A researcher conducts laboratory analysis as part of a scientific study on soil microbial communities and enzyme activities at a laboratory in Nagaland University. (Photo Courtesy: NU, Lumami)
Lumami, July 28 (MExN): A collaborative team of researchers from Nagaland University and other research institutions across the country has studied the impact of seasonal climate variations on soil microbial communities and enzyme activities across five representative tea estates in Jorhat, Assam.
The study provides new insights into the relationship between climate variability, soil health and microbial activities, with implications for sustainable and climate-resilient tea cultivation in Northeast India.
Tea productivity and quality have increasingly been affected by changing climatic conditions, while soil microorganisms and enzymes play a crucial role in maintaining soil fertility and nutrient cycling. However, limited information is available on how climate change is influencing biological processes in tea plantations in the region.
To address this gap, researchers conducted a comprehensive multi-year assessment of seasonal bacterial and fungal communities in soil, along with associated enzyme activities. The study is among the first comprehensive multi-year assessments of seasonal microbial dynamics across multiple tea estates in Assam, covering the period from 2016 to 2019.
The research integrated microbiological, biochemical, climatic and advanced statistical analyses within a single framework. Researchers used probability distribution fitting, correlation analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) to understand ecological variations and characterise soil biological responses under different climatic conditions.
The findings have been published in the journal Environments.
Congratulating the research team for the scientific contribution, Nagaland University Vice-Chancellor Prof Jagadish Kumar Patnaik said the study provides valuable insights into how climate variability influences soil microbial communities and biological health in Assam's tea plantations.
“Such research is vital for developing sustainable and climate-resilient tea cultivation practices in Northeast India. This study also reinforces Nagaland University’s commitment to advancing research that addresses regional environmental challenges and supports sustainable agricultural development,” he said.
The researchers identified climatic conditions that support microbial activity and found strong positive relationships between microbial abundance and soil enzyme activities. The study also found that more than 80 per cent of variability in biological data was explained by the first three principal components, demonstrating the robustness of the statistical analyses.
Hierarchical cluster analysis successfully grouped tea estates based on microbial and enzymatic characteristics. The study establishes soil microbial communities and enzyme activities as sensitive indicators of environmental changes and sustainable tea production.
The research is expected to support climate-resilient tea production systems by improving soil health monitoring through biological indicators. It may also help tea growers optimise nutrient management and adopt sustainable cultivation practices.
The findings could provide scientific evidence for policymakers and agricultural extension agencies working towards promoting sustainable agriculture and strengthening the long-term resilience of India's tea sector.
Explaining the study, co-author Prof Tanmoy Karak of the Department of Soil Science, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University, said the research attempted to determine seasonal thresholds that favour beneficial microbial communities and understand how climatic variables regulate soil biological processes.
“The study establishes soil microbial communities and enzyme activities as sensitive indicators of environmental change and sustainable tea production,” he said.
The research helps scientists understand seasonal variations in soil bacterial and fungal populations, provide scientific evidence for sustainable tea cultivation under changing climatic scenarios, and develop strategies for climate-resilient tea production.
The research team comprised Dr Bobita Payeng, Research Scholar, Upper Assam Advisory Centre, Tea Research Association; Dr Ranjit Kumar Paul, ICAR National Fellow, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (IASRI), New Delhi; Dr Md Yeasin, Scientist, ICAR-IASRI, New Delhi; Dr Animesh Sarkar, Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University; Dr C.S. Maiti, Professor, Department of Horticulture, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University; Dr Saumik Panja, Scientist, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Dr Manoj Dutta, Professor, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University; Dr Rusha Pal, Scientist, University of Kansas Medical Center, USA; Dr Diganta Deka, Senior Scientist, Terai Advisory Centre, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Tea Research Association, West Bengal; Dr Harisadhan Malakar, Senior Scientist, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat, Assam; Dr Jintu Dutta, Scientist, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat, Assam; Dr Jiban Saikia, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Dibrugarh University; Dr Sagarika Das, Scientist-C, Diphu Medical College & Hospital; and Prof Tanmoy Karak, Department of Soil Science, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University.
