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Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Solan

Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, was established on 1st December, 1985 with the objective to promote education, research and extension education in the fields of Horticulture, Forestry and allied disciplines. Late Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar, the first Chief Minister and the architect of Himachal Pradesh perceived the importance of Horticulture and Forestry to develop and improve the State economy which led to the establishment of this University. Its history lies in erstwhile Himachal Agricultural College, Solan, established in 1962 and affiliated to the Panjab University. It became one of the campuses of Agriculture Complex of Himachal Pradesh University on its formation in 1970. Consequent upon the establishment of Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya in 1978, this campus became its Horticulture Complex and finally in 1985, assumed the status of a State University, being the only University in the country engaged exclusively in teaching, research and extension in Horticulture and Forestry. The University is located at Nauni in Solan District of Himachal Pradesh, 13 km from Solan on Solan-Rajgarh Road, at an elevation of 1300 metres above mean sea level. Solan town is situated on national highway (NH-22) and is well connected by train and bus services. The University has four constituent colleges, out of which, two are located at the main campus Nauni, one for horticulture and the other for forestry, having 9 and 7 departments, respectively. The third College i.e., College of Horticulture & Forestry is located at Neri in Hamirpur District on Nadaun-Hamirpur state highway, about 6 Km from Hamirpur town and is well connected with bus service. The college offers three Undergraduate Degree Programmes i.e. BSc (Hons.) Horticulture, BSc (Hons.) Forestry and B. Tech. Biotechnology and MSc degree programme in a few subjects. The fourth college i.e. College of Horticulture and Forestry, Thunag (Mandi) is located at Thunag District Mandi. This college offer BSc (Hons.) Horticulture and BSc (Hons.) Forestry degree programme. In addition, there are five Regional Research Stations, 12 Satellite Stations and five Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) situated in different zones of the State.

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2013 - 2019582020 - 202495
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Subject: Silviculture and Agroforestry × Start date: 2013 × Type: Thesis ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    REMOTE SENSING APPROACH FOR ESTIMATING AGROFORESTRY AREA, SUITABILITY MAPPING AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION POTENTIAL OF AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IN SOLAN DISTRICT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
    (UHF Nauni, 2024-04-24) DIVYA KHATRI; DR Bhardwaj
    The present investigation entitled " Remote sensing approach for estimating agroforestry area, suitability mapping and carbon sequestration potential of agroforestry systems in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh " was carried out in Solan district of the Himachal Pradesh during the year 2021- 2023 for delineation of area under agroforestry practices, assessment of land suitability to agroforestry and estimation of carbon stock and carbon sequestration potential. The study demonstrates the superior performance of the random forest classification in land use mapping, particularly in Solan district. The district's land cover distribution, as determined by the random forest classifier, reveals that agroforestry constitutes 26.34 percent, making it the second-largest land cover. Forested areas encompass 43.40 percent, while agriculture occupies 9.03 percent. Grasslands and built-up areas contribute 7.03 percent and 6.77 percent, respectively. Barren land makes up 6.24 percent, and water bodies account for 1.20 percent of the district's total land cover. The overall accuracy of the classification is commendable at 85.78%, accompanied by a robust Kappa Coefficient of 0.8092. Notably, agroforestry class exhibits high accuracy, with producer and user accuracies reaching 88.56% and 80.81%, respectively. Utilizing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the study categorizes 17.32 per cent of the district as highly suitable for agroforestry, 22.37 per cent as moderately suitable, 20.19 per cent as marginally suitable, 26.45 per cent as currently not suitable, and 13.67% as permanently not suitable. Employing the Fuzzy-AHP technique, the results indicate 11.33 per cent highly suitable, 24.76 per cent moderately suitable, 15.74 per cent marginally suitable, 26.30 per cent currently not suitable, and 21.87 per cent permanently not suitable for agroforestry in Solan district. In terms of environmental impact, the projected carbon storage of 22.807 Tg C shows a substantial increase of 1.780 Tg C over 20 years, contributing to climate change mitigation. The Net Present Value of carbon sequestration is estimated at $27.037 million. Overall, the findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, facilitating informed decision-making and intervention strategies for the adoption, development, and management of agroforestry in Solan District, to address the challenges posed by climate change.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Diagnostic Survey of Existing Agroforestry systems in Bhoranj Tehsil of Hamirpur District, Himachal Pradesh
