Potential of agroforestry systems for improvement of soil health in arid ecosystem of western Rajasthan

Abstract

Drylands are characterized by hot and dry weather conditions, low rainfall, and poor soil fertility, which limit the production systems in the region. In spite of these limitations, large populations in the world are heavily dependent on drylands. Therefore, anthropogenic pressure on the fragile resource base of drylands has increased to meet the demand for food and livelihood, often leading to land degradation. Hence, there is a need to identify and adopt suitable land use options for sustainable production while maintaining ecosystem balance in drylands. With this background, the present study was carried out to assess soil properties in selected agroforestry systems of the arid region vis-à-vis arable croplands. For this purpose, soil samples from 262 locations in selected blocks of experimental farms of the ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, covering different agroforestry systems and arable croplands, were collected. The agroforestry systems included Prosopis cineraria, Melia dubia, Gmelina arborea, Ailanthus excelsa, Dalbergia sissoo, and Moringa oleifera. Processed soil samples were analyzed in the laboratory to determine pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC) content, phosphorus (P) content, and potassium (K) content. Digital soil maps were prepared to spatially assess soil properties across different agroforestry systems and arable croplands. It was observed that soil pH and EC were lower in agroforestry systems compared to irrigated croplands, whereas SOC content was higher in agroforestry systems than in irrigated croplands. Moreover, agroforestry systems help maintain the soil nutrient reserve in the long term. Therefore, agroforestry systems are considered a potential land use option to maintain soil health in drylands