Sustainable agricultural production is intrinsically linked to soil health, a cornerstone of agroecosystem resilience under global change. Nepal’s diverse topography, agricultural practices, and microclimates provide a unique context for agriculture. Irrigated land (Khet) and rainfed land (Bari) are the major cultivated land types in the Mid‐Hills Valley of Nepal. This study assessed soil physicochemical properties, basal respiration, and microbial populations across two dominant land‐use types—irrigated lowland (Khet) and rainfed upland (Bari)—at depths of 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm. Irrigated soils exhibited significantly higher moisture content, clay fraction, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen, microbial biomass, and basal respiration, while rainfed soils had elevated levels of available phosphorus and potassium. SOC was strongly correlated with basal respiration ( r = 0.81), bacterial population ( r = 0.79), and fungal population ( r = 0.68), as well as soil moisture, pH, and total nitrogen, and negatively with bulk density. Generalized linear models (GLMs) indicated a stronger microbial response to SOC in irrigated systems (slope = 0.247) than in rainfed systems (slope = 0.0411). Principal component analysis (PCA) clearly separated land‐use types and soil depths, highlighting nutrient enrichment in irrigated topsoil. Despite this enrichment, SOC in irrigated soils appeared more susceptible to loss via CO 2 efflux, while SOC in rainfed systems was comparatively more stable. This research provides a comprehensive assessment of the current soil conditions in the studied agroecosystems and offers valuable insights for land management and relevant stakeholders.
Ghimire et al. (2025) studied this question.