The Effect of Land Use Type and Climatic Conditions on Carbon Dynamics and Physico-Chemical Properties of Inceptisols and Mollisols

Carbon has an important role in soil fertility; its sequestration is essential for sustainable agriculture. Soil organic carbon of three land uses viz. forest land, grassland, and cultivated land were quantified. These land uses belonged to two soil groups having different soil type and climate. Selected soil groups were Inceptisols (site 1) and Mollisols (site 2). Soil samples were analyzed for bulk density (BD), soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), extractable potassium (K) and pH. Statistically (p ≤ 0.05) higher SOC contents of Inceptisols and Mollisols were 14.18 g kg^-1 and 23.42 g kg^-1, respectively under forest land use. At both sites forest soils had higher SOC and AP while K was higher in grassland use. Forest soils had slightly acidic pH and lower BD than cultivated land uses. Data combined over locations illustrated that Mollisols contained higher SOC and K, whereas, TN, AP, and BD were statistically similar at both sites. The SOC was positively correlated with TN, AP and K of soil, whereas, SOC was negatively correlated with BD and pH of the soil. There is a large difference in SOC storage and physico-chemical properties mainly in relation to climate, soil type and vegetation.