Effects of Varying Forest Management on Soil Carbon and Nutrients in Hill and Coastal Homegardens in Bangladesh

• Published in: Journal of soil science and plant nutrition Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 719 - 731
• Main Authors: Baul, Tarit Kumar, Charkraborty, Avinanda, Peuly, Tajkera Akhter, Karmakar, Shyamal, Nandi, Rajasree, Kilpeläinen, Antti
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.03.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Biodiversity; Biomass; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Carbon; Climate change; Coastal zone; Decomposition; Deposition; Ecology; Environment; Forest management; Forest soils; Households; Land use; Life Sciences; Litter; Litter fall; Nitrogen; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrient dynamics; Nutrients; Original Paper; Plant Sciences; Productivity; Rainfall; Soil erosion; Soil fertility; Soil properties; Soil Science & Conservation; Species composition; Stand structure; Sustainability management; Sustainable forestry; Topsoil; Vegetation; Bangladesh; Bulk density; Nutrient; Litter; Nitrogen; Homegardens; Soil carbon
• ISSN: 0718-9508; 0718-9516
• DOI: 10.1007/s42729-021-00680-0

Purpose For sustaining productivity and increasing biodiversity in Cox´s Bazar, a coastal area, and Bandarban, a hilly area, in Bangladesh, it is important to study the soil properties of the homegardens in these districts. We assessed the effects of varying forest management on soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and nutrients (P, K, Na, and Ca) between the hill and coastal homegardens. Methods Soil samples were collected from 24 homegardens; 12 from the hill and 12 from the coastal sites. Results In both homegardens, the topsoil C and N stocks were up to 23% and 41%, respectively, higher than those in the deepest soil. We found a vertical decrease in C:N ratio in the soil of both homegardens, and the highest C:N ratios and C stock (49.90 Mg ha −1 ) were in the hill homegardens. The topsoil C in the hill homegardens was higher most probably due to higher deposition of litterfall and/or lower litter harvesting or mulching. The highest total N stock (5.97 Mg ha −1 ) was in the coastal homegardens, which may be due to higher tree density and species composition. The concentration and stocks of nutrients decreased vertically in the soil and this decrease was higher in the hill than in the coastal homegardens (except for P). Conclusions It could be concluded that overall nutrient dynamics may be significantly affected by litter deposition, stand structure, and the variation in the rainfall. Soil N and nutrient deficiency should be considered in the planning of sustainable forest management to sustain productivity and increase biodiversity.