Assessment of seasonal soil moisture under traditional agroforestry systems in Garhwal Himalaya, India

The seasonal soil moisture content was assessed under three agroforestry systems viz. Agrisilviculture (AS), Agri-hortisilviculture (AHS) and Agri-horticulture (AH) systems in northern and southern aspects of Garhwal Himalaya, India. The soil moisture under these agroforestry systems was higher compared to sole agriculture (treeless or control) system. The soil moisture ranged from 8.66 per cent (AS) in summer to 35.96 per cent (AH) in monsoon season (0–15 cm depth) and 11.39 per cent (AS) in summer to 31.71 per cent (AS) in monsoon (16–30 cm depth). The soil moisture status in sole agriculture system reported significantly different in all agroforestry systems under 0–15 and 16–30 cm depths. The influence of northern aspect obtains more moisture than the southern.