Effect of different agricultural land use systems on physico-chemical properties of soil in sub-mountainous districts of Punjab, North-West India

Abstract

To investigate the effect of land use systems on basic properties of surface and profile, four land use systems i.e cropland, forestry, agro-forestry and grassland were identified for each selected site in the lower Shiwalik foothills of Punjab (Takarla from District Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Mukerian from District Hoshiarpur). Soil pH of the surface layer ranged from 7.83 to 8.20 and 7.69 to 7.95 under different land-use systems at Takarla and Mukerian, respectively. Soils from cropland as well as forest land use systems at Takarla and forestry as well as grassland systems at Mukerian contained more clay and silt. Available N, P and K at Takarla and Mukerian varied from 37.78 to 234.78 and 40.48 to 264.47, 3.81 to 21.44 and 3.19 to 18.56, 15.83 to 286.67 and 6.66 to 149.17 kg ha-1, respectively. Available N was significantly higher in forestry whereas, available P and K were significantly higher in cropland compared with agro-forestry and grassland. The highest (5.00 g kg-1) concentration of soil organic carbon (SOC) was in the forestryat Takarla and at Mukerian, grassland possessed higher (15.88 g kg-1) value followed by forestry.