Ram Prakash Yadav

• Ph.D.
• Researcher at Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University Jhansi

Bundelkhand region of India is known in the entire country for moisture scarcity and crop failure due less rainfall and falls in the semi-arid zone. Short-duration crops having the capacity to withstand moisture scarcity are generally grown in this region, apart from Kharif and Rabi season crops. Moong bean (Vigna radiata) is one such short-duratio...

In worldwide floral spectrum, huge biological diversity contributes Himalayan expanse as a preserver. The current exploration involved central Himalayan grasslands structural and functional scrutiny in the watershed (2B4D6). In grasslands, A total of 120 genera with 146 species of poaceous, cyperaceous, forbs, leguminous herbs and shrubs (bushes) w...

Agroforestry is an environmentally conscious and comprehensive method of land management that entails cultivating agricultural crops, forest trees, and animals in conjunction on the same parcel of land through the implementation of suitable management strategies. The present study entitled Original Research Article Gautam et al.; J. Exp. 795 "Impac...

The experiment was conducted during kharif (June to September) 2022–23 at Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India to evaluate effect of Gmelina arborea geometry on the growth and yield of mungbean, tree growth, biomass, carbon storage and assessing the economic feasibility of the agroforestry systems. The expe...

Systematic sampling method was used to study ground vegetation diversity and phytosociology of chir pine silvipasture (SPCP), mixed-trees silvipasture (SPM), ban oak silvipasture (SPBO) and grasslands (Gr) in the western Himalaya, India along an altitudinal gradient viz., E1 (< 850 m), E2 (851–1150 m), E3 (1151–1450 m), E4 (1451–1750 m) and E5 (>17...

Kumar et al.: Budgeting of biomass and carbon stock as ecosystem service from Himalayan dry temperate and Alpine forest ecosystem, India-2881-APPLIED ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 21(4):2881-2896. Abstract. The aim of the present investigation was to scrutinize the production of biomass and C storage budgeting that varies in diverse forest typ...

The amount of nutrients present in the soil is one of the most important factors that decide the overall productivity of an ecosystem as well as the variety of species that live there. The north-west Himalayas, which are home to a dry temperate and alpine forest of cold desert, served as the study location for the present research. The major purpos...

The aim of the present investigation was to scrutinize the production of biomass and C storage budgeting that varies in diverse forest types of Himalayan dry-temperate and alpine forest ecosystem, India. Dry-temperate and alpine forest ecosystem is classified into nine forest types viz., 13C1-Dry broad-leaved and coniferous forests (DBCF), 13C2a- N...

In spite of impressive growth of Indian agriculture food grain production from 50 million tonnes in 1950 to 292 million tonnes in 1950 to 2020, ensuring household food and nourishing security is yet a challenge due to imbalanced development in agricultural production mainly in terms of one-sided wheat and rice only. In spite of the fact that produc...

In the present study, the above-ground herbaceous biomass was examined, and species-specific and multispecies power-law allometric equations for six dominant grass species of chir pine silvipasture ecosystem were developed, considering basal area and number of tillers as a predictor. The mean above ground herbaceous biomass and carbon content were...

The productivity of soil depends on its quality, which is mainly governed by the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and its dynamics. Degraded lands are undoubtedly getting much attention as the demand for food, feed, and fuel continues to increase at the unprecedented rates, whereas productive agricultural land is shrinking in many parts of the world...

Melia dubia Cav is one of the most important tree species used as raw material in plywood, pulp and paper industry. The study was carried out in semi-arid region of Bundelkhand during kharif season of 2022-23 to evaluate the effect of different tree spacing on various growth and yield attributes of Mung bean. During the course of research, 3 differ...

Sustainable Development Goals 13 (SDG-13) states all stakeholders need to strengthen and improve their efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change. Globally, forests play a vivacious role in changing climates, alleviation and adaptation. Forest is a storehouse of 350,000 Tg carbon (C) that is highest among any terrestrial ecosystems. Temperate...

