Assessment of Influence and Inter-Relationships of Soil Properties in Tropical Grasslands of Central India

Abstract

The present experiment was carried out to assess influence and inter-relationships of soil properties in grasslands of three wildlife protected national parks in Central India. Aboveground biomass samples of grass and soil samples were collected during different seasons based on specified measurement protocol by the state forest department. Aboveground biomass of grass demonstrated a characteristic growth pattern throughout the year, increased and achieved maximum biomass during at the end of rainy season (September), while started decreasing and attained minimum biomass during pre-summer (March) season. Mean aboveground biomass in the study regions was varied from 2.03 (Bandhavgadh National Park) to 5.44 Mg ha^-1 (Kanha National Park) with an average biomass of 3.37 Mg ha^-1. Correlation between biomass and soil moisture indicated a significant positive correlation (r=0.77; p=0.05). Correlation between six soil properties showed significant positive correlation (r>0.88; p<0.01). Thus from the present analysis, it can be concluded that variation in soil moisture and different soil chemical properties have direct effect on biophysical properties of grass.