- Vol 107, No 9 (2014)
- Pages: 1464-1469
- Published: 2014-11-10
- https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv107%2Fi9%2F1464-1469
Open Access
Subscription Access
Impacts of Agro-Climates and Land Use Systems on Culturable Microbial Population in Soils of the Indo-Gangetic Plains, India
Alok Kumar Srivastava
1,
Kulandaivelu Velmourougane
2,
T. Bhattacharyya
3,
D. Sarkar
3,
D. K. Pal
4,
J. Prasad
4,
G. S. Sidhu
5,
K. M. Nair
6,
A. K. Sahoo
7,
T. H. Das
7,
R. S. Singh
8,
R. Srivastava
3,
T. K. Sen
3,
S. Chatterji
3,
P. Chandran
3,
S. K. Ray
3,
N. G. Patil
3,
G. P. Obireddy
3,
S. K. Mahapatra
5,
K. S. Anil Kumar
6,
K. Das
7,
A. K. Singh
8,
S. K. Reza
3,
D. Dutta
7,
C. Mandal
3,
D. K. Mandal
3,
S. Srinivas
3,
P. Tiwary
3,
K. Karthikeyan
3,
M. V. Venugopalan
2,
Mausumi Raychaudhuri
9,
D. K. Kundu
9,
K. G. Mandal
9,
Ashutosh Kumar
1,
G. Kar
9,
S. L. Durge
3,
G. K. Kamble
3,
M. S. Gaikwad
3,
A. M. Nimkar
3,
S. V. Bobade
3,
S. G. Anantwar
3,
S. Patil
3,
K. M. Gaikwad
3,
V. T. Sahu
3,
H. Bhondwe
3,
S. S. Dohtre
3,
S. Gharami
3,
S. G. Khapekar
3,
A. Koyal
6,
Sujatha
6,
B. M. N. Reddy
6,
P. Sreekumar
6,
D. P. Dutta
10,
L. Gogoi
10,
V. N. Parhad
3,
A. S. Halder
7,
R. Basu
7,
R. Singh
8,
B. L. Jat
8,
D. L. Oad
8,
N. R. Ola
8,
K. Wadhai
3,
M. Lokhande
3,
V. T. Dongare
3,
A. Hukare
3,
N. Bansod
3,
A. Kolhe
3,
J. Khuspure
3,
H. Kuchankar
3,
D. Balbuddhe
3,
S. Sheikh
3,
B. P. Sunitha
6,
B. Mohanty
5,
D. Hazarika
9,
S. Majumdar
7,
R. S. Garhwal
8,
A. Sahu
2,
S. Mahapatra
10,
S. Puspamitra
10,
N. Gautam
3,
B. A. Telpande
3,
A. M. Nimje
3,
C. Likhar
3,
S. Thakre
3
Affiliations
1 National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau 275 101, India
2 Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur 440 010, India
3 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
4 International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru 502 324, India
5 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, New Delhi 110 012, India
6 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
7 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
8 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
9 Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
10 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jorhat 785 004, India
1 National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau 275 101, India
2 Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur 440 010, India
3 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
4 International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru 502 324, India
5 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, New Delhi 110 012, India
6 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
7 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
8 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
9 Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
10 Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jorhat 785 004, India
Comprehensive reports on land-use changes and their impact on soil biological properties, specifically microbial population in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India, are lacking. Since IGP is the most fertile land, data on microbial population of IGP may contribute towards the evaluation of various soil quality parameters, disease suppression, organic matter decomposition, plant growth promotion and soil management pattern. To enhance our knowledge on culturable microbial populations in different soil horizons of the agro-ecological sub-regions (AESRs) in the IGP, a study has been undertaken to collect soil samples from the established benchmark (BM) spots of these plains with an objective to investigate the impacts of bioclimates, soil depth, cropping systems, land use systems and management practices on the distribution of culturable microbial population. Bacterial : fungal ratios are significantly different across the land use types. The bacterial and fungal populations are strongly and negatively correlated with soil depth and maximum microbial population (40%) exists in the surface horizon (0-30 cm) than in the subsurface horizon (121-150 cm). Generally, bacterial populations are higher than actinomycetes and fungal populations in all soil profiles of the IGP. Approximately 10% decrease in Shannon diversity index has been observed with increase of 30 cm depth and 89% fall between surface and subsurface profiles. Non-significant difference in microbial population (P < 0.05) is noticed across the management and land use systems. Sub-humid (moist) bioclimatic system recorded higher microbial population than sub-humid (dry) and semi-arid bioclimatic systems. Legume-based cropping system has higher microbial population than cereal or vegetable-based cropping.
Keywords
Agro-Ecosystems, Microbial Population, Land Use Type, Soil Depth.
