Evaluating Soil Health in Freshly Weathered Forest Soils of Central India

Soil quality is an important indicator of a good sustainable system. This study was conducted to assess the soil quality of newly weathered soils in different forest systems in central India. Various soil properties, viz., the moisture percentage (M%), bulk density (BD), pH, EC, soil organic carbon (SOC), available nitrogen (Av-N), available phosphorus (Av-P), available potassium (Av-K), exchangeable calcium (Ex-Ca), exchangeable magnesium (Ex-Mg), and available sulfur (Av-S), were tested. Phytology studies, such as density of tree species, basal area (BA), frequency, abundance of species, relative density (RD), relative frequency (RF), relative abundance, and importance value index (IVI), were performed in three different forest ecosystems, mainly the bar range, Bandar Gurah, and Madawra range. The soil quality index (SQI) of the different forest systems was also analyzed using the minimum dataset (MDS) and principal component analysis (PCA). The bar range of forest was dominated by Anogeissus pendula, Santalum album, Diospyros melanoxylon, Aegle marmelos, Mimusops elengi, and Annona squamosa tree species. However, the Bandar Gurah range was occupied by Tectona grandis, Madhuca indica, Diospyros melanoxylon, Cassia fistula, and Terminalia bellirica. The study revealed the highest soil quality in the top soil of the Bandar Gurah range (SQI-1.60), while the bottom soil of the Madawra range (SQI-1.57) exhibited good quality due to high organic matter content. Improving vegetation cover through afforestation and soil mulching is recommended to enhance soil quality in the bar and Bandar Gurah bottom soils. The spatial visualization of SOC distribution will be crucial for effective local planning and sustainable forest management.