Assessment and current dynamics of nutrients with reference to nitrogen attributes in subalpine forests of Western Himalaya, India.

Abstract

Nitrogen is an essential macronutrient necessary for a variety of physiological processes in plants, available in numerous fractions, each of which has direct relationship with the area's environmental circumstances since it causes the formation of these fractions. Seasonal and altitudinal variations in nitrogen concentration were found to have a significant impact. The soil of the western Himalaya is rich in a variety of nutrients, notably nitrogen, which was a current source of worry. The study was conducted in north western Himalaya, and different fractions of nitrogen, viz., available nitrogen, total nitrogen, ammonical nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen, were estimated with reference to different parameters. Annual retention potential was evaluated among various fractions, which yielded positive results, with Site 1 demonstrating the highest retention potential across all seasons. At various depths and seasons of the year, ammonical and nitrate nitrogen levels fluctuated. The findings revealed that the soil is rich in nitrogen fractions with variation directly related to changes in carbon dioxide concentration. Site 1 had the highest values of all the fractions and Site 4 the lowest, whereas the C/N ratio varied between sites. The study determined that nitrogen fractions were present in sufficient quantities and play an important role in the maintenance and growth of natural forests as well as in the reduction of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.