Soil Microbial Biomass and Microbial Quotient under Different Plantations at Maldeota, Dehradun, India

Abstract

Microbial properties have been reported to be useful indicators of soil quality and could serve as assessment criteria for the successful rehabilitation of ecologically disturbed areas. The microbial quotient – ratio of soil microbial biomass C to soil organic C – may, therefore, be a more sensitive parameter to monitor organic matter dynamics than either microbial biomass C or soil organic C considered alone. The study site is located at Maldeota in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, India. Maldeota is situated in the northeast of Dehradun at a distance of about 18 km on the west bank of the perennial river Bandal at an elevation ranging from 650 m to about 1050 m above mean sea level. Three different plantation plots were selected from the restored area, i.e., Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) plantation, Khair (Acacia catechu) plantation, and mixed (D. sissoo and A. catechu) plantation for the study. Maximum values were found in the mixed plantation when compared with Shisham and Khair plantations.