The variability of soil qualities across the coffee-growing areas and consequences of conversion of forest to coffee plantations on soil qualities and sustainability in the Western Ghats of South India are evaluated in this study by assessing and studying the six representative pedons selected from Chikmagalur district in Karnataka and Wayanad and Idukki districts of Kerala taking into consideration of the agro-ecological zones, they belong. Sixty sites were located for monitoring soil quality, of which 46 sites were located in coffee plantations of all agro-climates and 14 in forests adjacent to coffee plantations in similar setting. Soil quality indicators were selected by carrying out principal component analysis (PCA) on measured soil attributes, which provided 4 PCs in both land uses with eigen values > 1 and explaining at least 5 per cent variance in data set. The indicators for coffee land use were pH, exch. Al and CEC and for forest land use, organic carbon, pH and exch. Al. These indicators were transformed into scores following linear scoring method and soil quality index was determined, on a scale of 0–1, using the weighting factors obtained from PCA. Soil quality index was high (0.836) for natural forest land use, while it was medium (0.634) for coffee land use. Results indicated that organic carbon, pH and exch. Al are the most powerful indicators of soil quality. Proper management of soil acidity in coffee plantations due to liming, pooling back of nutrients, fertilization effect and other anthropogenic interventions in them have helped in maintaining a near equal soil quality to that of natural forest, which can be made sustainable by adopting effective plantation management practices.

中文翻译：

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印度南部西高止山脉天然林转化后咖啡土地利用的可持续性：评估

本研究通过评估和研究从 Chikmagalur 地区选择的六个代表性土壤，评估了咖啡种植区的土壤质量变化以及将森林转变为咖啡种植园对印度南部西高止山脉土壤质量和可持续性的影响。考虑到农业生态区，喀拉拉邦的卡纳塔克邦、瓦亚纳德和伊杜基地区属于它们。60 个站点用于监测土壤质量，其中 46 个站点位于所有农业气候的咖啡种植园中，14 个位于与咖啡种植园相邻的类似环境的森林中。通过对测量的土壤属性进行主成分分析（PCA）来选择土壤质量指标，这为两种土地利用提供了 4 个具有特征值的 PCs > 1 并解释数据集中至少 5% 的差异。咖啡土地利用的指标是 pH 值，exch。Al 和 CEC 以及用于林地利用、有机碳、pH 和 exch。铝。这些指标按照线性评分法转化为分数，并使用从 PCA 获得的加权因子确定土壤质量指数，范围为 0-1。天然林地利用的土壤质量指数高（0.836），而咖啡用地的土壤质量指数中等（0.634）。结果表明有机碳、pH值和exch。铝是土壤质量最有力的指标。由于石灰、养分回流、施肥效应和其他人为干预措施，对咖啡种植园的土壤酸度进行适当管理，有助于保持与天然林几乎相同的土壤质量，