Soil carbon sequestration in rainfed production systems in the semiarid tropics of India.
نویسندگان
چکیده
Severe soil organic carbon (SOC) depletion is a major constraint in rainfed agroecosystems in India because it directly influences soil quality, crop productivity and sustainability. The magnitude of soil organic, inorganic and total carbon stocks in the semi-arid bioclimate is estimated at 2.9, 1.9 and 4.8 Pg respectively. Sorghum, finger millet, pearl millet, maize, rice, groundnut, soybean, cotton, food legumes etc. are predominant crop production systems with a little, if any, recycling of organic matter. Data from the long term experiments on major rainfed production systems in India show that higher amount of crop residue C input (Mg/ha/y) return back to soil in soybean-safflower (3.37) system practiced in Vertisol region of central India. Long term addition of chemical fertilizer and organic amendments improved the SOC stock. For every Mg/ha increase in SOC stock in the root zone, there occurs an increase in grain yield (kg/ha) of 13, 101, 90, 170, 145, 18 and 160 for groundnut, finger millet, sorghum, pearl millet, soybean and rice, respectively. Long-term cropping without using any organic amendment and/or mineral fertilizers can severely deplete the SOC stock which is the highest in groundnut-finger millet system (0.92 Mg C/ha/y) in Alfisols. Some agroforestry systems also have a huge potential of C sequestration to the extent of 10Mg/ha/y in short rotation eucalyptus and Leucaena plantations. The critical level of C input requirements for maintaining SOC at the antecedent level ranges from 1.1 to 3.5 Mg C/ha/y and differs among soil type and production systems. National level policy interventions needed to promote sustainable use of soil and water resources include prohibiting residue burning, reducing deforestation, promoting integrated farming systems and facilitating payments for ecosystem services. A wide spread adoption of these measures can improve soil quality through increase in SOC sequestration and improvement in agronomic productivity of rainfed agroecosystems.
منابع مشابه
Integrated nutrient management using deoiled Jatropha cake for sustained and economic food production
With growing environmental and energy concerns, Jatropha plantations are promoted in degraded/waste lands for the biodiesel production. Nutrient rich nonedible deoiled seed cake, a by-product of Jatropha left out after oil extraction was evaluated at the ICRISAT centre at Patancheru, India as an environment friendly source of nutrients for rainy season maize and soybean followed by postrain...
متن کاملZinc, boron and sulphur deficiencies are holding back the potential of rainfed crops in semi-arid India: Experiences from participatory watershed management
Little attention has been paid to the diagnosis of deficiencies of micronutrients such as zinc (Zn) and boron (B) and secondary nutrient such as sulphur (S) in rainfed systems. We evaluated Zn, B and S status of 1617 farmers’ fields in 14 districts of the semi-arid tropical India. Results showed that most of the soil samples were low to medium in organic carbon contents. Results also revealed t...
متن کاملIdentifying Carbon Sequestration Hotspots in Semiarid Rangelands (Case study: Baghbazm region of Bardsir city, Kerman province)
Carbon sequestration in rangeland ecosystems has been identified as a suitable strategy to offset greenhouse gas emissions that information of carbon sequestration hotspots is a good tool to improve rangeland management. Objectives for this study were to assessment potential carbon sequestration in various rangeland types, to identify carbon sequestration hotspots and to study the effective fact...
متن کاملParticipatory varietal selection of chickpea in rainfed rice fallow lands of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in India for sustainable crop production
Production and area of chickpea are reducing every year in India due tocompetition with horticulture and other cash crops in irrigated areas. There is a greatscope for expanding chickpea production with or without limited irrigation in rainfedrice fallow lands (RRFL) in the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Nineteenchickpea genotypes were tested using participatory varietal selection (...
متن کاملImplications of organic management on yield,tuber quality and soil health in yams in the humid tropics
Global consciousness of food safety, health and environmental issues has stimulated interest in alternative agricultural systems like organic farming. Since information on organic farming of tuber crops is meagre, a field experiment was conducted in split plot design over a five-year period at Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, India. The aims were to evaluate the impact of organic, c...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- The Science of the total environment
دوره 487 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2014