10.22376/ijpbs.2019.10.1.p1-12 Volume 4 Issue 2 2013 (April - June) This study was carried out at the forest nursery of Department of Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture and Regional Research Station, Wadura SKUAST-K, Sopore, Kashmir during 2006 and 2007 to examine the role of live biofertilizers in litter decomposition and nutrient release in lessThan i greaterThan Salix fragilis lessThan /i greaterThan under natural lessThan i greaterThan Salix lessThan /i greaterThan stands. The experiment was laid in completely randomised design with three replications which comprised five treatment combinations of 5 inoculants (no-inoculant; lessThan i greaterThan Azotobacter, Chroococcum, Pseudomonas fluorescens lessThan /i greaterThan , effective microorganisms and combinations of lessThan i greaterThan Azotobacter chroococcum lessThan /i greaterThan + lessThan i greaterThan Pseudomonas fluorescens lessThan /i greaterThan + effective microorganisms). Higher rate of decomposition of lessThan i greaterThan Salix fragilis lessThan /i greaterThan litter was recorded in June (89.29%). Lower rate of decomposition of the species was recorded in January (39.07%). Plant N, P, K, Ca, and Mg release showed an increasing trend from July onwards upto November and immobilization of above nutrients was observed in December and January. However, in the succeeding months an increasing trend in the nutrient release was observed. Highest nutrient release was recorded under combined inoculation of lessThan i greaterThan Azotobacter chrococcum lessThan /i greaterThan + lessThan i greaterThan Psedomonas fluorescens lessThan /i greaterThan + effective microorganisms followed by effective microorganims as compared to other treatments and control. Combined biofertilizer inoculation resulted in a significant increase in total viable bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes followed by effective microorganisms, lessThan i greaterThan Pseudomonas fluorescens lessThan /i greaterThan , lessThan i greaterThan Azotobacter chroococcum lessThan /i greaterThan and control respectively. Thus the treatment combination of lessThan i greaterThan Azotobacter choococcum lessThan /i greaterThan + lessThan i greaterThan Pseudomonas fluerescens lessThan /i greaterThan + effective microorganisms proved to be the best for decomposition of lessThan i greaterThan Salix fragilis lessThan /i greaterThan litter and nutrient release. MALIK ASIF AND M.Y.ZARGAR Biofertilizers,Decomposition,Salix fragalis ,nutrients release. 319-324