Record Details

Ultisols with Unique Soil Properties and their Implications in Carbon Enhancement Strategies for Indian Tropical Soils

Indian Agricultural Research Journals

View Archive Info
 
 
Field Value
 
Title Ultisols with Unique Soil Properties and their Implications in Carbon Enhancement Strategies for Indian Tropical Soils
 
Creator D.K.Pal
P.Chandran
Ranjan Paul
Ashim Datta
 
Subject Ultisols of tropical India; natural forest system; high OC status; bases enrichment through litter falls; hydroxy-interlayered clay minerals; phasing of Ultisols towards acidic Alfisols.
 
Description Million years old Ultisols, developed as an end stage of advance soilweathering on base-poor rock systems under forest and plantation crops of the Indian sub-continent, are enriched with organic carbon (OC). Despite their remarkable acid chemical reaction, they show an upward increase in extractable bases (EB) and base saturation (BS) in the pedon, and on some occasion BS > 35% in surface horizons. Recent research suggests that the litter falls from forest species provide bases on soil surface, which causes similar depth distribution of EB and BS in Andisols of Nilgiri Hills of humid tropical southern India, developed on pre-weathered lateritic materialsconsisting primarily of Fe and Al oxides/ hydroxides. Under similar humid tropical (HT) climate in protected rain forest, million years old OC rich soils of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, developed on base-poor rock systems, have similar chemical and clay mineralogical properties of Ultisols except however their EB and BS, which are more than 10% and much above 50%, respectively and therefore, they are acidic Alfisols. Formation of Alfisols on the Island is a unique example on the formidable role of vegetation in soil formation, suggesting that if inland Ultisols are kept under natural protected forest ecosystem, they may phase towards Alfisols therebyfacilitating OC sequestration and perform other ecosystem functions. Thepreservation of natural or semi-natural ecosystems is thus essential to raise the OC stocks of soils, which would help to gain various ecological benefits
 
Publisher Indian Society of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning
 
Date 2024-04-18
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/Agropedology/article/view/150454
10.47114/j.agroped.2023.jun2
 
Source AGROPEDOLOGY; Vol. 33 No. 1 (2023): Agropedology; 13-27
0971-1570
 
Language eng
 
Relation https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/Agropedology/article/view/150454/54326
 
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Indian Society of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (ISSLUP)