1. KAUTIR (Kerala Agricultural University Theses Information and Retrieval)
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Item Soil carbon stocks and their thermal stability in the agroforestry systems of manali watershed,Thrissur(College of Climate Change and Environmental Science , Vellanikkara, 2023-12-07) Nimisha, P H; Sandeep , SDepletion of SOC pools has a detrimental effect on soil quality, biomass productivity, and water quality, and the problem could get worse due to projected global warming. Agroforestry can act as a potential mitigative measure to cope up with the adverse effects of climate change. In Kerala, an agroforestry technique based on integrated coconut farming has traditionally shown promise in homegardens. Homegarden study focuses on coconut based agroforestry systems, evaluating carbon storage capacities across three home garden sizes (small homegarden is 0.4 ha). In these HGs, the carbon stock and soil organic carbon at various soil depths were examined. The selected homegardens were in Manali watershed region in Thrissur district. The soil properties or carbon stocks didn’t vary significantly between the three home garden systems. However, the amount of carbon stored in the different sized aggregates were found to vary between the systems and with depth in each system. Finest fraction ( <0.2mm) stores more carbon. Though having similar carbon stocks, the carbon decomposition rate was lowest and activation energy maximum in small home gardens indicating that carbon in these systems were comparatively stable than the other studied systems under future rises in temperature. Agroforestry has bright future possibilities due to growing acknowledgement of its value in promoting sustainable agriculture and mitigating climate change. Future agricultural and environmental policies must include agroforestry because it may boost biodiversity, reduce carbon emissions, and improve food security.Item Biomass production and resource partitioning in silvi-pastoral systems(College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 1993) Suman Jacob George; Mohankumar, BA randomized block design experiment involving factorial combinations of four fodder species : Pennisetum purpureum (hybrid napier), Brachiaria ruziziensis (congo signal), Panicum maximum (guinea grass) and Zea Mexicana (Teosinte) and four tree species (Leucaena leucocephala, Casuarina equisetifolia, Acacia auriculiformis and Ailanthus triphysa initiated in June 1988 was used for the present investigations. The study was pursued with the objective of quantifying the biomass production potential of selected forage species grown in association with tree components after canopy closure, comparing the productivity of different tree components grown in silvopastoral systems; characterizing the micro-site enrichment and nutrient cycling aspects of silvopastoral systems, analysis the partitioning of solar radiation among the different components of the system and elucidate influence regarding the nature of root interactions in silvopastoral systems. The tree attributes such as biomass, height, DBH and crown diameter were in the order acasia > leucaena>casuarinas>ailanthus and the fodder biomasses were in the order hybrid napier> guinea grass > congo signal>teosinte. The concentration of N,P and K in the above ground portion decreased in the order: leaves >Branches >bole. The N-fixing trees, in general, had lower nutrient – use efficiencies. Amount of photosynthetically active radiation interception by the tree canopy was a cardinal factor effecting the herbage yield a direct correspondence was lacking. All the three N-fixing species had markedly higher soil nitrogen status. Soil organic matter, K and P were also higher under the tree canopy. Recovery pattern of 32p isotope injected in the soil revealed that 65 to 85 percent of the fine roots responsible for water and nutrient absorption were concentrated in the 0-15 cms layer of the soil profile. However, 32P recovery from the tree monocultures was generally low suggesting stimulatory effect of nutrient absorption by trees in presence of an associated field crop. The rate of litterfall amount of detritus produced ranged from 1.92 Mg ha-1 yr-1 (ailanthus) to 6.2 Mg ha-1 yr-1 (acacia). Relatively lower contents of nitrogen and phosphorus in the litter recorded during the dry period (March-April). Regarding the inter – specific variations with regards to litter decomposition rates, casuarina and leucaena litter decomposed at a faster rate than acacia and leucaena. The nitrogen and phosphorous contents of the decomposing litter increased during the one – year decay period for all the species. Although widely accepted and yield initial N, lignin or initial lignin/nitrogen could not be directly related to decay rate coefficients in the present study.Item Species richness and carbon stock of Sharngakavu sacred grove, Chengannur Kerala(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research,Vellanikkara, 2019) Kavya Jeevan; Gopakumar, SGlobal warming