Author(s):

Munmun Majhi and Vivek Kumar

Abstract: In order to generate data and compare the differences in soil properties under varying land use the present investigation was taken into consideration. The main objective of this study was to determine some chemical and physical properties of soil under forest and agricultural lands of West Bengal. Rasomati forest (26°27’N, 88°20'E) of Pundibari range of Cooch Behar forest division was selected as the study area. It is a tropical moist-deciduous forest, situated in the Terai region of the southern foothill of eastern Himalaya .The soil samples were collected from Rasomoti and Sonapur forest range along with from the agricultural fields of the neighbouring areas. Soil basic parameters like pH, effective cation exchange capacity and texture were measured. Soil samples were collected from surface (0-20 cm) .The amount of leaf and litter fall per unit area per month was measured as these are the key input source of C in forest soils. Basic soil physico-chemical properties like pH, soil texture and CEC were analysed using standard procedure. The data usually shows that after long term continuous cultivation of the natural forest soils resulted in change in soils both in physical and chemical characteristics. However, results processed so far indicate acidic type of soil irrespective of landuse with silty loam texture (surface soil) and the dominance of exchangeable Ca and Mg with little of exchangeable Al.

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