Jhum Fields Research Articles

Impact of Altitude on Soil Quality in Current Jhum Fields of Churachandpur, Manipur, India

Impact of Altitude on Soil Quality in Current Jhum Fields of Churachandpur, Manipur, India

Identification of the indigenous pest control methods adopted in jhum fields of Mokukchung district, Nagaland

Identification of the indigenous pest control methods adopted in jhum fields of Mokukchung district, Nagaland

Assessment of ethnobotanical uses, household, and regional genetic diversity of aroid species grown in northeastern India.

Aroids are an important group of indigenous tuber crops, grown widely for their leaves, petioles, stolons, corms, and cormels. A total of 53 genotypes were evaluated for their genetic diversity in northeastern region of India. At household level, a total of 16 landraces of Aroids were recorded having different ethnobotanical uses. Based on the population study under Jhum/Shifting farming, landrace Rengama was dominant in area with 47% of the total population followed by Tamachongkham and Tasakrek. However, Pugarkusu and Chigi occupied 33.0 and 24.0% of the population, respectively under backyard farming, and were considered as major landraces. Tamachongkham, high in acridity and total oxalate content (0.82%), was used for cooking with meat, while Tasakrek was used as a baby food due to high total sugar (>3.0%), low in acridity, and total oxalate content (<0.12%). The Simpson's diversity index of the backyards was higher (0.80) as compared to Jhum field (0.63). The genotypes showed wider variability in growth and yield attributes like; plant height (89.4-206.1 cm), number of side shoots (1.84-5.92), corm weight (38.0-683.3 g), cormel weight (14.0-348.3 g), yield (0.24-1.83 kg plant-1). Similarly, wide variations were also observed for quality traits like total sugar (1.93-4.94%); starch (15.32-32.49%), total oxalate (0.10-0.82%), and dry matter (16.75-27.08%) content. Except for total oxalate, all the growth and yield attributes have shown high heritability and moderate to high genetic advance. Molecular analysis (33 polymorphic SSR markers) detected a total of 136 alleles, ranged 3 to 8 alleles per marker. The observed heterozygosity (0.24) was less than expected heterozygosity (0.69). The group-wise maximum genetic divergence was observed between Colocasia fallax (cv. Chigi) to C. esculenta var. aquatilis (cv. Tharsing); C. fallax (cv. Chigi) to C. gigantea (cv. Ganima) and C. gigantea (cv. Ganima) to Xanthosoma spp., while it was least between eddo and dasheen. The findings indicated, a wider diversity and distinct ethnobotanical uses of Aroid landraces at the house hold levels, which should be conserved and popularized to ensure nutritional security.

Performance evaluation of native plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria for paddy yield enhancement in the jhum fields of Mokokchung, Nagaland, North East India

The present study was carried out to evaluate the performance of native plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on jhum paddy yield enhancement in Nagaland, Northeast India. Three indigenous PGPR isolates (Bacillus cereus MKGB, Pseudomonas fluorescens MKGPf, and Azospirillum oryzae MKGAz) were tested in the soil microcosm and jhum fields of Longkhum and Ungma villages in Mokokchung, Nagaland. The maximum 78.44% seed germination, 165 cm plant height, 30 leaves, 5 tillers, and 5 panicles per plant were recorded in the PGPR consortium inoculated pot soil. Similarly, maximum 151 grains per panicle, 21.66 g grain yield per plant, and 33.50 g of straw biomass were recorded in the same treatment. The observations from the field trials revealed a maximum of 4.67 t ha−1 paddy yield in the Longkhum village jhum field inoculated with the PGPR consortium which was significantly different from the control (T1) at a p value of ≤0.05%. Similarly 4.74 t ha−1 paddy yield was obtained from the PGPR consortium applied jhum plots in Ungma village. The PGPR consortium was found more effective and promising than the single culture inoculation in paddy yield enhancement. The study suggests the application of tested PGPR consortium in jhum fields for soil health and crop productivity improvement and achieving agricultural sustainability as well as social prosperity in the rural areas of North East India.

