Comparative Analysis of Soil Physico-Chemical Properties Across Different Land-Use Systems

Abstract

A research investigation was conducted at the Research Farm, the Department of Forestry, College of Agriculture, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, located in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of various land-use regimes on the physical and chemical characteristics of soil during the Rabi season, namely during the fiscal years 2022-23 and 2023-24. An experimental split-split plot design was used to perform the experiment. The main plot consisted of two land-use systems: Agroforestry system (S1) and Open system (S2). The sub-plots were the different crop establishment methods: Broadcasting (M1), Line sowing (M2) and Transplanting (M3). Within each sub-plot, four sub-sub plots were laid which represented different boron levels: Control (B0), 1 kg B ha-1 as Basal (B1), 2 kg B ha-1 as Basal (B2) and ½ kg B ha-1 as Basal + ½ kg B ha-1 as foliar (B3). The soil samples under the treatments were tested to determine the physico-chemical properties of the soil. The results indicated that the agroforestry system had a significantly positive influence on the physical and chemical properties of the soil, in comparison to the open system. The agroforestry system reduced pH (7.07), bulk density (1.30 g cm-3) and electrical conductivity (0.28 dS m-1) in soil. The agroforestry system promoted organic carbon (0.72%) and water holding capacity (39.52%) of soil. Available nutrients viz. nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and boron in the soil, with respective values of 290, 18.8, 191 kg ha-1 and 0.76 mg ha-1 increased under agroforestry system compared to the open system. Therefore, this study asserts that among the different land-use systems, agroforestry enhances the physico-chemical properties, and adoption of tree based farming system in the long run can improve soil fertility.