Long-term effect of pastures on soil quality in acid soil of North-East India

Soil Research ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 372 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. Ghosh ◽  
R. Saha ◽  
J. J. Gupta ◽  
T. Ramesh ◽  
Anup Das ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Acid Soil ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Pennisetum Purpureum ◽  
North East India ◽  
North East

North-East India is known for its complex, diverse, risk-prone, and fragile hilly ecosystem. Natural resources in terms of soil, water, vegetation, and soil organic carbon (SOC) are much degraded. Effects of long-term perennial grasses maintained at a permanent fodder block of the ICAR Research Complex, Meghalaya, on soil quality were examined after 15 cropping cycles. The aims were (i) to ascertain whether perennial grass primarily maintained as fodder source for ruminants could conserve resources and improve soil quality in the hilly ecosystem of North-East India, and (ii) to select a suitable perennial grass to minimise land degradation, restore SOC, and improve the soil quality. Soil samples were collected in 2007–08 (dry season) from plots of 8 perennial grasses [Setaria sphacelata (setaria), Brachieria rosenesis (congosignal), Thysanolaena maxima (broom), Penicum maximum var. Makunia and var. Hamil (guinea), Pennisetum purpureum (napier), Paspalum conjugalum (paspalam), Arachis pintoi (wild groundnut)] and analysed for physical, chemical, and biological properties. A control plot had no grass cover. Hamil and Makunia produced a large amount of green fodder, while Makunia, paspalam, setaria, and congosignal had greatest root biomass. Relative to the control, soil under perennial grasses showed increases of ~30% SOC, 70% mean weight diameter, 20% available soil water, 40% hydraulic conductivity, 63% infiltration rate, and 10% soil microbial biomass carbon. Among grasses, soil under setaria, congosignal, and Makunia had higher values of these attributes than under other species because of better soil binding through an extensive root system. Improvement of soil physical properties and processes under these grasses, coupled with complete ground cover, reduced soil erosion by ~33% and also signified ecological benefits through C-sequestration. Soil quality management in the fragile ecosystem of North-East India should include permanent pastural grasses, particularly, setaria, congosignal, and Makunia.

Effect of 10 years of biofertiliser use on soil quality and rice yield on an Inceptisol in Assam, India

Soil Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smrita Buragohain ◽  
Banashree Sarma ◽  
Dhruba J. Nath ◽  
Nirmali Gogoi ◽  
Ram S. Meena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Soil Quality Index ◽  
North East India ◽  
North East ◽  
Total P

In the present study, field experiments were performed over 10 consecutive years (2006–15) to assess the effects of biofertiliser and enriched biocompost on soil quality, total organic carbon (TOC) and rice yields in an Inceptisol. Experiments were conducted in a randomised block design with four replicates and five treatments: unfertilised control (T1); recommended doses of inorganic fertiliser (T2); biofertiliser with reduced (50%) inorganic N and P fertilisers (T3); reduced (50%) inorganic N and P fertilisers with 1 t ha–1 enriched biocompost (T4); and reduced (75%) inorganic N and P fertilisers with 2 t ha–1 enriched biocompost (T5). T3 improved soil chemical and biological properties with enhanced soil quality index (40%), total P (23%), total K (42%) and fungal (38%) and bacterial (44%) colony counts. T5 significantly improved the carbon pool index (29%) and available nutrients (N, P and K at rates of 37%, 22% and 10% respectively) and increased soil pH (11%), resulting in a higher sustainable yield index (39%) of rice. Fraction 2 (labile carbon) of TOC, total P, available K, microbial biomass carbon and phosphate-solubilising bacteria were key indicators to assess the suitability of these fertilisers in rice cultivation in north-east India.

Growth, seed production and effect of defoliation in an early flowering perennial grass, Alloteropsis semialata (Poaceae), on Cape York Peninsula, Australia

2001 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel M. Crowley ◽  
Stephen T. Garnett
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Plant Size ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Cape York ◽  
Seed Dynamics

Alloteropsis semialata (R.Br.) A.Hitchc. is one of the first perennial grasses in monsoonal Australia to produce seed at the start of the wet season. Patterns of growth and seed production and seed dynamics of Alloteropsis semialata were examined in this study, along with the effects of partial defoliation. Growth of Alloteropsis semialata tussocks started with the first pre-wet-season rains, and was then interrupted during a period with little rain. Growth ceased before the end of the wet season, indicating that factors other than moisture availability were limiting. Seeds of Alloteropsis semialata were germinable on production, but did not remain viable or persist on the soil surface through the dry season. Most seeds and young seedlings were harvested and no seedlings were recruited. Inflorescence production increased with plant size. Moderate defoliation in the early wet season had no impact on plant growth, but reduced inflorescence and seed production for at least 2 years. Absence of a seed bank and early wet-season flowering mean that Alloteropsis semialata is likely to be sensitive to long-term over-grazing.

