Browsing by Author "Bipin Kumar Singh"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Altitudinal variation in carbon stocks of quercus leucotrichophora forests in the Western Himalayas: Implications for climate change mitigation
(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Rupali Singh; Prem Prakash; Alok Kumar Singh; Saurbh Shukla; Prashant Prakash Sharma; Vivek Chauhan; Bipin Kumar Singh; Pooja
Forest ecosystems, particularly in mountainous regions, serve as vital carbon sinks, playing a critical role in mitigating climate change. The Western Himalayas, characterized by a diverse range of forest types, are ecologically sensitive and highly vulnerable to environmental changes. As key drivers of ecological variation, altitudinal gradients significantly influence vegetation structure, biomass accumulation, and carbon sequestration potential. Therefore, the present investigation, conducted during 2021–22, aimed to quantify the role of altitude in the biomass production and the variation in carbon stock of Quercus leucotrichophora in the Banj Oak Forest (Subtype 12/C1a) along an altitudinal gradient (1200–2100 m) in the Western Himalayas. The study selected three forest ranges of Renuka forest division, namely Shillai, Nohra, and Sangrah, divided into three altitude ranges: E1 (1200–1500 m), E2 (1500–1800 m), and E3 (1800–2100 m). Vegetation biomass, soil organic carbon, and total ecosystem carbon stocks were quantified across three elevation zones of three different forest ranges. The findings of this study showed significant decreases in tree density, basal area, biomass, and carbon stocks with increasing elevation. Total vegetation biomass declined from 625 t ha−1 at E1 to 444 t ha−1 at E2. Soil organic carbon also decreased with elevation, ranging from 80.6 t ha−1 to 37.2 t ha−1. Total ecosystem carbon density followed a similar trend, decreasing from 392.9 t ha−1 at 1200–1500 m to 259.2 t ha−1 at 1800–2100 m. The study highlights the critical importance of elevation in shaping forest carbon pools and provides baseline data for sustainable management. Specifically, it emphasizes the need to prioritize carbon conservation and management at lower altitudes, which were identified as significant carbon sinks. © 2025 The Author(s)
Optimizing chickpea yield and profitability through phosphorus application and PSB inoculation in a custard apple (Annona squamosa) based agri-horti system
(Horizon e-Publishing Group, 2025) Makhan Singh Karada; Dheer Agnihotri; Alok Kumar Singh; Bipin Kumar Singh; Riya Mishra; Sant K. Prasad; Yashpal Singh
Agroforestry offers significant environmental, economic and social benefits by integrating trees into agricultural systems. Sometimes, horticultural crops are also added, leading to agri-horti systems. This study investigates the effects of phosphorus (P) application and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) inoculation on the growth, yield and economics of Cicerarietinum L. in an Annonasquamosa L. based agri-horti system. The field experiment was conducted during Rabiseason of 2018–19 at the Agroforestry Research Farm, Rajiv Gandhi South Campus, Banaras Hindu University, Mirzapur, under rainfed conditions. The trial followed a factorial randomized block design (FRBD) with 12 treatment combinations, consisting of four phosphorus levels (0, 20, 40 and 60 kg P2O5/ha) and three PSB inoculation levels (0, 5 and 10 mL/kg seed), replicated thrice. The results revealed that increasing phosphorus levels and PSB inoculation significantly enhanced growth attributes such as plant height, number of branches, root nodules and dry matter accumulation. The highest yield attributes were obtained with 60 kg P2O5/ha and 10 mL PSB/kg seed inoculation. Grain yield (16.70 q/ha) and biological yield (43.25 q/ha) were maximized at 60 kg P2O5/ha, while PSB inoculation at 10 mL/kg seed resulted in a grain yield of 14.40 q/ha. Economic analysis indicated that the highest net return (₹44195) and benefit-cost ratio (2.15) were achieved with 60 kg P2O5/ha and 10 mL PSB/kg seed. These findings highlight the potential of phosphorus application and PSB inoculation in optimizing chickpea production under agroforestry systems, ensuring better resource utilization and economic returns for farmers in rainfed regions. © The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Various presowing treatments for enhancing Melia dubia (Cav.) seed germination, seedling development, and vigor index
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Alok Kumar Singh; J.K. Singh; Rikesh Kumar; Prashant Sharma; Nasam Midhun Kumar; Bipin Kumar Singh; Shruthi Srinivasan
Melia dubia (Cav.) is one of the most promising agroforestry multipurpose tree species. However, there is a shortage of this quality planting material due to its low germination ability. Our study assessed six different presowing treatments, namely, soaking in tap water for 24 h, soaking in a cow dung slurry for 7 days (CDS), scarification with 50 % H2SO4 for 5 min, soaking in 200 ppm gibberellic acid (GA3) for 24 h, and soaking in CDS + H2SO4, GA3 + H2SO4 or the control (no application), for enhancing seed germination and growth in Melia dubia during 2019–20 in the Indo-Gangetic Plains region. STAR version 2.0.1 was used to analyze the observed data using one-way ANOVA. The results of this study showed that different treatments substantially impacted the germination and growth of Melia dubia. Compared with those of untreated seeds (control), the germination percentage of seeds treated with cow dung slurry significantly increased by 49 %, the biomass percentage significantly increased by 25 %, and the vigor index significantly increased by 79 %. In conclusion, our study revealed that treating Melia dubia seeds with cow dung slurry for a period of 7 days enhances germination and seedling growth and is also cost-effective for nursery managers and farmers due to the absence of associated costs. © 2024