Vol. 5, Issue 4 (2017)
Effect of various bamboo species on soil nutrients and growth parameters in Mid hills of HP, India
Author(s): Yourmila Kumari, DR Bhardwaj
Abstract: The bamboos growing in wild play an important role in soil nutrient buildup and maintenance of soil fertility. The nutrient cycling in bamboo forests had shown improvement in soil fertility due to its vigorous growth and litter production. However, the cultivated one that has been managed by farmers in Asia over millennia for their livelihood was little studied with respect to its role in soil nutrient status and growth characteristics. Therefore, present study was carried to describe the usefulness of different species of bamboo in improving soil quality under pure plantation and its influence on growth of bamboo with age. The experiment was carried out in mid hill conditions of HP in pure plantation of bamboo species viz. Dendrocalamus asper, D hamiltonii, Bambusa tulda, Phyllostachys aurea, D strictus, Malocana baccifera and Phyllostachys bambusoides. The soil properties viz., soil pH, EC, bulk density, organic carbon, SOC stock, available N, P, K, Exchangeable Calcium and Magnesium were studied at two soil depths i.e. 0-20cm and 20-40cm. The results revealed that the bamboo species and soil layers had no significant influence on soil pH, EC and bulk density whereas, organic carbon decreased with the increase in soil depth and was found highest (16.12 g/kg) in 0-20cm soil depth and lowest (14.02 g/kg) in soil depth of 20-40cm. Among species, the soil organic carbon was found to be maximum (16.20 g/kg) under plantations of D asper. SOC stock was found maximum (36.41 Mg/ha) in D hamiltonii. Available N (333.77 kg ha-1), K (319.52 kg ha-1), Exchangeable Calcium (818.63 mg kg-1) and magnesium (626.49 mg kg-1) all were significantly higher in D asper whereas, the available P was maximum (44.42 kg ha-1) under D. strictus. All mineral nutrients were observed to be maximum at soil depth of 0-20cm. The growth parameters viz., height, d.b.h, number of culm/ha, internodal length and live culm were found to be higher in D. asper than the rest of the species. Age classes have also influenced the different growth parameters significantly. Positive Correlation was observed between different growth and soil parameters. The higher quantity of mineral nutrients under D asper plantation suggest its potentials in restoring soil quality through on site enrichment, conservation and cycling of carbon and nutrients and has higher production potential in terms of growth.
Pages: 19-24 | 2377 Views 327 Downloads
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How to cite this article:
Yourmila Kumari, DR Bhardwaj. Effect of various bamboo species on soil nutrients and growth parameters in Mid hills of HP, India. Int J Chem Stud 2017;5(4):19-24.