    (College of Horticulture and Forestry Dr YSP UHF, Neri, Hamirpur(H.P.), 2024-04-19) Akshay Kalia; Kehar Singh Thakur
    The present study entitled “Diagnostic Survey of Existing Agroforestry Systems in Bhoranj Tehsil of Hamirpur District, Himachal Pradesh.” was carried out during the year 2022-23. The tehsil is located between 31°38'37" N latitude and 76°38'32" E longitude. To study the socio-economic status and vegetation composition of the land-use systems twelve panchayats were selected. A representative sample of two villages was selected from each panchayat and from each village a sample of nine farmers was selected and categorized as marginal (<1ha), small (1-2 ha) and medium (2-5 ha) on the basis of the land holding. The data was collected through prestructured schedule for the purpose through personal interviews with head of the each household and visit to the fields. Socioeconomic status of farmers has been analysed taking into consideration their average family structure, sex- ratio, educational status, literacy rate, livestock status, off-farm employment status and land holding size. The study revealed that six agroforestry systems types were prevalent among different categories of farmers in the study area viz., AS, ASH, AH, ASP, PS and SP. The most predominant AFS was AS, followed by ASH. The functional units recorded under different agroforestry system types in the study area under agriculture component were Wheat, Maize, Mustard, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Tomato, Potato, Okra, Brinjal, Turmeric, Arbi. The functional units under Silviculture component were Beul, toona, shisham, mulberry, kachnar, chir pine, khair etc. for horticulture component mango, papaya, banana, citrus etc. were recorded. Whereas, for grass species elephant grass, natural grasses were recorded. Among all the existing agroforestry systems, irrespective of the farmer’s category then highest biological yield and net returns were recorded under agrisilvihorticulture (ASH) system i.e. 26.57 t/ha and 1,14,738 ₹/ha/yr., respectively. While, the lowest biological yield and net returns were recorded under pastoralsilviculture (PS) system i.e. 17.03 t/ha and 3,617₹/ha/yr., respectively. Fragmented landholdings, lack of irrigation facilities, non-availability of market, lack of awareness about high yielding variety seeds of crops and promising agroforestry tree species, low yielding varieties of horticultural plants, communication gap between lab to land and ineffective implementation of government sponsored schemes for the benefits of farming communities were some of the constraints found in the study area. Relevant agroforestry solutions can be conducting location specific diagnostic survey, strengthening of agro-processing facilities, voluntarily adoption of some villages by state agriculture universities and other related institutions and opening of govt. authorized sale centres at accessible places etc.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Appraisal of Existing Agroforestry Systems in Hamirpur Tehsil of District Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh
    (College of Horticulture and Forestry Dr YSP UHF, Neri, Hamirpur(H.P.), 2024-04-10) Pathania Kajal; Sharma, Som Dutt
    The current study was conducted in 2022–2023 and is titled "Appraisal of Existing Agroforestry Systems in Hamirpur Tehsil of District Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh." The study area is located at an elevation of 786-1250m above mean sea level, with coordinates ranging from latitude 31°25' to 31˚52' N and longitude 76°18' to 76˚44 'E. Through multistage random sampling, eight panchayats were selected, and two villages were chosen from each panchayat to examine the socioeconomic standing of the farmers and the vegetation composition of the land use systems they practiced. A total of three farmers from each category viz.marginal category (<1 ha), small category (1-2 ha), and medium category (2-4 ha) were chosen from each village. Personal interviews with the heads of each household and field visits were used to gather the data according to a pre-planned schedule. Farmers in the study area were practicing five distinct agroforestry systems in accordance to the study viz. agrisilviculture (AS), agrisilvihorticulture (ASH), agrihorticulture (AH),agrisilvipastoral (ASP), and silvipastoral (SP). The sampled households' average family size was 4.57 individuals per family, and the overall sex ratio was 953. The medium category of farmers had the highest (91.80%) recorded literacy rate. The main crops of the Rabi season were Wheat, Potato, Garlic, Cauliflower, and Cabbage. Whereas, Maize, Tomato, Colocasia and Turmeric were the predominant crops of kharif season. Acacia catechu, Grewia optiva, Bauhinia variegata, Toona ciliata, Morus alba, Ficus religiosa, Mallotus philippensis, and Albizia lebbeck were among the prominent tree components found along the bunds and boundaries of farm fields in Agrisilviculture system. On the other hand, Mangifera indica, Morus alba, Litchi chinensis, Psidium guajava, Citrus limon and Carica papaya were the main fruit tree species in Agrihorticulture system. The primary tree species in the silvipastoral system were Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia catechu, Ziziphus mauritiana, and Pinus roxburghii, while the primary grass species were Cenchrus ciliaris, Themada anathera, Panicum maximum, and Setaria sphacelata. Irrespective of farmers categories, the highest grand total biomass (27.83 t/ha) was observed in Silvipastoral system. Among all the category of farmers the maximum net returns (₹1,24,425/ha/yr) were reported from agrisilvihorticulture (ASH) and least (₹4,326/ha/yr) from silvipastoral system as economic value (₹/ quintal) of trees was calculated for fuelwood and fodder only. The primary roadblocks identified in the research area were fragmented landholdings, poor extension, insufficient irrigation, and lower involvement of youth in farming. Implementing location-specific diagnostic surveys, bolstering adoption of new technologies, efficient markets, willing adoption of certain villages by agriculture research centres and state agricultural universities to start various agricultural projects and so on are examples of pertinent agroforestry solutions. The ASH system type was determined to be the best from an economic point of view based on the research mentioned above.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Effect of biofertilizers on growth and yield of black chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties under mango-based agroforestry system
    (College of Horticulture & Forestry Dr YSP UHF, Neri, Hamirpur(H.P.), 2024-04-09) Saini, Himanshu; Guleria, Vipan
    The present investigation entitled “Effect of biofertilizers on growth and yield of black chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties under mango-based agroforestry system” was carried out during the year 2022-2023 at Regional Horticultural Research and Training Station, Jachh-Kangra under sub-tropical conditions of Himachal Pradesh. The aim of the research was to determine the effect of biofertilizers (Rhizobium and Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria) and mango trees on growth and yield attributes of black chickpea varieties grown as an intercrop along with the effect of the agroforestry system on the soil properties. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with combination of factors; varieties (Him Palam Chana-1, HPG-17, PBG-7) and biofertilizers having twelve treatment combinations, replicated thrice in order to estimate growth, yield, economic feasibility and soil properties under agroforestry system and control. Result showed the maximum values for growth and yield parameters of black chickpea varieties treated with combined application of rhizobium and phosphate solubilizing bacteria under mango-based agroforestry system as compared to control. The highest seed yield of black chickpea for all three varieties viz. Him Palam Chana-1, HPG-17, PBG-7 was registered in which with the seeds are treated with both Rhizobium as well as phosphate solubilizing bacteria (Rh + PSB) i.e., 12.56 q ha-1, 14.70 q ha-1 and 13.15 q ha-1 respectively. The lowest seed yield for each variety was however, recorded in control in which seeds are not treated with biofertilizers i.e., 9.39 q ha-1, 12.06 q ha-1 and 10.06 q ha-1, respectively. Among all treatments the highest (4.66q ha-1) total plant biomass was recorded (except seed yield) when biofertilizers were used in combination and the lowest (4.07 q ha-1) in control where no biofertilizers were applied. Physical properties bulk density, particle density, porosity and soil moisture content of soil and chemical properties namely pH and electrical conductivity does not show a significant change before and after the application of biofertilizers while there was significant increase in soil nutrients N, P and K. HPG-17 variety recorded the maximum available nitrogen and potassium content in the soil followed by Him Palam Chana-1 and PBG-7. The highest phosphorus content in the soil was recorded under variety PBG-7. From economic point of view, higher (Rs. 1,34,750.00 ha-1) gross returns and B:C (2.63) ratio were obtained in T6 (Mango + HPG-17+ Rh + PSB) as compared to control. Overall, it was concluded that among the three chickpea varieties HPG-17 performed best when grown with the mango tree and combined application of Rhizobium and PSB. Farmers should adopt this combination (Mango + black chickpea) with biofertilizers applications under similar agro-ecological conditions for higher economic returns.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    EVALUATION OF PLANTATION TREE SPECIES FOR BIOMASS PRODUCTION AND NUTRIENT CYCLING IN WARM TEMPERATE NORTH WESTERN HIMALAYAS
