Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen Changes in Croplands Converted to Apple Orchard System in South Kashmir Temperate Himalayas

Shabir A. Bangroo, T. Mubarak, h. Itoo

Abstract


Land use and management change has profound effect on the soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) which are the most important indicators of soil health. There has been little research on the effect of paddy cropland conversion to apple -based orchard system in Kashmir temperate Himalayas. This study aimed to examine the effects of land use conversion from paddy to apple orchard system on SOC and STN. Soil samples at three depths 0-15 cm, 15-30 cm and 30-45 cm were collected and analyzed for SOC and STN from three land use systems: paddy crop system (PC), apple orchard system (AO) and apple intercropping system (AI). Both SOC and STN concentration decreased with the depth. About 75% of both SOC and STN concentration is present in first 30 cm. The SOC stocks at 0–45 cm depth were 4.32, 5.47, and 5.87 kg m−2 for PC, AO and AI systems, respectively. The STN stocks at 0–50 cm depth were 0.55, 0.64 and 0.72 kg m−2 for PC, AO, and AI systems, respectively. These results indicate that the stocks of SOC and STN in PC and AO were lower than that of AI. The findings demonstrate that apple intercropping system can potentially maintain more SOC and STN stocks than paddy crop and apple monoculture system.

Keywords


Soil Organic Carbon; Soil Total Nitrogen; Paddy Crop; Apple Orchard; Land Use Change

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