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![Effects of trees in agroforestry system (1) Rowe, Hairiah, Giller, VanNoordwijk, and Cadisch (1998), (2) Hadgu et al. (2009), (3) Montagnini et al. (1993) [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]](profile/Surendra-Bargali/publication/333885991/figure/fig1/AS:11431281081233411@1661585490790/Effects-of-trees-in-agroforestry-system-1-Rowe-Hairiah-Giller-VanNoordwijk-and.jpg)
Effects of trees in agroforestry system (1) Rowe, Hairiah, Giller, VanNoordwijk, and Cadisch (1998), (2) Hadgu et al. (2009), (3) Montagnini et al. (1993) [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Source publication
This study evaluated the impact of predominant land uses on the physico‐chemical and biological properties of soils along an altitudinal gradient in Indian Central Himalaya to enhance the scientific knowledge and identify suitable land use pattern. Soil samples were collected from six predominant agricultural land uses including (i) open cropland (...
Citations
... Often, compared to monoculture planting, intercropping boosts plant growth and elevates the efficiency of resource utilization, including water and sunlight (Esnarriaga et al. 2020;Jiao et al. 2023). Agroforestry is an integrated approach to land use that is characterized by deliberate maintenance of trees and other woody perennials in crop fields and pastures (Parihaar et al. 2015; Bargali et al. 2019;Karki et al. 2021) and known as one of the best traditional practices for livelihood, suitable land management and sustainable development (Padalia et al. 2022). To maintain the sustainable agricultural production system and to alleviate forest deprivation, it is essential to systematically understand the intensive farming arrangement (Karki et al. 2022). ...
Vernicia fordii, a tropical and subtropical oil tree species, is highly esteemed for its fruit but yields slow economic returns. To address this, a study was conducted on intercropping Vernicia fordii with Polygonatum odoratum, a Chinese herbal medicine, to investigate its effects on rhizosphere soil microorganisms and potential for accelerated economic gains. Comparisons were drawn with monocultures of both P. odoratum and V. fordii. Utilizing 16S rDNA sequencing analysis, the study unveiled a profound impact of intercropping on the rhizosphere soil microbial community. Specifically, the abundance of certain bacterial communities such as Actinomycetes, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi, as well as fungal communities like Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, underwent significant changes under intercropping conditions. Within the bacterial community, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Myxococcola, and Chloroflexi increased notably by approximately 33.3%, 50%, and 50%, respectively, while Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria decreased significantly by 16.7% and 20%, respectively (p < 0.05). Concurrently, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota in the fungal community showed a significant increase in relative abundance by 10% and 5%, respectively. Functional predictions further indicated enhanced metabolic activities related to nitrogen fixation and chitin decomposition.Moreover, intercropping led to a marked increase in soil nutrient content, including organic matter, available potassium, alkaline hydrolyzable nitrogen, and sucrase activity, which are crucial for the advancement of biogeochemical processes. In terms of plant growth, P. odoratum under intercropping exhibited significant advantages, with increased plant height, ground diameter, and biomass. Notably, the ground diameter increased by 9.75% and biomass by 28.8%. Additionally, the chemical composition of P. odoratum underwent changes, with polysaccharides, total flavonoids, and total saponins showing increases of 1%, 32.9%, and 13.9%, respectively, whereas total phenolic content decreased by 19.0% (p < 0.05). In summary, intercropping not only alters the composition and abundance of soil microbial communities and enhances soil nutrient content but also promotes the growth and accumulation of specific chemical components in P. odoratum. These findings have positive implications for agricultural and forestry production, offering valuable insights for improving agricultural efficiency and economic benefits.
... In the highly dissected landscapes of mountainous ecosystems, bioclimatic conditions change rapidly and vary within short distances, resulting in a pronounced heterogeneity of soils and their chemical, physical, and biological properties (Bargali et al., 2018;Fartyal et al., 2025). Physico-chemical properties of soils vary in space and time because of variations in topography, climate, weathering processes, vegetation cover, and microbial activities (Paudel and Sah, 2003;Bargali et al., 2019;Manral et al., 2022) and several other biotic and abiotic factors (Manral et al., 2020;Pandey et al., 2024). Consequently, it could directly affect the vegetation types and their functions in these fragile ecosystems (Baumler, 2015). ...