    (UHF Nauni, 2024-02-24) ANURADHA THAKUR; Dr. Manoj Kumar Thakur
    The present investigation entitled "Evaluation of plantation tree species for biomass production and nutrient cycling in warm temperate North Western Himalayas" was conducted during 2021-2023 at the Regional Horticultural Research and Training Station, Bajaura. The study aimed to compare plantations named as Robinia pseudoacacia, Populus deltoides, Salix tetrasperma, Eucalyptus tereticornis and Alnus nitida managed under two different regimes i.e. institutional forest and community forest for biomass productivity. nutrient cycling and soil microbial status. Biomass allocated by different plantation type of both the management regimes was estimated using non-destructive method of sampling. The results of the experiments in plantation forest ecosystem have revealed that maximum biomass (142.97 Mg ha'') was recorded in Alnus nitida plantation managed under institutional forest. Vegetation carbon density in plantation ecosystems of both the management regimes was again reported maximum for institutional forest and followed the order: Alnus nitida (67.91 Mg ha ')>Eucalyptus tereticornis (49.50 Mg ha')> Populus deltoides (48.22 Mg ha'')> Salix tetrasperma (47.57 Mg ha')> Robinia pseudoacacia (38.84 Mg ha). Similar trends were also seen in respect of biomass carbon stock of different vegetation types managed under two different regimes. Soil carbon (humus+ soil 0-40 cm layer) density in plantation ecosystem was recorded maximum (51.67 Mg ha'') under Alnus nitida plantation. Total soil carbon density under plantation ecosystem did not varied significantly for both management regimes. In plantation ecosystem maximum total detritus carbon density was recorded (2.19 Mg ha'') in Alnus nitida plantation for institutional forest. Maximum ecosystem carbon density (125.94 Mg ha'') was displayed by Alnus nitida for institutional forest, which is followed by Salix tetrasperma, Populus deltoides, Eucalyptus tereticornis and Robinia pseudoacacia respectively in descending order. Among plantation ecosystems, Alnus nitida under institutional forest showed better nutrient cycling. In temperate harsh edapho-climatic conditions with riverain site better nutrient status was recorded in soil under Alnus nitida plantation for institutional forest. Except available phosphorus, all the soil physico-chemical and microbiological parameters decreased with increase in soil depth. Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that in all Alnus nitida under institutional forest displayed maximum biomass production, carbon sequestration potential and better nutrient cycling followed by Salix tetrasperma, Populus deltoides, Eucalyptus tereticornis and R. pseudoacacia respectively in descending order. Tree felling for timber, firewood collection, lopping, and grazing in the community forest resulted in poor biomass production and finally the poor nutrient stock.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    IMPACT OF TOURISM ACTIVITIES ON PLANT COMMUNITIES, REGENERATION AND SOIL PROPERTIES ALONG THE TOURIST TRAILS IN HIMACHAL PRADESH
    (UHF Nauni, 2024-03-22) ANKUSH MORAN; Dr. Vipan Guleria
    The present investigation entitled "Impact of tourism activities on plant communities, regeneration and soil properties along the tourist trails in Himachal Pradesh" was carried out during 2021-23 to study the influence of tourist disturbance on plant composition, natural regeneration, biomass, carbon stock and soil properties in three locations viz., Hatu Peak (Shimla), Khajjiar Wildlife Range (Chamba) and Triund (Kangra). 112 plant species were recorded in the study areas, of which 18 were trees, 29 shrubs and 65 herbs and grasses. The total number of plant species in different tourist spots varied from 36 (Triund) to 62 (Khajjiar). Phytosociological attributes i.e. density and basal area of trees varied from 150.83 (Triund) to 250.97 (Khajjiar) ind. ha and 8.73 (Triund) to 17.62 (Khajjiar) m2 ha', respectively, in shrubs from 1584.71 (Triund) to 2517.37 (Khajjiar) ind. ha and 4.01 to 6.75 m2 ha', respectively and in herbaceous vegetation from 153018.01 (Triund) to 245430.19 (Khajjiar) ind. ha1 and 0.26 (Triund) to 0.57 (Khajjiar) m2 ha", respectively. Total biomass production of trees across the trail varied from 79.31 (0-10 m) to 152.24 (undisturbed) Mg ha', total biomass production of shrubs ranged from 8.45 (0-10 m) to 20.33 (undisturbed), Mg ha1 and total biomass production of herbaceous vegetation ranged from 0.95 to 3.18 Mg ha''. Carbon stock in trees across the trail varied from 39.65 (0-10 m) to 76.03 (undisturbed) Mg ha', in shrubs from 4.23 (0-10 m) to 10.16 (undisturbed) Mg ha1 and in herbaceous vegetation from 0.48 to 1.59 Mg ha'. All the characteristics of vegetation present in the tourist spots showed