An appraisal of physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics of Nanmangalam Reserve Forest soil.

A detailed evaluation was performed on the soils of Nanmangalam Reserve Forest (NRF) in order to understand its physico-chemical, microbiological and enzymatic characteristics. The results of analysis showed that soil pH was directly proportional to the soil depth and the soil moisture content was irreversibly related to varying soil depth. Soil organic carbon was positively correlated with (p < 0.01) with total nitrogen, total bacterial count, cellulytic microbes, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, microbial biomass carbon, dehydrogenase activity and soil respiration. During summer, microbial population in the organic layer was more diverse than in the deepest layer. Analysis showed that NRF had low organic carbon content (less than 1%), microbial biomass, nutrient and functional microbes. The overall results of the analysis reinstate that Nanmangalam forest soil is undergoing degradation.