The Himalayas are a crucial centre of biological diversity, supporting a wide range of habitats of floral and faunal communities. Conserving this ecosystem is vital for sustaining life on Earth, including human well-being. Today, maintaining forest ecosystems in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is indispensable not only for the endemic species, but also for the conservation of global biodiversity. The current study covers Talra Wildlife Sanctuary of northwest Himalaya to quantify the biomass and carbon stock in the conifer and broadleaved forest. The data acquisition was performed through random sampling using 50 × 50 m plots along the different altitudinal gradients. The plants having a diameter at breast height (dbh) >10 cm at a 1.37 girth height were identified, enumerated and measured. The result showed that a total of 14 forest communities were specified based on IVI. The total carbon stock values were found to be varied consistently from 131.5 to 357.7 Mg ha-1 in the TWS. The Picea smithiana-Abies pindrow (Ps-Ap) mixed forest community contained a highest amount of carbon stock, 357.7 ± 48.3 Mg ha-1 ; followed by Picea smithiana (Ps) and Abies Pindrow (Ap) dominant, respectively. The understory biomass was also found in a range from 2.10 to 4.4 Mg ha-1 (avg. 3.34 ± 0.66Mg ha-1). The litter biomass was in a range of 1.2-2.9 Mg ha-1 (avg. 2.04 ± 0.48 Mg ha-1). Soil properties showed that on the top layer (0-15 cm), soil moisture (%) and soil organic carbon (%) were 30.2 ± 4.7 (%) and 2.9 ± 0.55 (%), whereas 21.3 ± 4.8 (%) and 1.9 ± 0.53 (%), respectively, at a depth of 15-30 cm. The correlation coefficient indicated a positive correlation (r = 0.85; p < 0.05) between tree carbon stock and tree density.
... Soil is an essential part of terrestrial ecosystems because it maintains ecosystem functioning and provides ecological services that human society depends on (Huang et al., 2025). For instance, soil is the basis for vital ecosystem services like food provisioning and carbon sequestration (Bargali et al., 2019, Manral et al., 2023 and has a significant impact on energy flow and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems , Medriano et al., 2023. Human life and well-being depend on these functions, which are also critical for tackling significant global issues like food security, environmental pollution, climate change, and public health (Velasquez & Lavelle, 2019, Rillig et al., 2023. ...
Studies have shown that microbial community structure is influenced by tree species identity thus the objective of this study was to determine microbial community structure in the rhizosphere of five selected tropical trees. This research was conducted at the Forestry Arboretum of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Port Harcourt. Random sampling was used to collect soil samples from the rhizosphere of selected trees at a depth of 0-30cm for microbial analysis and identification in the laboratory using standard procedures. Results showed significant difference in microbial population across all trees with the highest microbial population observed under Tectona grandis (4.6x106 cfu/g) and the lowest microbial population recorded under Irvingia gabonensis. Ranges of microbial population were, total heterotrophic bacteria 0.88x106cfu/g – 4.6x106 cfu/g, and total heterotrophic fungi 3.0x103 cfu/g – 15.0 x103 cfu/g. Microbial diversity showed variation across all tree species, a total of 11 Bacteria and 9 fungi species were isolated and identified. Bacillus spp was the most predominant bacterium; Aspergillus spp was the most predominant fungus, highest microbial diversity was observed under Tectona grandis and Gmelina arborea, and lowest microbial diversity was found under Nauclea diderrichii. All five selected tropical tree species had effect on the microbial community structure but Tectona grandis exerted the most effect. This tree can therefore be utilized in agroforestry to boast nutrient availability and sustainable agriculture.
... In the analysis of the correlation between phosphorusfunctional genes and soil, it was found that EC, TN, MBP were significantly positively correlated with the ppx-gppA gene, while AP, EC, TN were significantly positively correlated with the phoB gene, and TN and MBP were significantly negatively correlated with the phoP gene. It shows that land use change can affect the diversity of microbial communities by changing vegetation characteristics and soil properties [42]. In this study, with the conversion of Moso plantation to different crops, the functional microbial communities in soil related to P cycling changed in abundance and composition. ...
In order to explore the effects of planting two economic crops in Moso plantations on the composition of soil phosphorus-functional microbial community, this study collected soil samples of Persimmon and Tea-oil plantations cultivated on the original bamboo soil for 3 years for comparison. Soil physical and chemical measurements and metagenomic sequencing were used to evaluate the effects of crop cultivation on the diversity of soil phosphorus-functional microorganisms. Results show that (1) Moso forests are converted to different crops after the soil pH values decline, and other physical and chemical properties of soil and microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP) content rise. (2) Soil microbial community structure changed with crop planting. The number of phosphorus-functional bacteria in Persimmon soil was higher than Tea-oil and Moso soils, with the total number of phosphorus-functional bacteria and unique phosphorus-functional bacteria in Persimmon soil being the highest. (3) The relative abundance of phoU, phoR, ugpA, ugpB, gcd and ppaC genes was significantly increased, while the abundance of pstA, pstB and pstC genes was decreased by crop replanting. (4) The dominant phosphorus-functional microorganisms under different crop cultivation were closely related to basic soil properties. Bradyrhizobium and Camellia abundances were significantly positively correlated with soil total phosphorus (TP), while Sphingomonas was significantly negatively correlated with soil TP. Soil electrical conductivity (EC), soil total nitrogen (TN) and soil MBP were positively correlated with the ppx–gppA gene. AP, EC and TN were positively correlated with the phoB gene, while TN and MBP were negatively correlated with the phoP gene. These results suggested that land use patterns could directly change soil environmental conditions, thereby affecting phosphorus-functional microbial communities. In conclusion, the conversion of Moso plantations to commercial crops is beneficial for the optimization of the soil system, promoting the activation and release of soil phosphorus to maintain the dynamic balance of soil microbial community.