increasing trend with increase in distance from the trail. Among different tourist spots, maximum established stocking per cent (71.95 %) and regeneration per cent (69.70 %) was recorded in Khajjiar at mid elevation in undisturbed distance from the trail, whereas the lowest established stocking per cent (1.74 %) and regeneration per cent (3.75%) was observed in Hatu at top elevation in 0-10 m distance from the trail. Soil pH and bulk density under different forests of tourist spots followed the trend 0-10 m > 10-20 m> 20-30 m > 30-40 m > undisturbed. Maximum concentration of soil OC, EC, humus and soil nutrients (N, P and K) was observed at undisturbed distance from the trail whereas, near the trail (0-10 m) forest soil were poor in nutrients in all the tourist spots. Tourist inflow showed negative correlation between biomass and humus thickness. Our present study provides relevant information on the influence of tourism activities on flora, regeneration, live tree biomass, live tree C stocks and soil physico-chemical properties, thus, various strategies such as: implementation of visitor limits, controlled access, educational campaigns, guided tours, seasonal closures, collaboration with local communities, monitoring and research must be adopted to limit tourist activities inside the forest.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    IMPACT OF INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ON BIOMASS PRODUCTION AND CARBON STOCKS OF FIELD CROPS UNDER AONLA (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM IN FOOT HILLS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
    (UHF Nauni, 2024-04-09) NASAM MIDHUN KUMAR; Dr. Atul Gupta
    The current research, entitled “Impact of integrated nutrient management on biomass production and carbon stocks of field crops under aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) based agroforestry system in foot hills of Himachal Pradesh” was conducted at the experimental field of the regional horticulture research and training station (RHRTS) JachhKangra(HP), India during 2021- 2023. The experiment was designed in a Factorial RBD which includes three replications. The study sought to investigate the viability of growing cereals (Wheat and maize) and pluses (lentil and greengram) as an intercrop in anaonla-based agroforestry system and under open circumstances.The experiment included four major treatments of tree trunk distances (D1-0 to 1.5 m, D2-1.5 to 3 m, D3-3 to 4.5 m and D0-open) as well as eight nutrient sub treatments viz., T1 (Control), T2 (RDF), T3 (80% RDF + 20% FYM),T4 (70% RDF + 30% VC),T5 (60% RDF + 40% FYM), T6(60% RDF + 20% FYM + 20% VC),T7 (40% RDF + 30 % FYM + 30%) VC),T8 (100% FYM) were implemented to the crops under investigation. The results demonstrated that aonla tree trunk distances and nutrient sources had a substantial impact on cereals and pulses growth and yield parameters. D0 (open) improved vegetative growth and yield parameters in all four crops. which was on par with D3 and minimum in D1.Among fertilizers combinationsT6 (60% RDF + 20% FYM + 20% VC) produced considerably better yield parameter values in all four crops.The combination of lentil + maize + aonla has the highest carbon storage potential followed by wheat + green gram + aonla.Under tree trunk distances, various soil physico-chemical properties like pH, EC and bulk density were observed maximum in the control plots (D0). viz.SOC, available NPK revealed maximum values under D1.Among fertilizer combinations, pH, EC and bulk density was maximum in treatment T2.However, SOC available N P was maximum in treatment T8. and available K was maximum in treatment T6.The net returns and B:C ratio was greatest for all crops under T6 and T5 accompanied by the aonla tree canopy. As a result, it is determined that the development and production of cereals and pulses under an aonla-based agroforestry system with the adoption of T6 and T5 nutrient supplies at the greatest distance D3 of aonla trees is the most cost-effective combination.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    GEOSPATIAL ESTIMATION OF AGROFORESTRY AREA, SUITABILITY MAPPING AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION POTENTIAL OF AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IN SHIMLA DISTRICT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
    (UHF Nauni, 2024-03-04) SAAKSHI; Dr. D.R. Bhardwaj