Sustaining maize (Zea mays) productivity through improved agronomic management practices under jhum ecosystems

Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important crop cultivated in jhum farming (shifting cultivation) practiced in north-east India. However, productivity of maize in jhum is very low due to use of local cultivars and poor management practices. A participatory field trial was conducted in 2015–16 and 2016–17 to assess the impact of high yielding varieties/ cultivars and improved management practices on maize productivity and soil fertility in farmer’s jhum field of Ri- Bhoi District, Meghalaya. Nine cultivars/varieties of maize (Improved cultivars/varieties: Hemant, Vijay Composite, Megha Maize 1, Megha Maize 2, RCM 1-1, RCM 1-3, RCM 75 and local cultivars: SaruTangring and SaruBhoi) were evaluated under improved agronomic management practices (IAMP) and farmers’ practice in a factorial randomized block design. Results revealed that number of seeds per cob, seed weight per cob and seed index were significantly higher under IAMP compared to that of farmers’ practice during both the years. The IAMP produced significantly higher grain and stover yields of maize than farmers’ practice. The maize variety Megha Maize 1 recorded significantly higher grain yield (3.15 and 2.92 t/ha in 2015–16 and 2016–17, respectively) than the rest of varieties/cultivars. The variety RCM 75 (7.13 t/ha) being at par with Megha maize 1 (6.83 t/ha) produced higher stover yield than others in year 2015–16. IAMP recorded significantly higher soil organic carbon, pH and available N, P, K over farmers’ practice after two years. Thus, the study recommends adoption of improved agronomic management practices and high yielding cultivars like Megha Maize 1 and RCM 75 for sustaining soil fertility and enhancing productivity of maize under jhum farming in the north eastern region (NER) of India.

Extent of Shifting Cultivation and its Socio-economic Implications in Saiha District, Mizoram, India

Shifting cultivation is a primitive form of agricultural practice that barely meets the minimum requirements of food grains. It is largely confined to the hill slopes, often extending to steep gradients in all the hill districts of the region. This practice normally involves the clearing of forests and is allowed to dry up and the residue is burnt up. The fields or the clearings are prepared and wait the onset of the rains. After which, with the broadcasting methods seeds are sown and crops are cultivated. These jhum fields are frequently located near the permanent settlement sites or located within accessible distance. These fields are temporary as they are used only for one or two seasons; after this, the same process is repeated in adjacent forest areas. In other words, there is a distinct rotation of fields that averages 3 to 10 years, this is the jhum cycle. With increasing population pressure, this jhum cycle has gradually declined. As a result this practice has become an uneconomical preposition.

Colocasia (Colocasia esculenta L.) in Northeast India

Northeast India is rich in genetic diversity of horticultural crops and colocasia is one of the important crops. This region is rich in colocasia diversity for both cultivated and wild species particularly in jhum fields, homestead gardens, near water bodies, river banks, forests and road sides. Wide range of variability is observed in vegetative characters, corm and cormel characters, yield and quality characters.&nbsp; It is cultivated in jhum field as a mixed crop along with paddy and other crops like ginger, chilli, maize, turmeric etc. and in homestead garden, it is cultivated along with maize, cucurbits, chilli, King chilli, etc. The nutrient rich and gluten free tuber crop is an integral part of traditional cuisines of ethnic people of this region. All the plant parts of this ariod member are edible. Several traditional dishes have been prepared from leaves, petioles and tubers. The leaves, petioles and damaged tubers are also fed to pig and poultry. Recent past, the genetic diversity of colocasia is under threat due to urbanization, climate change, introduction of new crops, and pest and diseases and resulted in genetic erosion. The conservation of these vast gene pool is necessary.

Effect of Jhum Cycles on &lt;i&gt;Acidobacteria&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Burkholderia&lt;/i&gt; Community in the Rhizosphere of Mixed Crops of Different Jhum Fields

In the present study, culture-dependent and independent [Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)] approach were used to analyze the effect of fallow cycle on bacterial populations associated with mixed crops selected from three different jhum fallow cycles (5-, 10- and 20- years) of Changki village, Nagaland. Two important bacterial phyla viz. Acidobacteria and Burkholderia were selected for DGGE analysis. According to the DGGE banding profile, Acidobacteria showed more richness compared Burkholderia. The presence and absence of few of the bands in the profile indicate the community shifts in the selected jhum fields. Shannon diversity index was higher in Acidobacteria than Burkholderia. Multivariate analysis showed that Acidobacteria community structure was similar among the crop plants of the same fallow cycle. Burkholderia community did not show clear separation among fallow cycles although crop of same fallow cycle tend to group together. ANOSIM and PERMANOVA showed significant differences in rhizosphere community pattern among fallow cycles and the crop plants of same fallow cycles indicated that both fallow cycle and crop plants are factors determining the Acidobacteria and Burkholderia community composition in jhum soils which was also confirmed by the culture-dependent analysis. Culturable bacterial counts were dependent on media used and significantly different at different fallow cycles. Bacterial communities (both culturable and DGGE patterns) were correlated with soil nutrients suggesting their importance in stability of jhum soil. The present study revealed that both fallow cycle and host plant may be the key factors in shaping many bacterial communities in jhum soils.

