Effect of land uses on relationship between organic carbon and available nutrients in dry temperate zone of Himachal Pradesh

Studies on soils under different land uses in dry temperate zone of the state showed that there was wide variability in soil pH. All the land uses had medium to high organic carbon status. The soils under different land uses had an overall status of N, P and Kas low, high and low to medium, respectively. Simple correlation studies indicated that available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were strongly associated with organic carbon. Regression equation showed that with a unit change in organic carbon, the maximum increase in soil nitrogen was found in grassland soils and minimum in agricultural soils; whereas, in available phosphorus maximum increase was recorded in wasteland soils and minimum in soils under grasses. Similarly for available potassium, the maximum increase was observed in soils under hops cultivation and minimum in wasteland soils.