Land and Water Management Research Group, KSCSTE-Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode, 673571, Kerala, India.
ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), Nagpur, 440033, India.
Environ Monit Assess. 2024 Aug 24;196(9):838. doi: 10.1007/s10661-024-12984-6.
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is known to vary among different ecosystems and soilscapes, yet the degree of variation remains uncertain. Comparing SOC levels in undisturbed ecosystems like forests with those in gradually altered ecosystems can provide valuable insights into the impact of land use on carbon dynamics. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different land uses on soil fertility parameters in the tropical region of Kerala, focusing on forests as well as cultivated agricultural landscape such as coconut, pepper, tapioca, acacia plantations, and mixed home garden cropping systems. Significant variations were observed among different crops and land use systems in terms of soil fertility. Forests exhibited the highest SOC content at 3.78 g kg-1, while acacia plantations showed the lowest at 0.76 g kg-1. Additionally, various soil properties such as different carbon fractions (e.g., humic acid, fulvic acid), total nitrogen, carbon, available nutrients, physical properties, aggregate size fractions, microbial biomass carbon, and spectral signatures differed significantly across the different land uses. These findings suggest a decline in soil fertility in altered ecosystems compared to adjacent forest soils, highlighting the vital role of forests in conserving natural resources and maintaining soil health. In addition, among the different landscapes studied, mixed cropping systems of home gardens sustained soil fertility better than monocropping systems. The observed variations in soil physicochemical properties among different land use types indicate a threat to sustainable crop production. Effective management practices aimed at improving soil fertility and sustaining crop production in these altered ecosystems are essential. This study highlights the importance of adopting appropriate management strategies to conserve soil health and ensure sustainable crop production in tropical landscapes like Kerala. The holistic approach adopted in this study, encompassing a wide range of soil fertility parameters across various land uses, along with its implications for sustainable land management, adds significant novelty and relevance to the existing literature on soil dynamics in tropical regions like Kerala.
土壤有机碳（SOC）在不同的生态系统和土壤景观中是已知的，但变化的程度仍然不确定。比较未受干扰的生态系统（如森林）和逐渐改变的生态系统（如农业景观）中的 SOC 水平，可以深入了解土地利用对碳动态的影响。本研究旨在评估不同土地利用方式对喀拉拉邦热带地区土壤肥力参数的影响，重点关注森林以及椰子、胡椒、木薯、金合欢种植园和混合家庭园艺种植系统等栽培农业景观。不同作物和土地利用系统之间的土壤肥力存在显著差异。森林的 SOC 含量最高，为 3.78g/kg-1，而金合欢种植园的 SOC 含量最低，为 0.76g/kg-1。此外，各种土壤特性，如不同的碳组分（如腐殖酸、富里酸）、总氮、碳、有效养分、物理特性、团聚体大小分数、微生物生物量碳和光谱特征，在不同的土地利用方式之间存在显著差异。这些发现表明，与相邻的森林土壤相比，改变后的生态系统的土壤肥力下降，突出了森林在保护自然资源和维持土壤健康方面的重要作用。此外，在所研究的不同景观中，混合家庭园艺种植系统比单一作物种植系统更能维持土壤肥力。不同土地利用类型之间土壤理化性质的变化表明，可持续作物生产受到威胁。在这些改变后的生态系统中，需要采取有效的管理措施来提高土壤肥力和维持作物生产。本研究强调了在喀拉拉邦等热带地区采用适当的管理策略来保护土壤健康和确保可持续作物生产的重要性。本研究采用的整体方法涵盖了各种土地利用类型的广泛土壤肥力参数，及其对可持续土地管理的影响，为喀拉拉邦等热带地区的土壤动态现有文献增加了重要的新颖性和相关性。
