Growth performance of Cinnamomum tamala under different plantation sites in Kirtinagar Block: A source of livelihood to local inhabitants in the Garhwal Himalaya, India

The present study was conducted to in the Kirtinagar Block of Garhwal Himalaya, India to understand the relationships of Cinnamomum tamala plantations growth performations under different soil properties in four different locations (i.e., Ulana, Chachkanda, Sendri, and Moldhar) of abandoned agriculture field. The plantation was carried out in the above villages as per the demand of the local inhabitant villages and subsequent soil sampling was done at three depths (0–30, 30–60 and 60–90 cm) to assess the relationships of physical (moisture, bulk density, water holding capacity, texture) and chemical (pH, soil organic carbon, nitrogen) parameters to the growth potential of species for further future successes. Results of the study revealed that; the soil texture was dominated by sand (79–91%). Moisture ranged from 6.6–13%, bulk density (BD) varied between 0.45–0.75 g cm⁻³ because the plantation sites were degraded and left uncultivated last two decades because of migration of the villagers. The pH reaction reported slightly neutral (6.08–7.11) and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks varied from 18.93–33.53 t ha⁻¹ while nitrogen (N) ranged between 319–393 kg ha⁻¹. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that 75.38% of soil property variation was explained by sand, SOC, pH, and N, and highlighting that texture play as a major driver of nutrient dynamics. Correlation analysis showed significant positive associations of BD with SOC and pH, and negative relationships of sand with N and clay. Of the plantation sites, growth assessment revealed that; Sendri has the highest survival (95.30%), plant height (71.77 cm), and foliage pattern. These findings suggest that site-specific soil texture and nutrient availability significantly influence C.tamala growth.