1Department of Environmental Science, BBAU, Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), India
2Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, Rampur (Uttar Pradesh), India
3Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kashmir, Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir), India
Present study was undertaken to compare the physicochemical soil properties in two different plant communities of scrubs and grasslands. Two study sites of grasslands (G) and scrub (S) were selected in Dachigam National Park, Sixty soil samples were taken at both the sites at two different depths i.e. 0–15 cm and 16–30 cm. Values of pH, moisture content, electrical conductivity, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total potassium, clay, silt and sand ranged between 7.0 and 8.0, 2.6 and 31.1%, 189 and 439 μs/cm, 0.06 and 0.29%, 0.67 and 4.3%, 4.5 and 45.19%,0.29 and 20.11%, 3.86 and 53.88%, 46.3 and 83.12% respectively for grassland soils while as for scrub soils 5.7 and7.9, 4.1 and 31.12%, 120 and 520 μs/cm, 0.08 and 0.49%, 0.42 and 4.12%, 4.12 and 44.13%, 0.26 and 20.12%, 3.67 and 53.12%, 45.67 and 83.41% respectively. The values of soil chemical properties of the present study were higher for scrub soils than the grassland soils. The specific reason being luxuriant vegetation and lesser disturbance due to low grazing pressures, as is evident from higher values of diversity and other parameters in these areas. Thus the study concludes that soil conditions under scrubs were more rich than in grasslands because of more vegetation cover and less grazing due to thorny species in the scrub site
Dachigam, Grassland, Physico-chemical properties, Soil, Scrub
