Microbial Biomass and Soil C, N and P in Acacia nilotica sub. Cupressiformis Based Traditional Agroforestry Systems in Rajasthan
2020
Mehar, Santosh K. | Purohit, Usha | Sundaramoorthy, S.
Study of temporal patterns of microbial biomass can help in understanding the functioning of various ecosystems. In the present study an attempt has been made to study the influence of trees on the microbial biomass and soil C, N and P levels with an accompanied attempt to find the temporal variables influencing it. Three sites with Acacia nilotica sub. cupressiformis as the woody component in the traditional agroforestry systems of Indian arid zone were selected and studied for the spatial and temporal variation in microbial biomass and soil nutrients over a period of two years. Soil samples were collected from both the undercanopy and the open area. Higher values of microbial and soil nutrients were recorded during monsoon, post monsoon and winter seasons, reflecting the role of moisture availability on the functioning of dryland agroecosystems. Soil nutrients serving as resource for the microbial biomass revealed strong relationship; organic C with biomass C (r = 0.44; P<0.01), soil N with biomass C (r = 0.52; P<0.01) and biomass N (r = 0.44; P<0.01) and available P with biomass P (r = 0.54; P<0.01). Soil N similarly revealed strong relationship with organic C (r = 0.52; P<0.01). As an outcome of spatial heterogeneity, biomass C and N revealed heterogeneous relationship among the three sites, which was significant only in one of the three sites (r = 0.63; P<0.01). Similarly in one site, 78.8% variation in available P was due to soil moisture and biomass P, and 75.9% of variation in biomass N has been attributed to soil moisture and soil N.
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