Dehydrogenase: A key soil health indicator for Thar Desert, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18006/2024.12(6).876.886Keywords:
Soil biology, Micronutrients, Soil fertility, Rhizosphere, Nutrient uptakeAbstract
A field study was conducted to identify a potential fertility indicator for the soils of the Thar Desert. The study area included eight districts, covering a total of 156,580 km². This region experiences a wide range of climatic conditions, with annual rainfall varying from 177 mm to 409 mm and temperatures fluctuating between 8°C and 46°C. Surface soil samples (0-10 cm depth) were collected from agricultural fields across the region, representing various soil properties and cropping patterns. The soil texture varied from sandy loam to loamy sand, and the wet colour ranged from dark reddish-brown to dark yellowish-brown. The physicochemical and biological properties of the soil samples from different areas of the Thar Desert were as follows: moisture content ranged from 2.19% to 8.73%, bulk density from 1.18 to 1.33 Mg/m³, particle density from 1.82 to 4.11 Mg/m³, pore space percentage from 26.74% to 68.53%, solid space percentage from 31.47% to 73.26%, pH values from 7.69 to 8.43, and electrical conductivity from 0.12 to 0.17 dS/m. Furthermore, the soil organic carbon content ranged from 0.82% to 1.21%, while organic matter content varied between 1.41% and 2.09%. The available nitrogen was found to be between 285.69 and 365.87 kg/ha, phosphorus ranged from 19.84 to 24.77 kg/ha, potassium levels ranged from 214.29 to 314.72 kg/ha, and sulfur levels varied between 16.08 and 23.62 ppm. Additionally, nitrogenase retention time was recorded at 1.391 to 1.547 minutes, phosphatase activity ranged from 269.44 to 343.15 µg p-nitrophenol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, and dehydrogenase enzyme activity ranged from 250.33 to 309.34 µg TPF/g/24 h. The results demonstrated that soil properties varied across the Thar Desert. This study provided valuable insights into the physicochemical and biological characteristics of the soil in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India. Notably, a significant positive correlation (r² value of 0.95) was found between dehydrogenase enzyme activity and various soil fertility parameters, suggesting that dehydrogenase could serve as a potential biological indicator of soil fertility.
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