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- Impacts of Agro-Climates and Land Use Systems on Culturable Microbial Population in Soils of the Indo-Gangetic Plains, India
Abstract Views: 282 |
PDF Views: 121
Comprehensive reports on land-use changes and their impact on soil biological properties, specifically microbial population in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India, are lacking. Since IGP is the most fertile land, data on microbial population of IGP may contribute towards the evaluation of various soil quality parameters, disease suppression, organic matter decomposition, plant growth promotion and soil management pattern. To enhance our knowledge on culturable microbial populations in different soil horizons of the agro-ecological sub-regions (AESRs) in the IGP, a study has been undertaken to collect soil samples from the established benchmark (BM) spots of these plains with an objective to investigate the impacts of bioclimates, soil depth, cropping systems, land use systems and management practices on the distribution of culturable microbial population. Bacterial : fungal ratios are significantly different across the land use types. The bacterial and fungal populations are strongly and negatively correlated with soil depth and maximum microbial population (40%) exists in the surface horizon (0-30 cm) than in the subsurface horizon (121-150 cm). Generally, bacterial populations are higher than actinomycetes and fungal populations in all soil profiles of the IGP. Approximately 10% decrease in Shannon diversity index has been observed with increase of 30 cm depth and 89% fall between surface and subsurface profiles. Non-significant difference in microbial population (P < 0.05) is noticed across the management and land use systems. Sub-humid (moist) bioclimatic system recorded higher microbial population than sub-humid (dry) and semi-arid bioclimatic systems. Legume-based cropping system has higher microbial population than cereal or vegetable-based cropping.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv107%2Fi9%2F1464-1469
Authors
Alok Kumar Srivastava
National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau 275 101, India
National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau 275 101, India
Kulandaivelu Velmourougane
Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur 440 010, India
Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur 440 010, India
T. Bhattacharyya
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
D. Sarkar
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
D. K. Pal
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru 502 324, India
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru 502 324, India
J. Prasad
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru 502 324, India
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru 502 324, India
G. S. Sidhu
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, New Delhi 110 012, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, New Delhi 110 012, India
K. M. Nair
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
A. K. Sahoo
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
T. H. Das
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
R. S. Singh
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
R. Srivastava
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
T. K. Sen
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. Chatterji
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
P. Chandran
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. K. Ray
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
N. G. Patil
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
G. P. Obireddy
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. K. Mahapatra
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, New Delhi 110 012, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, New Delhi 110 012, India
K. S. Anil Kumar
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
K. Das
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
A. K. Singh
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
S. K. Reza
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
D. Dutta
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
C. Mandal
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
D. K. Mandal
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. Srinivas
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
P. Tiwary
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
K. Karthikeyan
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
M. V. Venugopalan
Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur 440 010, India
Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur 440 010, India
Mausumi Raychaudhuri
Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
D. K. Kundu
Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
K. G. Mandal
Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
Ashutosh Kumar
National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau 275 101, India
National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau 275 101, India
G. Kar
Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
S. L. Durge
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
G. K. Kamble
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
M. S. Gaikwad
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
A. M. Nimkar
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. V. Bobade
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. G. Anantwar
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. Patil
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
K. M. Gaikwad
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
V. T. Sahu
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
H. Bhondwe
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. S. Dohtre
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. Gharami
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. G. Khapekar
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
A. Koyal
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
Sujatha
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
B. M. N. Reddy
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
P. Sreekumar
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
D. P. Dutta
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jorhat 785 004, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jorhat 785 004, India
L. Gogoi
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jorhat 785 004, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jorhat 785 004, India
V. N. Parhad
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
A. S. Halder
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
R. Basu
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
R. Singh
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
B. L. Jat
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
D. L. Oad
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
N. R. Ola
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
K. Wadhai
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
M. Lokhande
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
V. T. Dongare
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
A. Hukare
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
N. Bansod
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
A. Kolhe
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
J. Khuspure
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
H. Kuchankar
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
D. Balbuddhe
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. Sheikh
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
B. P. Sunitha
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore 560 024, India
B. Mohanty
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, New Delhi 110 012, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, New Delhi 110 012, India
D. Hazarika
Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India
S. Majumdar
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata 700 091, India
R. S. Garhwal
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Udaipur 313 001, India
A. Sahu
Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur 440 010, India
Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur 440 010, India
S. Mahapatra
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jorhat 785 004, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jorhat 785 004, India
S. Puspamitra
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jorhat 785 004, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jorhat 785 004, India
N. Gautam
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
B. A. Telpande
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
A. M. Nimje
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
C. Likhar
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
S. Thakre
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Regional Centre, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440 033, India
Abstract
Comprehensive reports on land-use changes and their impact on soil biological properties, specifically microbial population in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India, are lacking. Since IGP is the most fertile land, data on microbial population of IGP may contribute towards the evaluation of various soil quality parameters, disease suppression, organic matter decomposition, plant growth promotion and soil management pattern. To enhance our knowledge on culturable microbial populations in different soil horizons of the agro-ecological sub-regions (AESRs) in the IGP, a study has been undertaken to collect soil samples from the established benchmark (BM) spots of these plains with an objective to investigate the impacts of bioclimates, soil depth, cropping systems, land use systems and management practices on the distribution of culturable microbial population. Bacterial : fungal ratios are significantly different across the land use types. The bacterial and fungal populations are strongly and negatively correlated with soil depth and maximum microbial population (40%) exists in the surface horizon (0-30 cm) than in the subsurface horizon (121-150 cm). Generally, bacterial populations are higher than actinomycetes and fungal populations in all soil profiles of the IGP. Approximately 10% decrease in Shannon diversity index has been observed with increase of 30 cm depth and 89% fall between surface and subsurface profiles. Non-significant difference in microbial population (P < 0.05) is noticed across the management and land use systems. Sub-humid (moist) bioclimatic system recorded higher microbial population than sub-humid (dry) and semi-arid bioclimatic systems. Legume-based cropping system has higher microbial population than cereal or vegetable-based cropping.
Keywords
Agro-Ecosystems, Microbial Population, Land Use Type, Soil Depth.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv107%2Fi9%2F1464-1469