Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Soil Organic Carbon Variation Under Sub-Tropical Forest of Himachal Pradesh, India


Affiliations
1 School of Studies in Botany, Jiwaji University, Gwalior 474 011, India
 

It is important to estimate soil organic carbon (SOC) content of natural forests for an understanding of the Himalayan ecosystem. In this study SOC concentration was evaluated at three different soil depths (0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm) under Anogeissus latifolia (site I) and Pinus roxburghii (site II) forest stands in Himachal Pradesh, India. SOC (%) in these forests ranged from 0.37% to 2.20% up to 30 cm soil depth and was higher at site I compared to site II. Tree density was also more at site I than site II. The present study shows that the tree species can influence SOC of the forest ecosystem, but other environmental parameters such as soil type, moisture and pH are also responsible for changes in the soil carbon sequestration potential. Carbon sequestration in the study area showed significant contribution in minimizing the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and improving soil quality.

Keywords

Anogeissus latifolia, Carbon Sequestration, Pinus roxburghii, Soil Organic Carbon, Sub-Tropical Forest.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Pal, D. K., Wani, S. P. and Sahrawat, K. L., Carbon sequestration in Indian soils: present status and the potential. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. India Sect. B, 2015, 85(2), 337–358.

  • Malhi, Y. A., Baldocchi, D. D. and Jarvis, P. G., The carbon balance of tropical, temperate and boreal forests. Plant Cell Environ., 1999, 22(6), 715–740.

  • Chen, X. W. and Li, B. L., Change in soil carbon and nutrient storage after human disturbance of a primary Korean pine forest in north-east China. For. Ecol. Manage., 2003, 186, 197–206.

  • Lal, R., Forest soils and carbon sequestration. For. Ecol. Manage., 2005, 220, 242–258.

  • Baishya, R. and Barik, S. K., Estimation of tree biomass, carbon pool and net primary production of an old growth Pinus kesiya Royle ex. Gordon forest in north-eastern India. Ann. For. Sci., 2011, 68, 727–736.

  • Powlson, D. S., Whitemore, A. P. and Goulding, K. W. T., Soil carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change: a critical re-examination to identify the true and the false. Eur. J. Soil Sci., 2011, 62, 42–55.

  • Brown, S., Sathaye, J., Cannell, M. and Kauppi, P. E., Mitigation of carbon emissions to the atmosphere by forest management. Commonw. For. Rev., 1996, 1–3, 80–91.

  • Aryal, S., Bhattarai, D. R. and Devkota, R. P., Comparison of carbon stocks between mixed and pine-dominated forest stands within the Gwalinidaha Community Forest in Lalitpur District, Nepal. Small-Scale For., 2013, 12(4), 659–666.

  • Wang, H., Liu, S. R., Mo, J. M., Wang, J. X., Makeschin, F. and Wolff, M., Soil organic carbon stock and chemical composition in four plantations of indigenous tree species in subtropical China. Ecol. Res., 2010, 25(6), 1071–1079.

  • Jobbágy, E. G. and Jackson, R. B., The vertical distribution of soil carbon and its relation to climate and vegetation. Ecol. Appl., 2000, 10, 423–436.

  • Jandl, R. et al., How strongly can forest management influence soil carbon sequestration? Geoderma, 2007, 137, 253–268.

  • Batjes, N. H., Total carbon and nitrogen in the soils of the world. Eur. J. Soil Sci., 1996, 47, 151–163.

  • Joshi, G. and Negi, G. C. S., Physico-chemical properties along soil profiles of two dominant forest types in Western Himalaya. Curr. Sci., 2015, 109(4), 798–803.

  • Dar, J. A. and Sundarapandian, S. M., Soil organic carbon stock assessment in two temperate forest types of Western Himalaya of Jammu and Kashmir, India. For. Res., 2013, 3, 114.

  • Singh, S. K., Pandey, C. B., Sidhu, G. S., Sarkar, D. and Sagar, R., Concentration and stock of carbon in the soils affected by land uses and climates in the western Himalaya, India. Catena, 2011, 87(1), 78–89.

  • Naudiyal, N. and Schmerbeck, J., The changing Himalayan landscape: pine–oak forest dynamics and the supply of ecosystem services. J. For. Res., 2017, 28(3), 431–443.

  • Wilde, S. A., Reaction of soils: facts and facilities. Ecology, 1954, 35, 89–99.

  • Brady, N. C. and Weil, R. R., The Nature and Properties of Soils, Macmillan Publishing Co, USA, 2002, 13th edn.

