The present investigation deals with natural chemical reserves and physical characteristics of leaf litter of 35 dominant tree species of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and efficacious impact of leaf litter of a few selected species on physico-chemical properties of sodic soil.

Nutrient cycles link agricultural systems to their societies and surroundings; inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus in particular are essential for high crop yields, but downstream and downwind losses of these same nutrients diminish environmental quality and human well-being.

An attempt has been made to study the soil bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes population in Seabuckthorn stand soil at different altitudinal zones in different seasons. Among different altitudinal zones greater microbial population size was recorded in Seabuckthorn stand soil of middle elevation zone followed by lower elevation zone and lower was found in upper elevation zone.

An evaluation was made on the performance of three tree species viz. Alnus nepalenis D. Don. Melia azadirachta A. Juss. and Gmelina arborea Roxb. and their interactive effects on crop yield during establishment period. The seedlings of all tree species survived better under cropped than un-cropped plots.

A study was conducted in different forests of districts of Rudraprayag and Pauri (Uttarakhand) in the Central Himalayas for determining the physical and chemical features of soil. The findings indicated that there was more accumulation of minerals in the undisturbed forests irrespective of disturbed forest type.