and biodiversity loss are the major environmental issues faced by the planet today. The “sacred groves” are repositories of woody vegetation that successfully and efficiently conserve these “trees outside the forests”. Documentation of the species present in such C sinks will help to document the native species that are conserved here. Estimation of carbon locked up in these vegetated areas will help to further understand the potential of these sacred natural sites in mitigating climate change. With this background, a study titled “Species richness and carbon stock of Sharngakavu sacred grove, Chengannur, Kerala” was attempted on Sharngakavu sacred grove, Aalapuzha during 2018- 2019. The objectives of the study were to document the floristic wealth of the grove, enumerate the carbon stock of the grove and to understand the people’s perception on the role of conservation of this sacred grove in combating climate change. The grove was delineated into core zone and buffer zone for detailed vegetation analysis and estimation of carbon stock. Fifty three plant species were recorded from the core zone of the grove, while from the buffer zone, 37 species could be identified. Actinodaphne malabarica and Xanthophyllum arnottianum which is endemic to Western Ghats were observed in the core region. Other species identified, included some major evergreen and semi- evergreen species such as, Aphanamixis polystachya, Ardisia pauciflora, Carallia brachiata, Cinnamomum malabatrum, Cinnamomum verum, Lagerstroemia microcarpa, Morinda citrifolia, Pongamia pinnata and Strebles asper. Some deciduous tree species such as Alangium salvifolium, Grewia tillifolia and Boswellia serrata were also found. The Shannon Weiner index value of the core was about 1.9, which suggests the grove inhabits a fairly good number of species. The core zone was dominated by Xanthophyllum arnottianum while the buffer was dominated by Caryota urens. The carbon stock of the soil was found to be decreasing with depth. The carbon stock of the standing vegetation was found to be the highest in the core which could be attributed to the species richness. The total carbon stock was also found to be the highest in the core zone (456.71 Mg ha-1), while 344.36 Mg ha-1was recorded total C of the buffer zone, even though in terms of area, this constituted the major portion of the grove. Perception studies revealed that majority of the respondents are strongly interested in the conservation of the grove. They also considered deforestation and exploitation of nature as the major causes of climate change. It was also clear that the people’s perception on the causes and impacts of climate change was highly influenced by their age, gender, education and occupation. Among the local residents, people’s interest to conserve the grove was influenced by their age, while among non-resident devotees, education levels was observed to influence their attitude. Traditional beliefs certainly had an influence on the existence of the grove. Even though the grove has been conserved as a part of cultural belief, its role in biodiversity conservation was well understood by the people. Strengthening the people’s knowledge on the importance of value of the grove in both biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation will help to conserve this Important Plant Area (IPA).Item Efficiency of mitigation measures against crop raiding wild animals in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary(Department of Wildlife Science, College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 2019) Wahiba Irshad, Humam; Nameer, P OA field study was conducted to map and document the human-wildlife conflict (HWC) mitigation measures being followed in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and to examine the effectiveness of the various intervention measures used in mitigating the human-wildlife conflict at WWS. The study was conducted from September 2018 to May 2019 in all the four ranges of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary viz., Muthanga, Sulthan Bathery, Kurichiyat and Tholpetty. The mitigation measures such as Solar Power Electric Fence, Elephant-proof Trench and Elephant-proof Wall were mapped using the software QGIS ver. 2.18. Sanctuary level and range-wise maps were prepared. Socio-economic survey of the local communities residing near the forest fnnges was also conducted for understanding the extent of human-wildlife conflict, conflict mitigation measures and their effectiveness, attitude and perception of the people towards the HWC mitigation measures etc. The Land Use Land Cover Change (LULCC) analysis was also carried out by using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing technology, both inside the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and in a 5 km buffer area outside the sanctuary during 2005-2006 and 2014-2015. The solar power electric fence was established along with the elephant-proof trench. A total of 190.265 km of fence-trench combination that was taken at Wayanad