Soil Science & Geomorphology

Rabindra Adhikari

Address:

Eberhard Karls University Tübingen
Soil Science and Geomorphology
Rümelinstraße 19-23
D-72070 Tübingen

Office: Westbau W302

Contact:

+49(0)7071-29-74-081
rabindra.adhikarispam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Consulting hours:

by arrangement

Function: PhD student

OrchID: 0000-0002-4404-2195  

Research Topics:

  • Himalayan treeline ecotones' response to climate warming

  • Soil moisture, temperature, and nutrient dynamics in treeline ecotones

Project:

  • DFG Grant: Sensitivity and response of treeline ecotones in the Nepal Himalaya to climate warming (TREELINE-II).
    Key Words: treeline, soil properties, climate change, Himalaya 

Work Experience:

  • Lecturer – Soil Science (Permanent) - (December 2016 – till now (study leave)) Tribhuvan University, Institute of Forestry (IOF), Pokhara Campus

  • Livelihood Field Officer: UN Volunteer—01/06/2015to 30/09/2016, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Kathmandu, Nepal

  • Research Assistant—07/02/2011 to 09/09/2011, Nepal Agriculture Research Council (NARC), Soil Science Division, Khumaltar, Kathmandu

  • Field Coordinator: European Union Food Facility Project (EUFF-Nepal) – 01/03/2010 – 12/2010 SUPPORT Foundation, Darchula District, Nepal

Education:

  • Post Graduate Diploma in Remote Sensing and GIS (July 2019 to March 2020)

  • Indian Space Research Organization, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), India

  • M.Sc. Physical Land Resources – Soil Science (September 2011 to September 2013)

  • Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Gent, Belgium

  • B.Sc. Agriculture (June 2005 to November 2009), Tribhuvan University, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Kathmandu, Nepal

Research Thesis/Projects:

Adhikari, R. (2013): Evolution of the Soil Mineralogical Composition in a Toposequence on Isla Santa Cruz (Gal´apagos). MSc Thesis, Ghent University, Belgium.
Adhikari, R. (2020): Estimation of Crop Evapotranspiration Using Remote Sensing Based Energy Balance Approach for Cropping Field of Morang District, Nepal. Post Graduate Diploma, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, India.

Publications:

Peer Reviewed Publication

2017–2025 

  • Dhakal, R., Bhattarai, N., Bhatta, K., Basnet, S., Dongol, R., Adhikari, R., Adhikari, B., & Khadka, C. (2025). A systematic review of ongoing research and future perspectives in Nature based Solution (NbS) in agriculture. Oppor Chall. Sustain., 4(3), 159-175. https://doi.org/10.56578/ocs040301

  • Bhattrai, B., Thapa, M.S., Gharti, S., Adhikari, R., Burlakoti, M., Paudel, A., Bhattrai, B., Bhusal, R., Bhattarai, S. & Dhungana, Dipendra (2025). Delineating treeline dynamics and its impact on carbon storage in Alpine region of Nepal. 23 June 2025, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6525413/v1

  • Adhikari, R., Böhner, J., Chaudhary, R. P., Gall, C., Huber, J., Maharjan, A., Oelmann, Y., Parajuli, M., Schickhoff, U., Seitz, S., Subedi, C. K., and Scholten, T.: Soil microbial biomass and nutrient limitation in high altitude treeline ecotones of central Nepal Himalaya, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-253, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-253, 2025

  • Shokati, H., Mashal, M., Noroozi, A., Mirzaei, S., Mohammadi-Doqozloo, Z., Nabiollahi, K., Taghizadeh-Mehrjardi, R., Khosravani, P., Adhikari, R., Hu, L., & Scholten, T. (2025). Comparing UAV-Based Hyperspectral and Satellite-Based Multispectral Data for Soil Moisture Estimation Using Machine Learning. Water, 17(11), 1715. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17111715