Isolation, Identification and Characterization of Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria from Jhum Field of Mizoram, India

Phosphorus (P) is one of the most important nutrients and its low availability in soil is a limiting factor for the growth and development of plants. In jhum cultivation, there is considerable loss of soil nutrients especially phosphorous (P). Since soil P are an important soil nutrient, the use of native phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) capable of converting the insoluble P to soluble form can serve as biofertilizers to increase the amount of plant-available P. PSB native to jhum and jhum fallow soil were isolated and screened for their phosphatase enzyme and indole compound production. These bacteria are being explored for development as biofertilizers to increase crop production in jhum cultivation as well as faster eco-restoration of jhum fallow. Base on their ability of solubilizing tri-calcium phosphate in Pikovskaya agar medium, a total of 44 PSBs were isolated from the current jhum field and different age fallow. Molecular characterization of 44 bacterial showing phosphate solubilization potential was carried out and a phylogenetic tree was constructed. All isolates showed production of acid phosphatase enzyme and indole-like compounds. Bacterial isolates MZUR22 and MZUR37 were evaluated for their efficacy to alleviate the early growth performance of rice in vitro conditions. The in vitro assessment showed that rice plants treated with PSB isolates showed a positively significant growth performance against other treatments.

Response of Paddy Straw Mulching and Farmyard Manure in Colocasia under Jhum Fields in Zunheboto District of Nagaland

Response of Paddy Straw Mulching and Farmyard Manure in Colocasia under Jhum Fields in Zunheboto District of Nagaland

Study on the impacts of LULC change on the wildlife habitat and the livelihood of people in and around Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mizoram, India

Anthropogenic activities are a matter of serious concern in the Indian Himalayan region due to adverse impacts on wildlife and habitats. This study examines resource use patterns by local people in relation to the habitat of Malayan Sun Bear in and around Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram. Standard questionnaire surveys and vegetation sampling methods were used for data collection and analysis. It was found that 221.3 km2 (33.3%) of the forested areas have high human interference in the form of logging, indiscriminate tree falling and fuel wood collection, while 26% was moderately affected and 18% of the reserve had no impact. Among vegetation resources, fuel wood was used in the highest quantity (28%) followed by bamboo and edible plants (21%) and (11%), respectively. Ethno-zoological usage comprises of parts of animals like snake, bear, monitor lizard, and porcupine. Sun bears were considered pests that feed on maize, cucumber, sweet potato and pumpkins grown in ‘jhum’ crop fields. Anthropogenic pressures from farm-bush hunting, monoculture, and unplanned roads have contributed to severe biodiversity loss, and must be constrained for the conservation of sun bear and their habitat in the region. The Land Use/ Land Cover on human built-up, jhum land (current and abandoned jhum/shifting cultivation), forests (dense and open), bamboo forest, plantation etc. were used to develop maps for each village. The land use pattern for the eight villages studied. Information obtained from MIRSAC and its mapping in Arcview shows that highest number of agricultural land was in villages of West Phaileng (319sq.ha) and Damparengpui (283.8sq.ha). Closed or dense forest was in highest proportion in Phuldungsei and least in Tuipuibari (120sq.ha). Grazing activities was relatively low or absent in most part of DTR. Abandoned jhum fields were in largest number in Damparengpui (939.60sq.ha) followed by Silsuri (881.17sq.ha) and Serhmun (880.99sq.ha).

Crop diversity in jhum cultivation: A case study of Upper Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Crop diversity is a source of food, medicines, and fodder; it provides a proximate composition including carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins, fats, essential elements, and nutraceuticals for healthy growth and development of a body. Jhum cultivation is a source of multiple crops and study on multiple sources of nutrients help in the dept understanding of diet and also framing of food policy; Present work was carried out to study the multiple cropping in Jhum agriculture field of the Upper Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh. To fulfill the objectives, field visit, open-end questionnaires and purposive samplings methods were used. A total of forty-three (43) crops were recorded to be cultivated in the Jhum field. Crops varieties of the study site could be classified into leafy vegetable crops, cereal crops, oil crops, pulses, spices crops, fruit crops, medicinal food plants, tuber crops and fiber crops.

