In:
PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science (PLoS), Vol. 17, No. 9 ( 2022-9-22), p. e0275062-
Abstract:
Indian soils are inherently poor in quality due to the warm climate and erosion. Conversion of land uses like forests to croplands and faulty management practices in croplands further cause soil degradation. This study aimed to understand the extent of these impacts in a small representative part of eastern India, covering Himalayan terai and nearing alluvial plains. Soils were collected from (i) forests, (ii) croplands (under agricultural practices for more than 50–60 years) and (iii) converted lands (converted from forests to croplands or tea gardens over the past 15–20 years). Different soil quality indicators were assessed and soil quality index (SQI) was generated to integrate, scale and allot a single value per soil. Results indicated that continuous organic matter deposition and no disturbances consequence the highest presence of soil carbon pools, greater aggregation and maximum microbial dynamics in forest soils whereas high application of straight fertilizers caused the highest available nitrogen and phosphorus in cropland soils. The SQI scorebook indicated the best soil quality under forests ( x ¯ 0.532), followed by soils of converted land ( x ¯ 0.432) and cropland ( x ¯ 0.301). Comparison of the SQI spatial distribution with land use and land cover confirmed the outcome. Possibly practices like excessive tillage, high cropping intensity, no legume in crop rotations, cultivation of heavy feeder crops caused degraded soil quality in croplands. This study presented an example of soil quality degradation in India due to land use change and faulty management practices. Such soil degradation on a larger scale may affect future food security.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1932-6203
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0275062
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0275062.g001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0275062.g002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0275062.g003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0275062.g004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0275062.g005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0275062.t001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0275062.t002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0275062.t003
Language:
English
Publisher:
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2267670-3
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