A study on forms and distribution of carbon in the soils of Dambal sub-watershed of Mundargi taluk of Gadag district, Karnataka was undertaken during 2018-19. One representative soil profile for each soil series was selected to represent twenty two soil series identified under Sujala-III project. Depth wise soil samples were collected and analysed for forms of carbon. Soils were generally sandy clay loam to clay in texture, bulk density and particle density increased with depth and on contrary porosity was decreased with depth.
Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2020) 9(8): 783-798 International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume Number (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.908.084 Forms and Distribution of Carbon in Soils of Dambal Sub-Watershed of Mundargi Taluk, Gadag District, Karnataka, India K S Harshith Gowda, B R Jagadeesh* and P L Patil Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, UAS, Dharwad, College of Agriculture, Hanumanamatti-581115, Ranebennur(T), Haveri(D), Karnataka, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Keywords Carbon fractions, Soil profile, Subwatershed, Soil series, Exchangeable cations Article Info Accepted: 10 July 2020 Available Online: 10 August 2020 A study on forms and distribution of carbon in the soils of Dambal sub-watershed of Mundargi taluk of Gadag district, Karnataka was undertaken during 2018-19 One representative soil profile for each soil series was selected to represent twenty two soil series identified under Sujala-III project Depth wise soil samples were collected and analysed for forms of carbon Soils were generally sandy clay loam to clay in texture, bulk density and particle density increased with depth and on contrary porosity was decreased with depth The pH and EC values ranged from neutral to strongly alkaline and normal to strongly saline respectively Organic carbon content followed decreasing trend with depth and irregular distribution was observed in free CaCO3 CEC of soil series was average with Ca2+ found as dominant exchangeable cation followed by Mg 2+, Na+ and K+ Majority of soils possessed medium to high per cent base saturation Organic, water soluble and active carbon fractions were decreased with depth in all the soil series, whereas inorganic and total carbon did not follow a particular trend Water soluble and active carbon showed significant positive correlation with organic carbon, whereas inorganic and total carbon showed significant and positive correlation with CaCO3 Organic, water soluble and active carbon were significantly and positively correlated with each other, whereas inorganic and total carbon was significantly and positively correlated with each other environment, all these are resolute by chemical, physical and biological properties of soil Introduction Soil indeed alive and dynamic system consisting of minerals and microorganisms, the top-most layer of soil is comparatively richer in nutrients and supports maximum bio-resource The profile character varies distinctly from place to place, particularly with respect to their depth, colour and composition The mineral composition of the soil, organic matter within it and Soil organic carbon is necessary for improving soil quality, sustaining food production and sinking CO2 in the atmosphere, whereas its inorganic counterpart (free CaCO3) is the cause of organic carbon decomposition, restricting root proliferation, developing salinity (Eswaran and Van den 783 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2020) 9(8): 783-798 latitudes and 75° 41′ 15″ to 75° 48′ 26″ East longitudes, covering an area of about 4749.89 (Fig 1) and subjected to the detail of LRI using IRS P6 LISS IV data at 1:50,000 scale in Sujala-III project Soil resources are mapped at soil phase level and identified 22 soil series (Anon., 2017) The major parent material in the sub-watershed is weathered schist and granite gneiss, climate of the area is semi-arid or hot tropical and monsoonic type The entire sub-watershed has diversified crop, climate and soils comprises of both red gravelly clay and deep clay soils differing in their physical and chemical characteristics The soil depth was very shallow to very deep and gradient of land was nearly level to very gently sloping The soil is moderately eroded and some portion of the soil comes under slight eroded class berge, 1992) and immobilizing soil plasma Moreover, average annual precipitation, period of canopy cover, tillage, available moisture content, silt and clays have noticeable effects on dynamics of soil carbon Periodical evaluation of OC is important in semi-arid and arid regions Attenuation of water resources, periodic drought, severe erosion and summer fallowing has a detrimental effect on SOC level As the interface between the atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, soil undergoes an intense vertical interchange of materials causing in sharp physical and chemical gradients from surface to bedrock Stratification of soil is the most noticeable outcome of this interchange and its extensive reflection and synthesis form the basis of pedogenetic and taxonomical study The type, thickness, and arrangement of horizons can gives information about soil forming factors such as climate, time, topography and vegetation type Similarly, the vertical distribution of nutrients in soil should yield related insights into nutrient cycling processes (Smeck, 1973; Kirby, 1985) One representative soil profile was selected from each soil series and horizon-wise soil samples were analyzed for vertical distribution of forms of carbon Processed soil samples (