Abstract
The soil nutrient status and microbial biomass at three stages of firstyear cropping in an 8-year jhum (slash-and-burn agriculture) cycle system weredetermined and compared to an adjacent humid tropical forest in ArunachalPradesh, north-eastern India. Soil pH increased after burning and decreased asthe cultivation progressed in the jhum field. Soil organic carbon, available-P,total Kjeldahl nitrogen, ammonium-N and nitrate-N decreased as the duration ofcultivation increased. Microbial biomass C, N, and P were high in the foreststand. Microbial biomass C increased gradually as cultivation progressed, whilemicrobial biomass N and P showed a post-burn decreasing trend. Bacterial andfungal populations were drastically reduced following slash burning. The studyindicates that first-year cropping may result in temporary patternhomogenization of soil nutrient cycling, but can have drastic effects withcontinued slashing and burning for long-term agriculture.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