  • Bhattarai, N., Sangraula, T., Sinha, S., Watanabe, T., Avtar, R., Thapa, R.B., Rawat, R.S., Shrestha, K., Adhikari, B., Khadka, C., & Adhikari, R. (2025). Restoring Ecosystems: Case of Private Sector and Best Practice Through Community Forestry Approaches. In: Singh, S., Gautam, M.K. (eds) Biodiversity Conservation and Land Degradation Neutrality. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-7210-3_15

  • Rimal B, Adhikari R, Shrestha S, Rijal S, Kunwar R, Ansari AS, Tiwary A. (2025) Emerging Role of Remote Sensing For Monitoring Glacial and Surface Water Changes in Nepal. Indian Journal of Science and Technology. 18(4): 287-296. https://doi.org/10.17485/IJST/v18i4.1548

  • Kandel, D., Timilsina, S., Ayer, S., Chaudhary, S. K., Gautam, J., Adhikari, R., & Bhatta, K. P. (2024). Assessment of Soil Carbon Stock and Soil Quality in Different Forest Stands and Management Regimes in Terai Region of Nepal. Scientifica, 2024(1), 1739115 https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/1739115

  • Atreya, K., Kattel, K., Tiwari, K. R., Baral, S., Adhikari, R., & Kalwar, O. P. (2023). Nutritional, ecological and livelihood significance of Moringa oleifera: A review. Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science, 8(3), 452-461. https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2023.0803025

  • Amgain, L.P. and Adhikari, R. 2022. Higher Level Agriculture and Forestry Education in Nepal: Conscientious review. Journal of Tikapur Multiple Campus. https://doi.org/10.3126/jotmc.v5i1.46521

  • Pokharel, S., Bhattarai, S., Adhikari, R., Jha, S., Pokhrel, A., & Parajuli, M. (2022). Existing agroforestry practices and their contribution to the socio-economic condition of the people of west Nawalparasi, Nepal: A case study. Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science, 7(1), 132-141. https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2022.0701019

  • Georges Stoops, Florias Mees, Mathijs Dumon, Rabindra Adhikari, and Eric Van Ranst. Soils of the coastal- and lower belt of Galápagos Islands- the case of Isla Santa Fé and Isla Santa Cruz. Geoderma Regional Volume 29, 2022, ISSN2352-0094, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2022.e00520

  • Atreya, K., Subedi, B. P., Ghimire, P. L., Khanal, S. C., Charmakar, S., & Adhikari, R. (2021). Agroforestry for mountain development: Prospects, challenges and ways forward in Nepal. Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science, 6(1), 87-99. https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2021.0601012

  • Regmi, S. R., Thapa, M. S., Adhikari, R., & Regmi, R. R. (2021). Dynamics of Land Surface Temperature in Response to Land Use Land Cover Change in Phewa watershed, Kaski, Nepal.

  • Forestry: Journal of Institute of Forestry, Nepal, 18(01), 61–80. https://doi.org/10.3126/forestry.v18i01.41758

  • Bist, S. P., Adhikari, R., Regmi, R. R., & Subedi, R. (2021). Land use/land cover change assessment of Mohana watershed (Far-Western Nepal) using GIS and remote sensing. Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science, 6(3), 320-328, https://dx.doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2021.060309

  • Sangay Gyeltshen, Rabindra Adhikari, Padam Bahadur Budha, Gautam Thapa, KrishnaKumar Subedi & Bichit Kumar Singh (2021) Remote Sensing and GIS based Soil Loss Estimation for Bhutan, using RUSLE model, Geocarto International, doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2021.1936210

  • Saurav Shrestha, Rabindra Adhikari, Raju Raj Regmi, Raja Ram Aryal (2020). Mapping Major Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics in Growing Urban Areas Based on Landsat Imagery Using Google Earth Engine; North American Academic Research, 3(11) 423-446, Nov 2020, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4305070

  • Subedi, T.B. & Adhikari, R. 2017. Micronutrient Requirement of Rice and its Management in Nepal (Rice Compendium). Crop Development Directorate (CDD), Nepal and Agronomy Society of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal. ISBN: 978-9937-0-2622-2 (pp 358-68)

Scientific Reports

Adhikari, R. (2012): Field excursion report of soil prospection and classification (World Reference Base (WRB) of Beernem-Wingenesite, Belgium. Submitted to faculty of bioscience engineering, University Ghent.
Adhikari, R. (2012): Annual climate report of Guyflux (French Guyana). Submitted to faculty of bio-science engineering, University Ghent.