scholarly journals MODELING PRECIPITATION DEPENDENT FOREST RESILIENCE IN INDIA

2018 ◽  
Vol XLII-3 ◽  
pp. 263-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Das ◽  
M. D. Behera ◽  
P. S. Roy
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
High Tendency ◽  
North East India ◽  
North East ◽  
Forest Resilience ◽  
The Impact

The impact of long term climate change that imparts stress on forest could be perceived by studying the regime shift of forest ecosystem. With the change of significant precipitation, forest may go through density change around globe at different spatial and temporal scale. The 100 class high resolution (60 meter spatial resolution) Indian vegetation type map was used in this study recoded into four broad categories depending on phrenology as (i) forest, (ii) scrubland, (iii) grassland and (iv) treeless area. The percentage occupancy of forest, scrub, grass and treeless were observed as 19.9&amp;thinsp;%, 5.05&amp;thinsp;%, 1.89&amp;thinsp;% and 7.79&amp;thinsp;% respectively. Rest of the 65.37&amp;thinsp;% land area was occupied by the cropland, built-up, water body and snow covers. The majority forest cover were appended into a 5&amp;thinsp;km&amp;thinsp;&amp;times;&amp;thinsp;5&amp;thinsp;km grid, along with the mean annual precipitation taken from Bioclim data. The binary presence and absence of different vegetation categories in relates to the annual precipitation was analyzed to calculate their resilience expressed in probability values ranging from 0 to 1. Forest cover observed having resilience probability (Pr) &amp;lt;&amp;thinsp;0.3 in only 0.3&amp;thinsp;% (200&amp;thinsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of total forest cover in India, which was 4.3&amp;thinsp;% &amp;lt;&amp;thinsp;0.5&amp;thinsp;Pr. Majority of the scrubs and grass (64.92&amp;thinsp;% Pr&amp;thinsp;&amp;lt;&amp;thinsp;0.5) from North East India which were the shifting cultivation lands showing low resilience, having their high tendency to be transform to forest. These results have spatial explicitness to highlight the resilient and non-resilient distribution of forest, scrub and grass, and treeless areas in India.

scholarly journals Long Term Cultivation Effect on Soil Health Inside Poly Houses Under Sub-Tropical Condition of North East India

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1648-1658
Author(s):  
Kaberi Mahanta ◽  
R. Yendrembam ◽  
D. Nath ◽  
A. Baishya ◽  
M. C. Talukder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Health ◽  
Tropical Condition ◽  
North East India ◽  
North East

Cryopreservation: An Approach For Long-Term Storage Of Phyto-Diversity Plants Of North-East India

Cryobiology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 91 ◽  
pp. 180
Author(s):  
Meera Das ◽  
Reema Diengdoh ◽  
Seram Devika ◽  
Suman Kumaria
Keyword(s):  
North East India ◽  
North East ◽  
Long Term Storage ◽  
Term Storage

Effects of Perennial Biomass Grasses on Soil Quality in Bath, Ontario

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlin Stansfield
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Biomass Energy ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Bioenergy Crops ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
The Impact

Perennial grasses have the potential to be important bioenergy crops, as they are fast-growing and produce large amounts of biomass.  They can also help improve soil quality (e.g. soil organic matter) when established on marginal lands or degraded soils.  In collaboration with Lafarge Cement, who are interested in replacing coal with biomass energy, I tested the impact of perennial grasses on soil quality in Bath, ON.  I studied soil samples collected in 2015 from three replicates of perennial grass species and one replicate of native vegetation (as a control) established by Queen’s faculty and students in 2009. The three perennial grass species used were switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii). Soil carbon and nitrogen content were higher under switchgrass in the 0-10 cm layer, but otherwise did not differ by species. Both carbon and nitrogen levels declined with depth. Isotopic data suggests a replacement of original soil carbon with carbon derived from the C4 grasses. These data will be compared with data collected prior to grass establishment to see whether the grasses have altered soil quality and/or enhanced soil carbon. My research will show how management of perennial grasses can be used to enhance the climate benefits of replacing fossil fuels with perennial grass biofuel crops and provide insights into the comprehensive climate and soil quality benefits of using these crops to replace fossil fuels in the manufacturing of cement.

Long term application of herbicides on soil microbial demography in rice rice cropping sequence of North-East India

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 317
Author(s):  
K. Mahanta ◽  
P. Dutta ◽  
D.J. Nath ◽  
J. Deka ◽  
I.C. Barua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Microbial ◽  
North East India ◽  
North East ◽  
Cropping Sequence
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