Soil microbial biomass is an active fraction of soil organic matter. It shows
quicker response than soil organic matter to any change in the soil environment.
Being an index of soil fertility, it plays a key role in the decomposition
of litters and fast release of available nutrients. Leaf litters of leguminous and
non-leguminous species in alone and mixed form were applied as treatments
in the soil to observe the changes in the magnitude of soil microbial biomass.
Soil microbial biomass C and N were determined by chloroform fumigation
extraction method. Increment in the concentration of microbial biomass C
and N was higher in the treatments with leguminous leaf litter (497 - 571
μgCg？1, 48 - 55 μgNg？1) than the non-leguminous one (256 - 414 μgCg？1; 22 -
36 μgNg？1). However, when non-leguminous litters were mixed with leguminous
litters then the values increased distinctly (350 - 465 μgCg？1, 28 - 48
μgNg？1). On the basis of increment in soil microbial biomass, leaf litters of the
species considered potential to improve soil nutrients are—Cassia siamea and
Dalbergia sissoo from leguminous trees, Anthocephalus + Cassia and Shorea
+ Dalbergia from mixed form of non-leguminous and leguminous one and
Eichhornia crassipes, an alien aquatic macrophyte. The leaf litters of these
species can be used as source of organic matter to improve the crop yield.
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