Keywords:
Agroforestry, Buried-bag technique, Soil conservation, Management practices, N-mineralization
The present study is an attempt to access the effect of two different silvicultural tree species on the process of nitrogen mineralization. Seasonal and depth wise variation in nitrogen mineralization of Populus deltoides (PAS) and Tectona grandis (TAS) based agrisilvicultural systems were studied using buried-bag technique. N-mineralization and nitrification rates differ significantly across the sites and seasons. Net N-mineralization rate varied from 5.88 ± 0.41 to 7.46 ± 1.44 µg g−1 month−1. Ammonium and nitrate concentration decreased with increasing soil depth at both the sites. The annual N-mineralization and nitrification rates were high in PAS than TAS system. The results suggested that variations in rate of N-mineralization and nitrification in the studied agrisilvicultural systems are related to differences in soil moisture content, nutrient status and vegetation cover in combination with other environmental factors.
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Authors are thankful to the Head, Department of Botany for providing necessary lab facilities and Uttarakhand Tea Development Board Bhowali, Nainital for analysis of soil samples. No financial support was given by any agency. We are thankful to both the reviewers and the editor for their closer and critical look in to the manuscript.