was mapped. The combination of solar power electric fence and elephant-proof trench surveyed was more in Muthanga range (56.535 km), followed by Kurichiyat range (46.626 km), Sulthan Bathery range (46.052 km) and Tholpetty range (41.052 km). The elephant-proof wall erected at Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary were less than 200 m and the total length of the elephant-proof wall that could be mapped was only 654.16 m. According to the socio-economic survey that is conducted at Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, 99.17 percent of the respondents were the victim of crop damage, 45.83 percent of the respondents suffered from livestock loss and 40.83 percent of the respondents experienced threat to human life. Human-wildlife conflict was more due to Asian Elephants (91.67%), followed by Spotted Deer (89.17%) and Wild Boar (87.50%). 75 percent of the respondents has experienced crop loss and property damage due to Bonnet Macaque. Threat to livestock loss due to tiger/leopard attack was faced by 32.50 percent of the respondents. 26.67 percent of the respondents opined on that the damage caused by the Malabar Giant Squirrel on coconuts. In Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, mostly, a combination of elephant proof trench and solar power electric fence were established. The trenches and the electric fences are poorly maintained and thus they are less effective. The barriers also suffer a high rate of failure as people deliberately break them for accessing the forests for various reasons. Elephant-proof walls cause major ecological challenges, as it completely fragments the habitat and even affect the ecology and behaviour of several non-target species of wild animals too. Moreover, it has also been found to be highly ineffective as in almost all the sites the Elephant-proof walls were broken by the elephants. Biological barriers were also found to be ineffective to mitigate the human-wildlife conflict. Despite of a huge implementation of the mitigation measures, the overall conflict incidents has increased substantially. Based on the Land Use Land Cover change analysis, it was foimd that there is an increase in the built-up area inside the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, especially in Kidanganad area of Kurichiyat range over the 10 years. Increment in the built-up area is found to be more in the buffer area (213.26 ha). There is a significant increase in built-up area and cropping area within and on the fringes of the sanctuary. This change in land use has been done primarily by the conversion of the natural vayals in and around sanctuary. This change in the land use pattern and the increase in the agricultural land area could be one of the reasons for the increased human-wildlife conflict incidents in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.Item Measuring the climate change mitigation potential of forests and TOF (tree outside forest) systems in Thrissur(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research Vellanikkara, 2017) Nidhish P Madhu; Shijo JosephInventorying of terrestrial carbon stock is important in understanding the role of forests and tree resources in the mitigation of climate change and its consequences. For this purpose, a total of 40 sample plots of 0.1ha area were inventoried. The sample plots included 4 plots within evergreen forests, 10 plots in moist deciduous forests and 26 plots in TOF (Trees Outside Forests) systems of Thrissur district in Kerala, Southern India. Five carbon pools, namely, above ground biomass, below ground biomass, deadwood, leaf litter and soil organic carbon were estimated. Chave’s generalised allometric model was used to estimate the above ground biomass. Below ground biomass component and deadwood carbon was calculated using IPCC default values. Litter carbon in forest systems were measured using gravimetric method while in TOF systems litter carbon was appropriated using UNFCCC guidelines. Soil organic carbon in every soil samples was measured using the Walkley black wet digestion method. A land use land cover map of Thrissur district for the same land use classes was also prepared using spectral signatures obtained from the GPS coordinates during field work. From the study, the mean carbon stock of evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests and TOF systems calculated were 623.68, 306.71, 150.15 tons/ha respectively. Above ground biomass was the major contributor in every land use type except in the case of plantations in TOF systems where soil organic carbon was the major contributor. The other major contributor included soil organic carbon, followed by below ground biomass while dead wood and litter carbon formed the least. The mitigation potential of forests and TOF systems in Thrissur district was calculated to be 19.22 million tons of CO2. The major contributor was the TOF systems which shows the immense potential of Kerala in mitigating the change in climate with its large population of trees outside forests.