Physico-Chemical Properties of Sal (Shorea robusta) Forests in Foothills of Garhwal Himalaya

Abstract

The nutrients present in the soil are very important to maintain the productivity of the forests. Therefore, a study was conducted to estimate the physico-chemical properties of Sal (Shorea robusta) forests in foothills of Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. Different sites viz. Khalanga, Vikasnagar, Raiwala, Byasi and Dugadda were selected in Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal and Dehradun districts of Uttarakhand. Soil physico-chemical properties indicated that soils were well enriched by soil nutrients i.e. organic matter, organic carbon and available phosphorus in Vikasnagar and Khalanga sites. The maximum soil organic matter (3.65%), soil moisture (10.92%) and available nitrogen (139.23 kg ha−1) were observed in Khalanga site, whereas maximum available phosphorus (115.51 kg ha−1), pH (5.6) and electrical conductivity (0.12 dSm−1) were recorded in Vikasnagar site. The minimum organic matter (1.59%), soil moisture (7.45%) soil organic carbon (0.92%), available electrical conductivity (0.09 dSm−1), available nitrogen (87.1 kg ha−1), available phosphorus (101.31 kg ha−1) were found in Dugadda site whereas minimum pH (5.3) was observed in Byasi site.