Abstract

A comparison of soil properties at 0-100 cm depth was made in Kerala along a transect in a lowland west coast tropical evergreen forest and adjacent Eucalyptus tereticornis and rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations. All the soils were moderately acidic (average pH 5. 4, 5. 8 and 6. 0, respectively, in the evergreen forest and eucalypt and rubber plantations) . Organic carbon, water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, N and P were all highest in the evergreen forest and reduced in the plantations, with the lowest values under eucalypts. There was significant difference in soil properties due to vegetational types. The results revealed that soils in the eucalypt plantations were very much depleted and this could affect future productivity of successive rotations