Status of Zinc Availability in Jhum Fields under Rainfed Condition in Zunheboto District of Nagaland

The Zinc deficiency in the soil is spreading worldwide. It can lead to decrease in soil fertility, crop yield and productivity. It is an essential micronutrient required for plants and an important dietary nutrient for the wellbeing of human beings and animals. In Nagaland, its deficiency is slowly increasing and several factors such as shifting cultivation which is also known as slash and burn, forest fire, leaching and runoff and nutrient exhaustion in the soil by the crop may be attributing to its deficiency in the soil. As Zinc deficiency is rapidly increasing all over, a soil survey on zinc availability was conducted in 83 jhum fields under rainfed condition covering 7 villages of Zunheboto district of Nagaland during 2016-17. The soil samples were collected from the field using GPS and were analysed using standard procedure. It was observed that the Zinc deficiency ranged from 0.26 to 0.55 mg kg-1 which indicated that its deficiency is found widespread in this part of the region. Zinc being an important micronutrient for growth and yield of crops, timely nutrient management through balanced fertilization will enhance soil fertility and crop productivity.

Acid Soil Management in Jhum Fields of Maize under Zunheboto District of Nagaland

Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important cereal crop in the world due to its adaptability towards varied agro-climatic conditions. It is considered the Queen of the cereals. It ranks third among the cereals next to wheat and rice. The leading producer of maize is USA with 10.34 t ha -1 followed by Argentina (5.61 t ha-1) and China (5.35 t ha-1). It is the third most important cereal next to rice and wheat contributing about 10% of the total food grain production. Maize is the second most important crop next to rice in the Northeast region of India grown under rainfed upland soils. It is used for direct consumption as well as feeds to the farm animals. The area under maize in Zunheboto district of Nagaland is 10,100 hectare, however its productivity is only about 1.98 Mt ha-1 and hence its production needs to be improved. The soils are acidic in this region and often needs to be reclaimed to increase the productivity of the maize. A field level demonstrations on acid soil management using lime was conducted based on the soil type and pH in upland jhum fields of Aotsakili and Sumi Settsu villages under Zunheboto district of Nagaland covering 2 hectares. It was observed that with the application of lime, the average mean of pH was increased from 6.2 to 6.4 and the mean yield of maize was 2300 kg ha-1 over control (1600 kg ha-1) with B:C ratio of 2.6 over farmers practice 2.2. This technology was found to be beneficial and suitable for neutralizing soil acidity for crop production.

Impact of shifting cultivation on mammalian diversity and distribution in fringe areas of Dampa tiger reserve, Mizoram, India

Shifting cultivation is a largely practiced agricultural technique in the north-eastern part of India. This has led the fragmentation of natural habitat for wildlife species. Impact of jhum cultivation on distribution of mammalian species was studied through transect survey for scat, camera trapping, and burrow counting. Barking deer (27%) and wild boar (24%) were most frequent visitors. Among the carnivores highest abundance (3-5 scat samples per jhum field) was recorded for leopard cat and Indian Palm civet. 2-5 years old abandoned jhum fields were recorded to be suitable habitat for movement of large herbivores. The frequency of scat decreased with age of the jhum &gt;5 yrs. Road sides, trails and primary forest near the active jhum forest were actively visited by clouded leopard. The encounter rate for active and old burrows of rodents were highest in 1-2 years old/ recently abandoned jhum fields with a rate of 3.56 km2 and 2.68 km2 respectively. Camera trapping also resulted in 36 images of different animal species. Increased spatial heterogeneity promotes mammalian distribution.

Effect of different soil and water management practices on sustainability of jhum cultivation

An experiment was undertaken in the farmers jhum field in the West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The following treatments viz.T1-Traditional practice (Farmers Practices) T2-Jhum with FYM Application, T3-Jhum with Vermicompost & T4- Jhum with cover crop (Paddy and soybean, 1:1) were imposed in fresh jhum and in second year of jhum the dose of Farm Yard Manure 5 ton/ha, Vermicompost 3 ton/ha application of manure and 1:1 paddy and Soybean as a cover crop was done. The yield and soil attributes and cost involved were compared. Different components of jhum crop yield over and above the farmers practices were taken as additional yield due to our treatments of respective year of jhuming in the 2nd year of jhum There was considerable reduction in the yield was recorded in traditional practices, where as the applications of organic manure and cover crop had sustain the yield in all the treatment but the benefit cost ratio was highest T4 since the remunerative price of soybean was more. Moreover the soybean is a legume crop which can fix atmospheric N in a substantial amount and maintain the soil nutrient status and this crop is also act as a cover crop which reduce the soil loss from steep sloppy land of jhum.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal and Dark Septate Endophyte Fungal Associations in Two Dominant Ginger Species of Northeast India