In modern agriculture, reducing the carbon footprint and emission of greenhouse gases with greater energy efficiency are major issues for achieving the sustainability of agricultural production systems. To address this issue, a long-term field experiment was established from 2001 through 2016 with two contrasting tillage practices (ZT: zero tillage...

The present study aimed to determine the effect of varying tillage and residue management in a sandy loam soil under maize (Zea mays L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) sequence. The research was carried out at ICAR- Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Research Centre, Chandigarh, research farm, located at Panchkula, Haryana, in maize (kh...

An inventory of floristic diversity and carbon stock in vegetation and soil (0-30 cm depth) of traditional agriculture-based agro-forestry system (TAAF) along an elevation gradient (E 1 <850 meters above mean sea level (amsl); E2 851-1150 meters amsl; E3 1151-1450 meters amsl; E4 1451-1750 meters amsl; E5 >1751 meters amsl) in the Western Himalaya...

A study on economic feasibility of pastoral agroforestry systems in northwestern Himalayas was carried out in different altitudinal zone in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh. Three altitudinal zones were considered for the study viz. <1000 m (Z 1), 1000-2000 m (Z 2) and >2000 m (Z 3) above msl. In the study area, four pastoral agroforestry syste...

Assessment of various soil properties is vital for understanding and predicting long term effects of changes in land use and climate. A total of 414 composite soil samples (0-30 cm) were collected from different vegetation systems i.e. agriculture based agroforestry system (ABAF), chir pine silvipasture (SPCP), mixed-trees silvipasture (SPM), ban o...

Mono-cropping systems are prone to increasing climate variability leading to biotic and abiotic pressure, which results in a risk of failure. Therefore, a diversified pecan-based agroforestry experiment was conducted (2010-2016) with an aim to enhance productivity, profitability and resilience over sole cropping (without pecan) in the rainfed ecosy...

Natural land use systems (LUS) are the backbone of people's livelihood and economy in Himalayas. The phytosociology of herbage and shrubs along the elevation gradient was investigated in the watershed (2B4D6). The watershed was grouped into five elevations i.e., <1100 m, 1101-1400 m, 1401-1700 m, 1701-2000 m and >2000 m. Six parcels of size, 10 m x...

Climate is most important factor affecting agriculture, and issues related to climate and its implications have attracted attention of policy makers globally. The farm sector, particularly marginal ecosystems in mountains are vulnerable because of unpredictable variation and severe sink limitations. Efforts to impart resilience to farm and its alli...

A field experiment was accompanied to scrutinize the effect of long-term (21-year) mineral and organic manure fertilizer treatments on carbon mineralization, glomalin related soil protein and some microbial characteristics of arable soils in Indian mid-Himalaya. The experiment was initiated in 1995 includes six treatments: Control, N 120, NPK, FYM,...

Since reckonable understanding of yield response under long-term (16 year) conservation management practices is the key to improve the productivity and physico-chemical indicators of rice-wheat rotation, impact of long-term tillage and irrigation levels on productivity, yield trend, soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions, carbon pools and sequestratio...

Keywords: Agri-horticulture system Dual purpose crop Himalaya Micronutrients A B S T R A C T Livestock is an integral part of the hill ecosystem but due to the acute shortage of good sources of nutritious fodder during winter season, farmers face serious problems for livestock farming. The agri-horticulture system is an important agricultural pract...

Livestock is an integral part of the hill ecosystem but due to the acute shortage of good sources of nutritious fodder during winter season, farmers face serious problems for livestock farming. The agri-horticulture system is an important agricultural practice where crops are grown under different fruit trees. It is widely practiced in the hilly ec...

With the increasing world’s population, higher demand for sustainable food production so as to meet the requirement. It has increased tremendously due to excessive use of agrochemicals. Since, the imbalanced application of agrochemicals in agricultural field leads to soil and environmental degradation. Nowadays, the scientific community has shifted...

Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi’s (AMF) role in plant nutrition and stress management is well known, but very few researches and studies have been conducted so far on the fungal ability to reduce different nutrient losses (runoff, leaching and volatilization) from the soil system. This important ecosystem service of AMF had been neglected largely. From...

The present study aimed to determine the effect of tillage and brown manuring in sandy loam soil under maize (Zea mays L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) sequence. Six treatments implemented were Conventional tillage (CT); Deep tillage once in three years (DT); Conventional tillage with integrated nutrient management (CT-INM); Conventional tillage wi...

Changes in land use affect microbial biomass carbon (MBC), nitrogen (MBN), and phosphorus (MBP), and microbial populations, important parameters to sustain ecological systems. MBC, MBN, MBP, and microbial populations vary markedly among land uses and with conversion of one land use to another. A literature survey suggests that forest lands have fav...

Himalayan region has a long tradition of agroforestry, several indigenous agroforestry systems based on people's needs and site-specific characteristics have been developed over the years. Agroforestry practices have attractive, wide and promising potential to store carbon and remove atmospheric carbon dioxide through enhanced growth of trees. A st...

Adoption of agroforestry is paramount as a climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy. The assessment of plant biomass is crucial for understanding the vulnerability of biological systems to climate change. In the present study, agroforestry systems viz., agrisilviculture (AS), agrihorticulture (AH), agrihortisilviculture (AHS) and agrisilvi...

Himalayan ecosystems are complex, with frail environment, undulating terrain, and distinctive topography which are sensitive to regional and global changes. This region harbors a variety of agricultural practices out of which fodder tree based agroforestry systems are the paramount from sustainability and livelihood point of view. In hill region of...

Livestock rearing is an integral part of hill agriculture which plays vital role in Himalayan economy. Fruit trees are most favored plants in hills of Himalaya. The present investigation was carried out at experimental farm of ICAR-Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Hawalbagh, Almora, Uttarakhand. Peach trees were planted in 2007 at...

The change in land use as well as elevation changes microbial biomass carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and water extractable organic carbons (WOC), which are important parameters of soil fertility and essential for sustainable management of any land use. In Central Himalaya watershed (2B4D6) the land use pattern varies with elevation. The present study aim...

Long-term organic and mineral fertilization can bring in changes in the different pools of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), and sequestration under irrigated soybean-wheat cropping system (SW). Results showed that long-term mineral and organic fertilization (NPK + FYM) significantly (P < 0.05) increased soil reaction (5.96, 6.41 and 6.56) as compa...

Biomass of vegetation is a crucial variable for understanding the potential future changes of the climate system. In the present study dominant land use types i.e. agroforestry (AF), banjoak forest (BF), chirpine forest (CF), mixed forest (MF) and grasslands (GL) of Himalayan region was investigated for biomass production and carbon stock budgeting...

A long term field experiment was conducted to investigate the performance of different grasses under different land types in rainfed conditions under the NWH at experimental farm of ICAR-Vivekanada Parvatiya Krshi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora. Significantly higher fresh and dry biomass was recorded with hybrid napier under all land conditions. Howev...

Sustainable indigenous agroforestry systems are mainstay of rural agrarian economy coupled with livestock rearing in mountains of Himalayas. A 2B4D6-watershed was selected in Central Himalayas to investigate economic returns from agriculture based agroforestry systems. A detailed structured analysis revealed four types of agriculture based agrofore...

A thorough knowledge of the effects of land use systems (LUS) on the soil carbon pool and soil total nitrogen (STN) are critical to planning effective strategies for adaptation and mitigation in future scenarios of global climate and land use systems. This study conducted with the objectives of investigating soil carbon, nitrogen storage and carbon...

The increasing demand for crop production, given worldwide increases in the human population, puts pressure on moving natural resources towards sustainable development. This creates a big challenge for the upcoming generation. If improvement is not successful, there exists the unfortunate consequence that global food production may soon become insu...

