Nitrogen mineralization patterns in Populus deltoides and Tectona grandis based agrisilvicultural practices in Central Himalaya, India

• Published in: Vegetos - International journal of plant research Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 86 - 93
• Main Authors: Karki, Himani, Bargali, Kiran, Bargali, S. S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Singapore 01-03-2021
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Life Sciences; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Physiology; Buried-bag technique; N-mineralization; Management practices; Agroforestry; Soil conservation
• ISSN: 2229-4473; 2229-4473
• DOI: 10.1007/s42535-021-00195-0

The present study is an attempt to access the effect of two different silvicultural tree species on the process of nitrogen mineralization
.
Seasonal and depth wise variation in nitrogen mineralization of
Populus deltoides
(PAS) and
Tectona grandis
(TAS) based agrisilvicultural systems were studied using buried-bag technique. N-mineralization and nitrification rates differ significantly across the sites and seasons. Net N-mineralization rate varied from 5.88 ± 0.41 to 7.46 ± 1.44 µg g
−1
 month
−1
. Ammonium and nitrate concentration decreased with increasing soil depth at both the sites. The annual N-mineralization and nitrification rates were high in PAS than TAS system. The results suggested that variations in rate of N-mineralization and nitrification in the studied agrisilvicultural systems are related to differences in soil moisture content, nutrient status and vegetation cover in combination with other environmental factors.