Studies on the prevalence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophytic fungi (DSEF) are limited for rhizomatous crops in subtropical ecosystems compared to other terrestrial habitats. Hence, the authors assessed the incidence of AMF and DSEF in roots and diversity of AMF in the rhizosphere of Zingiber montanum and Z. officinale collected from shifting cultivation fields of Manipur, Northeast (NE) India. Both the gingers had dual colonization of AMF and DSEF structures in different cortical cells of the same examined root segments and revealed the Intermediate type of AM morphology. Such endomycorrhizal symbiotic association is being reported for the first time in Z. montanum. Distribution of different AMF and DSEF structures varied significantly across the two ginger species. The total root length colonization with AMF and DSEF was highest in Z. montanum. The maximum spore population of AMF was recorded in Z. officinale soil, whereas the AMF species richness was highest in Z. montanum rhizosphere. Altogether, 13 spore morphotypes of AMF corresponding to eight genera, i.e., Acaulospora, Claroideoglomus, Funneliformis, Glomus, Rhizophagus, Sclerocystis, Scutellospora and Septoglomus were isolated from the field and trap culture soils of both ginger species. Significant positive correlations were recorded between some soil properties and root-colonizing variables of AMF and DSEF. Thus, the occurrence of native AMF and DSEF associations in two important indigenous gingers cultivated in the Jhum fields of hilly terrains reveals the possibility of utilizing them in the future for sustainable agriculture.

Soil Dynamics of Pre- and Post- Slash-and-Burn Jhum Fields of Tirap District, Arunachal Pradesh

Jhum agriculture is widely practiced on Arunachal Pradesh’s hill slopes, and it is more than just a means of subsistence; it is a way of life that has symbolic connotations for the socio-cultural life and natural landscapes, and it is an essential component of survival and economic existence. An attempt was made to study the soil characterization associated with pre-and post- burned jhum cultivation practiced by the ethnic Nocte and Tutsa tribes of Tirap district, Arunachal Pradesh. The soil samples were collected from the same location at the pre-and post-burnt fields from the various depth of soil profile A (0-20) cm, B (20-40) cm, and C (40-60) cm. The present study reveals an overall increase in porosity, temp, pH, Moisture, and bulk density because of the burning of the jhum field. In post-burned jhum fields of all the locations, there was an overall increase in the percentage of Sodium and Calcium in soil collected and a decrease in the percentage of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. The pH was mostly found to be acidic and increasing with the depth of the soil profile. There was a significant difference in total nitrogen content of the soils, whereas phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and sodium showed little differences for pre-and post-burned jhum fields. The effects of the slashing and burning process promote changes in soil physical as well as chemical properties, thereby influencing the nutrient status. Deterioration of soil nutrients starts after the burning of vegetation and continues subsequently throughout the various stages of jhum cultivation.

Characterization of jhum fields and fallow cycles in west garo hills district of Meghalaya using remote sensing and GIS techniques

Characterization of jhum fields and fallow cycles in west garo hills district of Meghalaya using remote sensing and GIS techniques

Projected trends of soil organic carbon stocks in Meghalaya state of Northeast Himalayas, India. Implications for a policy perspective

Agricultural and forestry activities can affect soil organic carbon (SOC) levels and CO2 emissions from terrestrial ecosystems due to land use changes. In Northeast Himalayas, studies on the effects of forest conversion to temporary agricultural lands (jhum) on the loss of SOC and soil quality degradation have received the attention of policy makers and scientific research. Presently, local communities are now oriented towards the settled plantations systems with modern cash crops such as tea and rubber, that could act as potential SOC sinks. However, no information on SOC dynamics and simulation studies after land-use change from temporary agricultural lands (jhum) to settled cultivations and under climate change (CC) conditions are available for the Meghalaya state. Applying the RothC model, we focused on four different scenarios including the conversion from jhum to settled cultivation (rubber plantations and tea gardens), as well as continuous jhum cultivation and jhum to jhum with a period of secondary succession. Simulations under CC conditions indicated that SOC stocks significantly increased by 1.20 t C ha−1 yr−1 in tea gardens compared to rubber and jhum scenarios. Conversely, SOC stocks slightly decreased by 0.07 t C ha−1 yr−1 in rubber plantations, while the regrowth of a natural vegetation cover as secondary succession following the abandonment of the jhum fields, showed a lower SOC decrease (0.18 t C ha−1 yr−1) compared to the continuous jhum cultivation (0.24 t C ha−1 yr−1). Thus, for CC mitigation in a policy perspective, tea gardens could represent the best land use to store increasing amounts of SOC in the long-term perspective and optimize farmers' incomes, while in rubber plantations SOC storage is limited in time. Jhum cultivation can benefit in terms of productivity and profitability by extending the duration of the secondary succession period.