Assessment of Seasonal Variability in Soil Nutrients and Its Impact on Soil Quality under Different Land Use Systems of Lower Shiwalik Foothills of Himalaya, India

Tavjot Kaur, Simerpreet Kaur Sehgal, Satnam Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Salwinder Singh Dhaliwal and Vivek Sharma
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Tavjot Kaur: Khalsa College, Charitable, Amritsar 143001, India
Simerpreet Kaur Sehgal: Khalsa College, Charitable, Amritsar 143001, India
Satnam Singh: Khalsa College, Charitable, Amritsar 143001, India
Sandeep Sharma: Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Punjab 141027, India
Salwinder Singh Dhaliwal: Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Punjab 141027, India
Vivek Sharma: Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Punjab 141027, India

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: The present study was conducted to investigate the seasonal effects of five land use systems (LUSs), i.e., wheat–rice ( Triticum aestivum—Oryza sativa ) system, sugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum ), orange ( Citrus sinensis ) orchard, safeda ( Eucalyptus globules ) forest, and grassland, on soil quality and nutrient status in the lower Satluj basin of the Shiwalik foothills Himalaya, India. Samples were analyzed for assessment of physico-chemical properties at four soil depths, viz., 0–15, 15–30, 30–45, and 45–60 cm. A total of 120 soil samples were collected in both the seasons. Soil texture was found to be sandy loam and slightly alkaline in nature. The relative trend of soil organic carbon (SOC), macro- and micro-nutrient content for the five LUSs was forest > orchard > grassland > wheat–rice > sugarcane, in the pre- and post-monsoon seasons. SOC was highly correlated with macronutrients and micronutrients, whereas SOC was negatively correlated with soil pH (r = −0.818). The surface soil layer (0–15 cm) had a significantly higher content of SOC, and macro- and micro-nutrients compared to the sub-surface soil layers, due to the presence of more organic content in the soil surface layer. Tukey’s multiple comparison test was applied to assess significant difference ( p < 0.05) among the five LUSs at four soil depths in both the seasons. Principle component analysis (PCA) identified that SOC and electrical conductivity (EC) were the most contributing soil indicators among the different land use systems, and that the post-monsoon season had better soil quality compared to the pre-monsoon season. These indicators helped in the assessment of soil health and fertility, and to monitor degraded agroecosystems for future soil conservation.

Keywords: soil quality index; watershed; land use systems; principal component analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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