Carbon Sequestration in Indian Soils: Present Status and the Potential

Pal, D K and Wani, S P and Sahrawat, K L (2014) Carbon Sequestration in Indian Soils: Present Status and the Potential. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences. pp. 1-22. ISSN 2250-1746

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Abstract

India’s growing self-sufficiency in food pro-duction and food stocks since independence suggest that soils have the capacity to produce. Therefore, a review of Indian soils and their capacity to sequester carbon; and the factors favouring C sequestration under different land uses is in order. Several researchers, especially those in The National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning and the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics monitored the changes in soil organic (SOC) and inorganic (SIC) carbon as influenced by land use in the Indo-Gangetic Alluvial Plains and black soil regions between 1980 and 2005; and the results showed an increase in SOC stocks due to turnover of greater plant biomass into the soil. Results of long-term fertilizer experiments with rice-based double or triple cropping systems indicate soil’s capacity to store greater C, and maintain higher C in pas- sive pools; and that active fraction of soil C can be used as an indicator of soil health. The inclusion of active pool/ labile SOC is expected to improve the performance of Century eco-system model in predicting SOC changes under different climatic conditions. Greenhouse gas emis- sions from the tropical Indian soils (both zeolitic and non zeolitic) do not seem to contribute significantly to the global warming potential. The application NPK plus FYM emerged as a cost effective technology for Indian farmers. In view of the potential of C sequestration by major zeolitic and non-zeolitic soils, the present SOC stock of about 30 Pg can be further increased.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	RP-Resilient Dryland Systems
CRP:	CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Indian soils, Potential of C sequestration, 36 Soil resilience,Greenhouse gases
Subjects:	Others > Soil Science
Depositing User:	Mr Sanat Kumar Behera
Date Deposited:	21 Apr 2014 09:21
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2014 06:09
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/7870
Official URL:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40011-014-0351-6
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement:	UNSPECIFIED
Links:	Google Scholar

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