Himalayan ecosystems are complex, with fragile environment, rugged terrain, unique topography and sensitive to regional and global changes. This region harbours a variety of agricultural practices out of which traditional agroforestry systems are of paramount importance with regard to sustainability and livelihood. In the central Himalayan region,...

Introduction The North West Himalayan region (NWHR) exhibits a great diversity in geology, physiography, climate, socio-ecology and land use pattern and supports vast livestock population. The annual average rainfall varies from 80 mm in Ladakh to over 2000 mm in some parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Livestock rearing is an integral part...

A long-term field study was commenced in 1995-96 to assess the impact of continuous application of inorganic fertilizers and organic manure on sustainability, productivity and chemical indicators of soil quality in an irrigated soybean-wheat cropping system (SWCS). Six treatments comprised inorganic fertilizers (NPK) and manure (M) either alone or...

This study was conducted to understand socioeconomic status and livelihood options of agroforestry practitioners in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Agroforestry practices and cultivation of crops varied with change in the elevation. Majority of medium farmers were part of joint family, whereas small and marginal farmers were living in...

The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design comprising eighteen treatment combinations of three levels of N (0, 10 and 20 kg ha-1), three levels of S (0, 10 and 20 kg ha-1) and two levels of biofertilizer (seed bio-priming and without Rhizobium) which were replicated three times. The results indicated that plot with the appli...

Pecan nut (Carya illinoinensis) forms an important component in the different production systems of Indian Himalaya, which provide extensive ecosystem services. In this context, biomass and carbon inventory in these production systems is essential. In this study we have estimated biomass and carbon allocation in different production systems in the...

Conservation agriculture (CA) is the integrated management of the available natural resources such as soil, water, flora, and fauna with partial outside inputs which increases the efficiency of natural resource use. It provides sustainability in farming production through maintaining the quality of natural resources by stable or semi-stable organic...

The Himalayan region has a long tradition of tree-based smallholder agroforestry practices, which are rich in the different species of trees. Several indigenous agroforestry systems based on people’s needs and site-specific characteristics have been developed over the years by the smallholders for various uses. These agroforestry practices have att...

The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) covers 95 districts of the Indian union, which starts from the foothills in the south (Siwalik); the region extends to the Tibetan Plateau in the north (trans-Himalaya). The IHR occupies the strategic position of the entire northern boundary (northwest to northeast) of the country and touches almost all the interna...

This case study was conducted in Himalayan watershed to understand traditional farming and socio-economic status of the people in Kumaon Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. In spite of high literacy rate in this area, their livelihood security is reliant on traditional farming practices that include agroforestry beside forest produce. More than 85% farmi...

Tree growth and productivity are influenced by silvicultural strategies such as tree density and cutting management, which determine the potential of tree species to store carbon in the vegetation. A field experiment was conducted at Vivekananda Institute of Hill Agriculture, Almora, India in a 30-year-old Quercus leucotrichophora to evaluate the c...

Phenological events of rhododendron (Rhododendron arboreum Sm.) were monitored along elevation gradients in distinct ecological settings. The observations were carried out between 1500 and 2500 m elevation in Central Himalaya. The phenological events, i.e. bud formation, bud bursting, leafing, flowering, fruit formation and seed formation were reco...

A field study was carried out to assess the effect of pruning at different height i.e. at 50, 100 and 150 cm in jatropha (Jatropha curcas Linn.) with control ( no Pruning) and fertility levels 50%, 100% and 150 per cent of recommended dose of NPK in wheat on crop growth parameters and yield in agrisilviculture system. The pruning in jatropha favour...

This study was undertaken to estimate the standing biomass and carbon buildup in the fruit tree based agrihorticulture farming systems of Himalaya, India. Aboveground biomass, carbon stock and carbon stock equivalent carbon dioxide (CO2 ) varied from 10.8 to 37.8 Mg ha–1, 4.8 to 17.0 Mg ha–1, 17.6 to 62.3 Mg ha–1, respectively. The significantly (<...