... Altitude is among the key environmental variables that has been documented to affect secondary metabolism in plants [17] and has a considerable impact on the runoff-erosion behavior and fertility of the soil [18]. Intensive agricultural practices have degraded the soils in terms of the nutrients and farmers have been forced to use chemical fertilizers to compensate it [19,20]. Moreover, excessive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers also causes serious issues and may degrade the quality of medicinal plant products. ...
... Soil properties therefore vary within short distances according to parent rocks, vegetation cover and land use. In the highly dissected landscapes of Himalaya region, bioclimatic conditions change rapidly with the altitude and may vary within short distances resulting in a pronounced heterogeneity of soil types [67] hence influence the distribution of vegetation, their traits and production [19,68]. Moisture content increased slightly with altitude, while pH decreased, indicating acidic soil nature. ...
Background
Reinwardtia indica, a highly valued ethnomedicinal plant, has been traditionally used to treat various ailments due to its rich phytochemical composition. However, the impact of environmental factors, particularly altitude, on its medicinal properties remains unexplored. This study investigates the effects of altitudinal variation on phytochemicals, mycorrhizal diversity, and soil physico-chemical parameters of R. indica.
Results
The phytochemical study of R. indica revealed significant variations in phytochemical content across different altitudes. The methanol extract from the high-altitude site (i.e. Chail, 2000 m) exhibited the highest levels of phenol (142.63 ± 1.88 mg/g GAE), tannins (146.11 ± 1.73 mg/g GAE), flavonoid (51.59 ± 2.20 mg/g RUT), carbohydrate content (485.00 ± 1.52 mg/g GLU), and protein (12.95 ± 0.35 mg/g GAE). GC-MS analysis identified different bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumor properties. HPLC analysis showed varying rutin content across altitudes, with the highest amount at higher altitude. The plant’s association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi decreased with increasing altitude, as evidenced by reduced mycorrhizal spore diversity and root colonization. Soil physico-chemical properties like soil pH, organic carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen also increased with the altitude.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that altitudinal variation significantly influences the phytochemical composition, mycorrhizal diversity, and soil properties of R. indica. High-altitude sites exhibited increased phytochemical content, particularly phenols, flavonoids, and tannins, suggesting enhanced medicinal value. Conversely, mycorrhizal association decreased with altitude, potentially due to environmental and soil property changes. These findings have implications for optimizing cultivation and conservation strategies for R. indica, highlighting the importance of altitude considerations in harnessing its medicinal potential.
... Seasonal changes, climate, vegetation type, land use, soil texture, fire, grazing, and other human and natural activities all have an impact on soil nutrient concentrations (Bargali et al. 2018;Bargali, Padalia, and Bargali 2019;Negi et al. 2024). The SOC content decreased from forest to grassland soil in oak forest zone while in pine and cypress forest zone the SOC increased in grasslands as compared to respective forests. ...
Land‐use changes are anticipated to be a substantial contributor to global change climate, substantially causing significant modifications in soil characteristics. This study addressed the impact of land‐use change from native forests to grasslands on the soil physico‐chemical properties in entirely replicated grasslands of three different forest zones (Oak, Pine and Cypress) in temperate region of Kumaun Himalaya. A total of 162 soil samples (6 sites × 3 plots × 3 seasons × 3 depths = 162 samples) were randomly collected from each site in triplicates from depths. The soil texture, bulk density (bD), porosity, water holding capacity, soil moisture content, pH, organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (P) and available potassium (K) were determined at different depths in forest and grassland sites. Results showed that soil bD, pH, SOC, TN, P and K significantly ( p < 0.05) decreased with increasing depth. Moreover, conversion of forests into grassland reduced nutrient concentrations, physical qualities (bD and porosity), and pH levels. The decreasing trend of nutrient along the soil depth explains that the zone of nutrient accumulation is not well established in these grasslands because of the substantial leaching effect. Our findings indicate that conversion of natural forests into grasslands resulted in significant losses of SOC and TN stocks which can be attributed to the disturbance of natural forests. Therefore, while making land‐use change plans, the impact of these alterations on soil nutrients must be considered. These findings emphasize the value of establishing natural vegetation (forests) in these areas to retain nutrients and safeguard soil against runoff and erosion. However, anticipating the physico‐chemical impacts of land‐use alteration necessitates a better comprehension of its relations with other drivers of global change, such as changing climate and nitrogen deposition.
