Altitudinal Variation in Soil physico-chemical properties of a Western Himalayan Forest , Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

The physico-chemical properties of soil vary with the variation in the topographic features, climatic conditions and forest types. In any forest ecosystem, both vegetation and soil influence each other through nutrient cycles. The altitudinal variation in soil physico-chemical properties was analyzed in a temperate forest (Radi forest) of Upper Yamuna Forest Division in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand (Western Himalaya, India). A total of three forest sites were selected at different altitudes (the lower, middle, and upper) to collect composite soil samples from each site covering 0–10 cm, 11–20 cm and 21–30 cm depths. The textural class of the soils was sandy loam. The colour of the soil samples varied from brown to very dark brown. The water holding capacity (r = 0.994), soil organic carbon (r = 0.967), organic matter (r = 0.966), nitrogen (r = 0.993), phosphorus (r = 0.982) and potassium content (r = 0.994) had positive correlation with altitude whereas negative correlation was observed between altitude and soil pH (r = -0.983) in the study. The present study concludes that soil physico-chemical properties in temperate forests of Uttarakhand Himalaya vary significantly with variation in altitude.