Current Research

  • Sensitivity and Response of Treeline Ecotones in the Nepal Himalaya to Climate Warming (TREELINE-II) [2023-2026]
  • Tiwari, K.R., Atreya, K, Baral, S., Adhikari, R. & Kalwar, O.P. Assessment of Moringa cultivation on building climate resiliency in Chure region of Nepal – [National Priority Research by Tribhuvan University, 2022-2026]

Conference Contributions

  • Adhikari, R., Böhner, J., Chaudhary, R., Gall, C., Maharjan, A., Parajuli, M., Schickhoff, U., Seitz, S., Oelmann, Y. & Scholten, T. (2025). Himalayan krummholz vs non-krummholz region: soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and C:N ratio indicates a nutrient limitation for plant growth in treeline ecotones. German Soil Science Society (DBG), Tübingen, Germany, September 13–19 [Talk]. 

  • Maharjan, A.; Schwab, N.; Böhner, J.; Scholten, T.; Chaudhary, R. P.; Adhikari, R.; Subedi, C. K.; and Schickhoff, U.: Do tree ring data reflect contrasting climate sensitivity in a Himalayan treeline ecotone? A comparison of Abies spectabilis (D. Don) Mirb. and Rhododendron campanulatum (D. Don), International Mountain Conference 2025, Innsbruck, Sep 14 - 18 2025, [Talk]. 

  • Parajuli, M., Adhikari, R., Gall, C., Scholten, S. Veste, M., & Seitz, S. (2025). Density fractionation for soil particulate organic matter determination in forest soils with moss cover. German Soil Science Society (DBG), Tübingen, Germany, September 13–19 [Poster]. 

  • Adhikari, R., Parajuli, M., George, S, Dumon, M., Scholten, T. & Van Ranst, E. (2025). Physico-chemical and mineralogical characterization of a soil toposequence on Isla Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos) in González-Pérez José Antonio, Rosa Arranz, José M. de la (Eds). Advancing Soil Knowledge for a Sustainable Future: Book of Abstracts of the VII EUROSOIL Meeting, 1310 páginas pp 165. https://digital.csic.es/handle/10261/398890 . [Poster] 

  • Parajuli, M., Pant, K.K., Adhikari, R., Scholten, S. & Seitz, S. (2025). Does Crop Diversity Improve Food Sufficiency? Insights from the Tharu Community in Nepal. Agrobiodiversity and the transition to agroecological food systems, Central Germany (Kassel, Eschwege and Halle), 17–27 August [Poster].

  •  Adhikari, R., Böhner, J., Chaudhary, R. P., Gall, C., Huber, J., Maharjan, A., Oelmann, Y., Parajuli, M., Schickhoff, U., Seitz, S., Subedi, C. K., and Scholten, T.: Soil microbial biomass and nutrient limitation in high altitude treeline ecotones of central Nepal Himalaya, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-253. [Talk] 

  • Adhikari, R, Huber, J., Maharjan, A, Oelmann, Y, Seitz, S, Schickhoff, U, Böhner, J, Chaudhari, R, Subedi, C.K, Scholten, T. Soil C: N:S in Krummholz forest at Treeline Ecotones of Central Nepal Himalaya. International Conference on Applied Science and Engineering a Changing World (ICASECW - 2024), Pokhara Nepal, June 11 - 13 2024. [Talk] 

  • Sayana, G., Leonardo, L., Maliha, M.M., Jeney, C.V.F., Rabindra, A. Application of the OBIA to analyze forest fire in the Bolivian Amazon Forest. GI_Week 2020 (July 6 – 10, 2020). University of Salzburg). [Talk]

     

Professional Membership: 

  • Life Member - Nepal Soil Science Society Member
  • European Geoscience Union (since 2024) Member
  • German Soil Science Society (DBG) (Since 2025)