Chemical changes in wetland margin soils

The paper deals with river Sai corridor at Jaunpur for changes in soil chemical properties of an abandoned land (site I) and winter cultivated land (site II) at bimonthly intervals, in different zones and depths. The pH of soil varied narrowly on alkaline side from 7.4 to 8.9 at site I and 7.3 to 8.7 at site II. It was distinctly higher during post-rainy and winter seasons. Organic carbon contents (site I, 1.000 to 5.417 mg g(-1) and site II, 1.020 to 5.580 mg g(-1)) were slightly higher at site II than site I, and were more in the surface soil and decreased down the depth in all the months of the two zones at both the study sites. Total soil nitrogen contents varied at different months and depths in the two zones on both the sites (site I, 0.176 to 0.500 mg g(-1) and site II, 2.663 to 18.614 mg g(-1)). Its content was always high during the month of October and was more in the surface soil at both the sites. C/N ratio varied from 3.180 to 15.179 at site I and 2.663 to 18.614 at site II, and was extremely high in the month of October at both the sites. It fluctuated with respect to seasonality and site conditions. The available phosphorus in soil varied from 5.37 to 69.50 mg g(-1) at site I, and 10.00 to 61.00 mg g(-1) at site II. The lowest was in summer season and highest in flooded lower zone after the recession of floodwater in October. The amount of organic carbon (site I, 116.0 and site II, 125.8 ton/ha), total nitrogen (site I, 15.9 and site II, 19.7 ton/ha) and available phosphorus (site I, 1.35 and site II, 1.64 ton/ha) varied distinctly during different seasons. Analysis of variance for nutrients showed significant variations for pH (significant for months), organic carbon (significant for depths and months.), total nitrogen (significant for depths and months) and available phosphorus (significant for depths) at p<0.01 and p<0.001.