Comparative analysis of soil health parameters across diverse land use systems in the hilly terrain of Northeast India: a case study from Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh

In the context of climate change, declining agricultural land, increasing land degradation, a growing population, and rising food demand, assessing soil health parameters under various land use systems (LUS) is crucial for optimal land management. This ensures the long-term productivity and sustainability of agroecosystems. This study examines the impacts of four LUS—agriculture, tea plantations, horticulture, and forests on soil health parameters in the northeastern region (NER) of India. Soil samples were collected from two depths (0–15 cm and 15–30 cm) in 2020. Significant differences in soil health parameters were observed among the LUS. All soils were acidic, with the lowest pH (4.40) under forests and the highest pH (5.4) under agriculture at the 0–15 cm depth. At the 15–30 cm depth, pH increased under forests and decreased under tea plantations, while no change was observed under agriculture and horticulture. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) was low (<15 cmol (+) kg-1) across all LUS. Soil organic carbon (SOC) was medium to high across LUS, following the order: forests (1.05%) > tea plantations (0.78%) > horticulture (0.71%) > agriculture (0.70%) at the 0–15 cm depth. SOC decreased at the 15–30 cm depth for all LUS, with the highest decrease (42.9%) under agriculture and the lowest (9.5%) under forests. Compared to forests, agricultural land showed 9.35% to 116.7% lower values for organic carbon, nitrogen, potassium, sulfur, base saturation, iron, and copper. These findings will aid in implementing effective soil management practices to restore soil health, boost yields, and enhance the region's resilience and sustainability across different land uses.