... Changes in soil C, N, and P contents and their related stoichiometric ratios are susceptible to the combined effects of external climate, management practices, and other factors (Yuan et al. 2019;Ren et al. 2024). Generally, owing to variation in topography, climate, weathering processes, vegetation cover, and microbial activity , as well as several other biotic and abiotic factors (Bargali, Padalia, and Bargali 2019;Pandey et al. 2024), the physicochemical properties of soils vary spatially and temporally, and their responses to climate change also vary considerably (Gong, Zhang, and Guo 2019;Hu et al. 2023). Prior research has indicated that the effects of progressively higher N deposition on soil nutrient and stoichiometric ratios may increase, decrease, or exhibit (Gong, Zhang, and Guo 2019;Han et al. 2019;Hu et al. 2023). ...
Progressively higher atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition increasingly affects soil ecosystems' elemental cycling and stability. Biochar (BC) amendment has emerged as a possible means of preserving soil system stability. Nevertheless, the pattern of soil–microbial nutrient cycling and system stability in response to BC after high N deposition in ecologically sensitive regions remains uncertain. Therefore, we investigated the effects of high N (9 g N·m⁻²·a⁻¹), BC (0, 20, 40 t·ha⁻¹), and combinations of the treatments on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), nitrogen (MBN), phosphorus (MBP), microbial entropy (qMB), and stoichiometric imbalance (Cimb:Nimb:Pimb). We found that high N addition decreased topsoil (0–20 cm) TP, C:N, qMBN, and Cimb:Nimb values and increased TN, C:P, N:P, qMBP, Cimb:Pimb, and Nimb:Pimb values. However, BC addition increased 0–40 cm soil qMBC and Nimb:Pimb values and decreased qMBN, Cimb:Nimb, and Cimb:Pimb values. Meanwhile, high BC additions attenuated BC's promotion of soil–microbial nutrients. We observed that a mixture of high N and BC increased the 0–40 cm SOC and TP content, promoted the accumulation of MBN and MBP in the subsoil (20–40 cm), and decreased the topsoil Cimb:Pimb and Nimb:Pimb values compared to high N additions. The impact of high N and BC additions on N and P elements varied significantly between the different soil depths. In addition, redundancy analysis identified C:N, MBC, MBN, and C:P as pivotal factors affecting alterations in soil qMB and stoichiometric imbalance. Overall, adding BC reduced the negative impacts of high N deposition on the stability of soil–microbial systems in the Loess Plateau, suggesting a new approach for managing ecologically fragile areas.
... Generally, vegetational composition and structure vary with space and time because of variation in topography, climate, weathering processes, physico-chemical properties of the soils and microbial activities ( Paudel and Sah, 2003;Manral et al., 2023) and several other biotic and abiotic factors (Pandey et al., 2024). In the highly dissected landscapes of Himalayan belt, bioclimatic conditions change rapidly with the altitude and may vary within short distances resulting in a pronounced heterogeneity of soil types (Baumler, 2015;Awasthi et al., 2022) and hence influence the distribution of vegetation (Bargali et al., 2019;Manral et al., 2022). The results of Terai, non-fire sites, exhibited higher species richness of saplings and seedlings compared to the fire-affected sites, as the fire effects soil seed bank by breaking the dormancy and seed depletion by fire. ...