    The current research, entitled “Geospatial estimation of agroforestry area, suitability mapping and carbon sequestration potential of agroforestry systems in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh” was carried out in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh during the year 2021-2023 for delineation of area and estimation of carbon sequestration under different land use systems along with assessment of land suitability to agroforestry. The study's findings revealed that the D7 dataset combination, encompassing thirteen spectral bands, three biophysical parameters, ten vegetation indices, four water indices and four soil indices achieved superior performance with a random forest classifier compared to other dataset combinations. The land area estimates derived from the D7 dataset combination revealed the highest proportions in forests (45.20%), followed by agroforestry (28.57%), agriculture (15.13%), built-up areas (3.84%), barren land (2.50%), grassland (2.22%), snow (1.89%) and water bodies (0.65%). The classification model demonstrated an overall accuracy of 81.55%, a kappa coefficient of 0.78, with producer and user accuracy reaching 89.71% and 85.31%, for the agroforestry class. The carbon sequestration analysis was carried out in different land use systems for 2001, 2011 and 2021 by using InVEST model. It was found that dense forest exhibited the maximum carbon density followed by moderate forest, agroforestry, open forest, agriculture, grassland and barrenland while built up has the minimum carbon density. Over the years, an overall increase in carbon density was observed due to the expansion of various land uses such as agriculture, agroforestry, built-up areas, dense forests and moderate forests. Conversely, the area under barren land, open forests, grassland, snow and water bodies decreased. Furthermore, using analytic hierarchy process (AHP), about 19.97% of the area was categorized as highly suitable, 24.03% as moderately suitable, 4.36% as marginal suitable, 10.47% as currently not suitable and 41.17% as permanently not suitable. Whereas, using Fuzzy-AHP technique, about 16.24% of the area was classified as highly suitable, 25.14% as moderately suitable, 5.54% as marginal suitable, 16.53% as currently not suitable and 36.54% as permanently not suitable for agroforestry in the Shimla district. This study therefore provides valuable insights for policymakers, planners and scientists, offering guidance for the adoption, development and expansion of agroforestry policies in Shimla district which will contribute significantly to carbon neutrality, climate change mitigation and align with sustainable development goals
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    EFFECT OF INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ON YIELD AND PRODUCTIVITY OF FIELD CROPS UNDER AONLA (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM
    (UHF Nauni, 2024-04-24) ALOK KUMAR SINGH; Dr. Atul Gupta
    The present investigation entitled “Effect of integrated nutrient management on yield and productivity of field crops under Aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) based agroforestry system” was carried out at research farm of Regional Horticulture Research and Training Station, Jachh, Kangra (HP) India, during the years 2021- 2023. The experiment was designed with RBD factorial to analyse the impact of tree proximities viz., D1 (0.5 to 2 m), D2 (2 to 3.5 m), D3 (3.5 to 5 m) and D0 (control without trees) and nutrient doses viz., T1 (Control), T2 (Recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers), T3 (75% inorganic fertilizer + 25% FYM), T4 (75% inorganic fertilizer + 25% Vermicompost), T5 (50% inorganic fertilizer + 50% FYM), T6 (50% inorganic fertilizer + 25% FYM + 25% Vermicompost), T7 (25% inorganic fertilizer + 50% FYM + 25% Vermicompost) and T8 (100% FYM) on performance of four field crops (Cicer arietinum, Brassica juncea, Vigna mungo and Sesamum indicum) under E. officinalis based agroforestry system. The investigation demonstrated that both tree proximity and nutrient doses significantly influenced the growth and yield parameters of all crops studied. Notably, in terms of tree proximity, the growth and yield parameters for all four crops were superior under open conditions without trees where no trees were present (D0). Among nutrient doses, application of 50% inorganic fertilizer + 25% FYM + 25% Vermicompost (T5) resulted in significantly higher values of yield parameters in all four crops which was found to be statistically at par with T4 (75% inorganic fertilizer + 25% Vermicompost). Enhancements in soil physico-chemical properties were evident in the agroforestry system compared to the monocropping. The application of organic manures in both the agroforestry system and sole crop cultivation led to increased availability of N, P, K, and organic carbon in the soil. In terms of economic viability, the benefitcost ratio for cultivating field crops within the E. officinalis-based agroforestry system ranged from 1.49 to 2.66, presenting a more lucrative outcome compared to monocropping, where the benefit-cost ratio ranged from 1.23 to 2.54. The study concludes that integrating field crops with E. officinalis tree proves more effective in generating higher farm income compared to sole cropping. Notably, the nutrient combinations in Treatment T4 (75% inorganic fertilizer + 25% Vermicompost) and T6 (50% inorganic fertilizer + 25% FYM + 25% Vermicompost) are recommended for their cost-effectiveness in providing direct and indirect benefits to field crops within the E. officinalis-based agroforestry system. This sustainable approach also contributes to maintaining optimal soil health.