehensive chemical analyses and the results were compared with the soil samples collected prior to plantation forestry. Significant changes were observed in SOC content, in nutrients, and in amounts of exchangeable cations. Soil carbon levels were highest under the MNS, Dendrocalamus and Tectona grandis stands and lowest under D. sissoo and Terminalia arjuna. Total N showed highest levels under Dendrocalamus and Pongamia pinnata and significantly higher in stands of native species; lowest total N level was observed in D. sissoo plantations. The C/N ratios of the soil varied between 9.2 and 13.5 among the exchangeable cations. Ca 2þ recorded the maximum levels and Na þ showed the lowest levels.

Five‐Year Soil Respiration Reflected Soil Quality Evolution in Different Forest and Grassland Vegetation Types in the Eastern Loess Plateau of China

“…Soil respiration rates correlate significantly with mean annual air temperatures, mean annual precipitation, and with the interaction of the two variables. In addition to soil temperature and soil water content, landscape structure, soil texture, stand characteristics, and substrate quality as well as forest age all affect soil respiration and quality because of their difference in soil carbon and nutrient accumulation as well as soil enzyme activity [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

“…10 value (an indicator of temperature sensitivity of R s ) for 5-year data was 2.89 and 2.94 for the forest and grassland, and R 10 (R s at 108C T s ) value for 5-year data was 2.36 and 1.93 mmol m À2 s À1 , respectively. The Q 10 values for each year data ranged from 2.92 to 3.…”

Changes in carbon stocks and its economic valuation under a changing land use pattern—A multitemporal study in Konar catchment, India

“…We compared our results of SOC in the Konar catchment with several studies performed in the adjacent regions or on a broader scale for validation. In a metaanalysis performed over the Indo-Gangetic Plain by Grace et al (2012) indranath, Somashekhar, & Gadgil (1997) and Roy et al (2010) where the average SOC stocks for 0-30 cm are estimated as 57.99 Mg ha À1 .…”

Electron transfer capacity of soil dissolved organic matter and its potential impact on soil respiration

“…Soil is a major carbon source for CO 2 in the atmosphere because the organic matter stored in the soil represents one of the largest reservoirs of organic carbon on a global scale (Ni et al 2012;Silveira et al 2008). Soil organic carbon (SOC) as a mixture of dead plant and animal-derived substances with highly variable physical and chemical properties is controlled by a complex of biogeochemical processes (Roy et al 2010). Soil DOM is regarded as the labile fraction of SOC which is especially important in that it is readily degradable and is the major energy source for microorganisms (Hu et al 1997).…”