  • Walkley, A. and Black, I. A., An examination of method for determining organic carbon in soils: effect of variation in digestion conditions and of inorganic soil constituents. Soil Sci., 1934, 63, 251–263.

  • Waxman, S. A. and Stevens, K. R., A critical study of the methods for determining the nature and abundance of soil organic matter. Soil Sci., 1930, 30, 97–116.

  • Subbiah, B. V. and Asija, G. L., A rapid procedure for the determination of available nitrogen in soils. Curr. Sci., 1956, 25, 259– 260.

  • Schulp, C. J. E., Nabuurs, G.-J., Verburg, P. H. and Waal, R. W. D., Effect of tree species on carbon stocks in forest floor and mineral soil and implications for soil carbon inventories. For. Ecol. Manage., 2008, 256, 482–490.

  • Sheikh, M. A., Kumar, M. and Bussmann, R. W., Altitude variation in soil organic carbon stock in coniferous subtropical and broad leaf temperate forests in Garhwal Himalaya. Carbon Balance Manage., 2009, 4, 1–6.

  • Pandey, C. B., Singh, G. B., Singh, S. K. and Singh, R. K., Soil nitrogen and microbial biomass carbon dynamics in native forests and derived agricultural land uses in a humid tropical climate of India. Plant Soil, 2010, 333, 453–467.

  • Turner, B. L., Yavitt, J. B., Harms, K. E., Garcia, M. N. and Wright, S. J., Seasonal changes in soil organic matter after a decade of nutrient addition in a lowland tropical forest. Biogeochemistry, 2015, 123(1–2), 221–235.

  • Kumar, M., Joshi, M. and Todaria, N. P., Regeneration status of a sub-tropical Anogeissus latifolia forest in Garhwal Himalaya, India. J. For. Res., 2010, 21(4), 439–444.

  • Liu, Y., Lei, P., Xiang, W., Yan, W. and Chen, X., Accumulation of soil organic C and N in planted forests fostered by tree species mixture. Biogeosciences, 2017, 14(17), 3937–3945.

  • Pant, H. and Tewari, A., Carbon sequestration in chir–pine (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.) forests under various disturbance levels in Kumaun Central Himalaya. J. For. Res., 2014, 25(2), 401–405.

  • Toriyama, J., Hak, M., Imaya, A., Hirai, K. and Kiyono, Y., Effects of forest type and environmental factors on the soil organic carbon pool and its density fractions in a seasonally dry tropical forest. For. Ecol. Manage., 2014, 335, 147–155.

  • Zhang, R. and Ding, G., Seasonal variation of soil carbon and nitrogen under five typical Pinus massoniana forests. Chem. Ecol., 2017, 33(6), 543–559.

  • Fuchen, S., Junjian, L. and Shaoqiang, W., Soil organic carbon, nitrogen and microbial properties in contrasting forest ecosystems of north–east China under different regeneration scenarios. Acta Agric. Scand B, 2008, 58(1), 1–10.


Abstract Views: 439

PDF Views: 128




  • Soil Organic Carbon Variation Under Sub-Tropical Forest of Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract Views: 439  |  PDF Views: 128

Authors

Bandna Kumari
School of Studies in Botany, Jiwaji University, Gwalior 474 011, India
Avinash Tiwari
School of Studies in Botany, Jiwaji University, Gwalior 474 011, India
Sangeeta Sharma
School of Studies in Botany, Jiwaji University, Gwalior 474 011, India
Jasra Anjum
School of Studies in Botany, Jiwaji University, Gwalior 474 011, India

Abstract


It is important to estimate soil organic carbon (SOC) content of natural forests for an understanding of the Himalayan ecosystem. In this study SOC concentration was evaluated at three different soil depths (0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm) under Anogeissus latifolia (site I) and Pinus roxburghii (site II) forest stands in Himachal Pradesh, India. SOC (%) in these forests ranged from 0.37% to 2.20% up to 30 cm soil depth and was higher at site I compared to site II. Tree density was also more at site I than site II. The present study shows that the tree species can influence SOC of the forest ecosystem, but other environmental parameters such as soil type, moisture and pH are also responsible for changes in the soil carbon sequestration potential. Carbon sequestration in the study area showed significant contribution in minimizing the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and improving soil quality.

Keywords


Anogeissus latifolia, Carbon Sequestration, Pinus roxburghii, Soil Organic Carbon, Sub-Tropical Forest.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv122%2Fi1%2F56-60