Forest fire frequency in Nepal has increased in recent years. Field-level assessments of fire impacts on plant community assemblage and postfire recovery dynamics across different ecological zones are limited in Nepal, creating a research gap in understanding the ecological processes affected due to wildfires. This study investigates the impacts of forest fire on woody species composition, diversity and regeneration potential in forest stands of central Himalaya, Nepal. Field assessments were carried out in Terai (Nawalpur), Mid-hill (Lamjung) and Mountain (Manang) ecological zones. Trees were sampled in 20 m × 20 m plots, whereas saplings and seedlings were sampled in two nested sub-plots of dimensions 5 m × 5 m and 1 m × 1 m, respectively. A total of 183 plots were laid for sampling trees, of which 89 plots were in the non-fire stands (no fire event in the past 15 years) and 94 plots in the fire stands (at least one fire event in the past 3 years). Similarly, each 183 sub-plots were used for saplings and seedlings assessment. We observed variability in the results caused by fire in the tree stratum. Considering the sapling and seedling layers, significantly higher densities were observed in the non-fire stands of Terai, Mid-hill and Mountain compared to the fire stands, except for the seedling density in Terai. Permutational MANOVA showed a difference in the woody plant species composition between the fire and non-fire stands, except the sapling and seedling composition in the fire and non-fire stands of Terai. We observed a higher diversity of trees in the non-fire sites of Terai compared to the fire sites. However, in Mid-hill and Mountain, significant differences were not observed for the tree species diversity. Woody species sapling diversity in non-fire sites was higher compared to fire sites across the studied ecological zones. Similarly, woody plant seedling diversity showed that non-fire sites of Mid-hill and Mountain have higher diversity compared to the fire sites, but not observed in Terai sites. This study highlights the importance of fire control in shaping plant community assemblage and recovery. Understanding the species-specific impact of forest fires and regional differences in such impacts is essential for developing successful fire management strategies.
... Soil is an important natural resource for the agricultural and industrial development of any nation. The quality of soil for plant growth and production depends on its sustainable supply of plant nutrients (Bargali et al. 2018(Bargali et al. , 2019. Soil gives support in terms of moisture, nutrient, and anchorage to plants to grow effectively on the one hand, and on the other, the plant provides protective soil cover, suppresses soil erosion as well as helps maintain soil nutrients through litter accumulation and subsequent decay (Bargali et al. 1993(Bargali et al. , 2015. ...
... Despite their importance role, many forest ecosystems in the world are threatened by anthropogenic activities (Trumbore et al. 2015) including agricultural expansion and intensification, invasion of invasive species and infrastructure development (Htun et al. 2011;Bargali et al. 2019;Fartyal et al. 2022;Negi et al. 2024;Pandey et al. 2024). Over the past three decades, global forest cover has declined by 420 million hectares, although the rate of deforestation fell from 16,106 ha per year in the 1990s to 10,106 ha per year between 2015 and 2020 (FAO 2020). ...
... In the Acacia stands, we have recorded the typical species inventoried by Tiébré et al. (2015). All the stands differ in species composition and regeneration pattern because in the dissected landscapes, bioclimatic conditions change rapidly and may vary within short distances resulting in a pronounced heterogeneity of soil types (Bäumler 2015;Awasthi et al. 2022b) hence influence the distribution of vegetation and their regeneration pattern (Bargali et al. 2019;Manral et al. 2022). Vegetation cover in any ecosystems varies in space and time because of variation in topography, climate, weathering processes, physico-chemical properties of soil and microbial activities (Paudel and Sah 2003;Manral et al. 2023) and several other biotic and abiotic factors (Pandey et al. 2023). ...
Kouadio KR, Kougbo MD, Touré SG, Coulibaly B, N'guessan AK, Bakayoko A. 2024. Natural regeneration of woody species in Acacia mangium and A. auriculiformis stands in Anguédédou, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Asian J For 8: 173-182. In the current context of climate change, forest landscape restoration is promoted to reverse forest ecosystem degradation. In Côte d'Ivoire, leguminous plants, notably Australian Acacias, have been introduced since 1980 at Anguédédou to restore the fertility of degraded farmland. The introduction of Acacias was seen as a potential disturbance to the local flora, as these non-native species are sometimes invasive. However, observation of these Acacia-based landscapes revealed good regeneration of woody species. The aim of this study was to assess the natural regeneration of woody plants under Acacias stands and its relation with stand ages. We assessed the floristic composition and studied the dynamics of natural regeneration of local woody species in four Acacia stands as a function of age. The results showed that the most widespread family of naturally regenerating plants in Acacia stands is Fabaceae. We noted an increase in the number of species as a function of stand age. The number of species rose from 20 (3-year-old stand) to 51 (27-year-old stand), with 28 species and 24 species in the 8-year-old and 11-year-old stands respectively. In all stands, mesophanerophytes represent the dominant plant life form. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index of natural regeneration increased from 1.66±0.44 (3-year-old Acacia stand) to 2.45±0.36 (27-year-old Acacia stand). In contrast, as the Acacia stands aged, the regeneration index decreased, with values of 1 (for the 3-year-old and 8-year-old Acacia stands), 0.94 (for the 11-year-old Acacia stand) and 0.81 (for the 27-year-old Acacia stand). This study shows that Acacias improve the local flora by promoting natural regeneration and the development of woody species.
