Changes in soil characteristics and foliage nutrient content in Jatropha curcas plantation in relation to stand density in Indian wasteland

A field study was carried out to observe the effect of spacing on changes in soil properties in Jatropha curcas plantation on wasteland. As plant population increases, N and P content of foliage decreased, while other nutrients have not followed a consistent pattern furthermore, no significant variation in foliage elemental concentrations in response to spacing of jatropha plants were noticed. Analysis of soil samples indicated that as plant spacing increase, the soil N availability also increased significantly, but no predictable trend with respect to other parameters evaluated, except that there was a noticeable increase in the organic carbon with decrease in plant density furthermore, in closer spacing organic carbon remains same to the initial soil.