Abstract
Soil microbes play an important role in various soil processes such as nutrient cycling, nitrogen fixation, litter decomposition, and soil remediation and help in improving the fertility of an ecosystem. Microbial biomass in the soil acts as a source of labile nutrients for the plants as well as serves as a temporary sink for nutrients and can be used as an index of soil fertility and quality. Critical information on the variation of soil microbial biomass due to change in land-use types, plant species composition, edaphic factors, climate, and land management practices is necessary for proper maintenance of soil. Therefore, the microbial biomass carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentration, stoichiometry, and microbial nutrient fractions in the soils of different land-use types in Northeast India was examined to understand the nutrient status of these systems. Microbial biomass was highest in Jhumland > forests > agroforests > grassland > agricultural lands > wastelands. Microbial C:N:P stoichiometry suggests N limitation in the soils of this region. Burning treatment improves soil nutrients while logging reduces nutrients in the soil. Conversion of forest to grassland and agricultural land will lead to loss of soil nutrients but the incorporation of trees in agricultural lands such as agroforestry systems will minimize the loss.
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Devi, N.B. (2021). Soil Microbial Biomass as an Index of Soil Quality and Fertility in Different Land Use Systems of Northeast India. In: Soni, R., Suyal, D.C., Bhargava, P., Goel, R. (eds) Microbiological Activity for Soil and Plant Health Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2922-8_4
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