IMPACT OF INTENSIVE FARMING ON NATURAL RESOURCES IN SHIMLA DISTRICT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
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Date
2016
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ABSTRACT
The present investigations entitled “Impact of Intensive Farming on Natural Resources in Shimla District of Himachal Pradesh” was conducted during the years 2014 and 2015 in the Department of Environmental Science, Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The study aimed at determining the impact of cropping systems on natural resources. In order to assess their impact on soil and surface water quality during winter, summer and rainy season, four cropping systems viz. vegetable, fruit + vegetable, fruit and cereal were selected and uncultivated land was taken as the control. In total there were five treatments which were replicated six times under randomized block design. In Shimla district physico-chemical and biological parameters of surface soil i.e. pH (7.02), bacterial count (80.08 x 104 cfu/g soil), actinomycetes (36.42 x 104 cfu/g soil) were high under uncultivated land whereas EC (0.40 ds/m), OC (2.92 %), available nitrogen (582.50 kg/ha), available potassium (627.80 kg/ha), fungal count (10.42 x 103 cfu/g soil), microbial biomass (455.83 mg/kg), arsenic (5.42 mg/kg), cadmium (0.74 mg/kg), chromium (4.86 mg/kg), nickel (6.25 mg/kg and zinc (39.27 mg/kg) was highest under fruit based cropping system whereas bulk density (1.28 mg/m3) was highest under vegetable based cropping system and available phosphorus (70.08 kg/ha) and lead ( 7.92 mg/kg) was high under fruit + vegetable based cropping system. Cadmium in surface soils were above permissible limit.The soil health index was lowest (50) under vegetable based cropping system and highest (80) under uncultivated land. Physico-chemical properties of surface water such as pH (7.52), EC (0.49 ds/m), TDS (320.43 mg/l), turbidity (2.83 NTU), magnesium (11.01 mg/l), nitrate (11.92 mg/l), cadmium (0.81 ppb), lead (35.00 ppb) and zinc (123.67 ppb) was high under fruit based cropping system whereas temperature (18.01 oC), BOD (1.48 mg/l) and calcium (57.23 mg/l) was high under vegetable based cropping system and COD (27.08 mg/l), chloride (23.36 mg/l), arsenic (5.98 ppb), chromium (39.47 ppb) and nickel (0.36ppb) was high under fruit + vegetable based cropping system. DO was highest (8.07 mg/l) under uncultivated land in surface water. Seasonally, pH (7.75), EC (0.40 ds/m), TDS (264.72 mg/l), temperature (23.33oC), calcium (67.89 mg/l), magnesium (11.47 mg/l), nitrate (11.00 mg/l), chloride (26.79 mg/l), chromium (34.32 ppb), nickel (0.34 ppb) and zinc (79.03 ppb) was high during summer season whereas turbidity (3.22 NTU), BOD (1.60 mg/l) COD (27.49 mg/l), arsenic (6.21 ppb), cadmium (0.75 mg/l) and lead (26.32 ppb) was high during rainy season and DO (8.42 mg/l) was high during winter season. The lead content recorded under vegetable, fruit, fruit + vegetable based cropping systems and during all the seasons were above permissible limits. Water quality index was good for all the cropping systems during all the seasons. Distribution and abundance of aquatic insects were recorded highest under uncultivated. The bioaccumulation of arsenic (5.16 µg/g) was highest by Plecoptera, cadmium (0.62 µg/g), lead (0.88 µg/g) and zinc (31.72 µg/g) by Trichoptera, chromium (6.69 µg/g) by Ephemeroptera. Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and zinc content in aquatic insects ranged from 3.89 to 5.02 µg/g, 0.25 to 0.58, 3.67 to 6.80 µg/g, 0.35 to 1.03 µg/g, 11.65 to 29.91 µg/g in Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, respectively under different cropping systems. Heavy metals in megaloptera and Odonata was in the range of 0.002 to 0.417 µg/g and 0.02 to 1.09 µg/g, respectively under uncultivated land. Nickle content in aquatic insects was below detectable limits in most of the cropping systems. EPT, EPT biotic and family biotic indices indicated that surface water quality was good and Simpson’s Biodiversity index was maximum under uncultivated land during winter and summer seasons. Thus, intensive farming practices have shown variable impacts on soil health and surface water quality in Shimla district of Himachal Prades
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crops, cropping systems, seasons, irrigation, land resources, fruits, surface water, fertilizers, inorganic acid salts, water quality, Intensive Farming,Natural Resources,Shimla