Study on Soil Enzyme Activities in Reference to Deforestation in the Shiwalik Hills of Jammu and Kashmir

Rohit Kumar Arora, Lalit Upadhyay*, Kuldeep Joshi and Arvinder Kumar

Division of Soil Science, *K. V. K. Reasi, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology - Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Corresponding Author’s Email: lupadhyay@gmail.com

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CARJ.10.1.02

Abstract:

A study was conducted in the forest area of Bani, Batote, Basholi, Bhaderwah, Poonch and Samba (Shivalik region) of Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir. 10 samples of soil at four depths from each area were taken. A portion of the sample was stored at 4°C for biological analysis. Sulphatase was estimated by Tabatabai and Bremner method (1972). The p-nitrophenol released by soil arylsulfatase enzymes was calculated by a standard calibration curve developed using 10-50 micro gram p-nitrophenol. The mean value of sulphatase (μg of p-nitrophenol released/g of soil) in forest areas recorded at 0-15 cm soil depth was 76.95 in Bhaderwah; 76.45 in Basholi; 75.85 in Batote; 74.95 in Poonch; 76.45 in Bani; 62.01 in Samba. Whereas in deforested areas mean value of sulphatase recorded at 0-15 cm soil depth was 42.26 in Bhaderwah; 41.98 in Basholi; 41.65 in Batote; 41.16 in Poonch; 41.98 in Bani; 34.05 in Samba. Results showed that the sulphatase in soil decreased due to deforestation.

Keywords:

Deforestation; Shivalik Hills; Soil Enzyme; Sulphatase

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