Study of soil organic carbon on current jhum and jhum fallows from Rawpuichhip, Mamit District

Lallawmkima, V.L Thachunglura, Benjamin Lalbiakmawia, John Zothanzama, S.T Lalzarzovi

Science Vision 23 (3), 48-51 | Published on 25 October 2023 | https://doi.org/10.33493/scivis.23.03.02

Abstract

Jhum cultivation commonly known as shifting cultivation is the main form of agricultural practice in Mizoram. This gradually causes changes in the physico-chemical properties of soil. The study of soil organic carbon on current jhum and jhum fallows intends to find out the impact of jhum cultivation on soil organic carbon in relation to the period of jhum fallows. Soil samples were collected in triplicates from four different sites seasonally i.e. thrice in a year. The study was conducted within Rawpuichhip, Mamit i.e., Current Jhum, J and Jhum Fallows (which is categorized into two sites; Short fallow, SF - 2 to 5 years and Long fallow, LF - more than 8 years) and undisturbed area (adjacent forest) during the year 2022. Soil samples were collected in triplicates from three different depths 0-10 cm, 10-20cm, and 20-30cm with the help of a soil corer. It was found from the study that Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) value ranges from 1.21±0.17 % - 2.38±0.10 %. The results indicate that among the study area, short fallow has the least amount of SOC while current Jhum and the undisturbed area tend to have higher concentrations of SOC

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