Hydrophysical and Chemical Characteristics of Soils under Different Landuses in Shiwalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh

Hydro-physical and chemical characteristics of soils under five dominant landuses viz. agriculture, forest, grass, scrub and barren lands in Shiwalik hills of district Solan of Himachal Pradesh were computed and compared. Shiwalik hill soils are coarse textured, slightly acidic to neutral in reaction, high in organic carbon, low in CEC and available N supplies and moderate to high in P and K status. Hydraulic characteristics and available water (AW) varied widely under landuses and were found to be highest in forest lands closely followed by grass lands and lowest under scrub/barren lands. On the basis of AW, different landuses could be arranged in the order: forest lands > grass lands > agricultural lands > barren lands > scrub lands. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and steady state infiltration revealed a reverse trend as both were highest in barren lands and lowest in grass lands. Considering hydro-physical and chemical characteristics, these soils seem to have narrow possibilities for cereal and shallow ischolar_mained annual crops.