Delineation of the Major Soil Nutrients in Seabuckthorn (Hippophae sp.) Stand and its Comparison to Other Land uses from Extreme Landscape of Trans-Himalaya

Seabuckthorn (Hippophae spp. L.) has been recognized as one of the ecologically important indigenous plant species mainly found in the extreme cold arid region of the Indian Himalaya. Besides providing economic benefits and livelihood to the local inhabitants, the plant is considered to improve the fertility of soil. The plant having nitrogen fixation capabilities, however little is known about its potential to induce nitrogen fertilization in the soil and its comparison with different land uses. In the present study the soil samples were collected from a similar landscape with different land uses viz., agriculture, horticulture, forest and grassland in Kelad Valley, district Lahaul-Spiti, Himachal Pradesh India. The samples were analyzed for soil pH, organic carbon (OC) and the major soil nutrients viz., nitrogen (N), potassium (K) and phosphorus (P). The pH of the soil was acidic to neutral. The organic carbon (OC) content in the soil was high (48.52 g kg^-1 ) in agriculture field,may be due farmer inputs and erosional processes from the surrounding area. However, the available nitrogen (N) was found highest in horticulture land occupied with wild seabuckthorn ( Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. turkestanica ) stand indicating addition of nitrogen due to nitrogen fixation ability. The present study also reveals the variation of major soil nutrients under different land uses and soil depths.