《Effects of shifting cultivation on biological and biochemical characteristics of soil microorganisms in Khagrachari hill district Bangladesh》.pdfVIP

Journal of Forestry Research (2014) 25(3): 689−694 DOI 10.1007/s11676-014-0453-2 ORIGINAL PAPER Effects of shifting cultivation on biological and biochemical characteris- tics of soil microorganisms in Khagrachari hill district, Bangladesh Sohag Miah • S.M. Sirajul Haque • Wahida Sumi • Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Received: 2011-10-15; Accepted: 2012-12-13 © Northeast Forestry University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 Abstract: We collected soil samples from two representative sites at Aatmile of Khagarachari hill district in Chittagong Hill Tracts. One of the sites was under shifting cultivation and the other an adjacent 13-year Introduction old teak plantation. Both sites were in the same physiographic condition and same aspect with parable soil type, which enabled us to measure the Shifting cultivation is blamed for tropical forest conversion to effects of shifting cultivation on soil micro-flora. We studied soil phys- agricultural land and habitat for migrant cultivators who increas- ico-chemical properties and the biochemical and biological properties of ingly settle and depart from the traditional shifting cultivation soil microbes. Moisture and organic matter content as well as fungi and approaches and crops (Rasul et al. 2004; Gibbs et al. 2010). bacterial populations, both in surface and subsurface soils, were signifi- Aadoption of non-conventional approaches and crops by shifting cantly (p ≤0.001) lower in shifting cultivated soils compared to soils not cultivators has brought down the cultivation cycle from 15−20 under shifting cultivation, i.e. the teak plantation site. The most abundant years to 2−3 years. It causes the farmers to return to the same