Soil health and carbon stock assessment under different agroforestry systems in calcareous soil
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Date
2020
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DRPCAU, Pusa
Abstract
A field-cum-laboratory investigation for soil health and carbon stock assessment under four treatments: Kadamb (Anthocephalus cadamba Miq.), Simarauba (Simarouba glauca DC) and Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) plantations and control (without trees) and five replications with soil sampling from two depths (0-15 cm and 15-30 cm) in calcareous soil was undertaken during in the year 2018-19 at Research area of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur), Bihar. Earlier Kadamb plantation was being intercropped with three varieties of Turmeric (Rajendra sonia, Rajendra sonali and NDH-92), and the rest two plantations with four tuber crops [Elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus campanulatus, var. Gajendra), Turmeric (Curcuma domestica, var. Rajendra Sonia), Ginger (Zingiber officinale, var.Nadia) and Arbi (Colocasia esculenta, var. Sahasramukhi)] along with the recommended doses of the fertilizers. The objectives were to study soil biological, physical and chemical properties as well as to study carbon stock in trees and soil biomass. Soil properties were tested for significant differences by two way analysis of variance, where agroforestry system considered as first factor and soil depth as second factor. Soil biological properties were assessed four times in the month of June (summer), September (autumn), December (winter) and March
(spring), while physical as well as chemical soil properties were analyzed only once in the month of June.
There were noticeable improvements of various biological, physical and chemical indicators of soil confirmed in agroforestry systems (AFS) over control plot. Seasonal variations of soil biological parameters were recorded; and in the month of June showed highest biological activities, whereas lowest was recorded during December. Variations of soil biological, physical and chemical properties were also found with soil depths. Availability of plant nutrients was higher in upper layer of soil over lower soil layer. Agroforestry development leads rise of soil organic carbon and storage of soil carbon. Soil carbon stock in the 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm depths, in Simarouba AFS was 13.6 and 3.7 per cent higher over Kadamb AFS which in turn had 2.3 and 3.8 per cent higher carbon stock over Litchi AFS, at the respective depths." Averaged over the various agroforestry systems, 86.7% of total tree biomass contributed to the above ground biomass and remaining 13.3 % provided for the below ground biomass. Simarouba trees had 20.5 % higher long-lived carbon storage over Kadamb trees which was 10.9 % higher long-lived carbon storage over litchi trees. CO2 emission mitigation by trees varied from 14.92 q tree-1 by Simarouba trees to 11.16 q tree-1 by litchi trees. Overall Simarouba plantation showed better soil biological, physical and chemical properties followed by Kadamb and Litchi. Simarouba plantation was also found to have significantly higher soil carbon stock than all other treatments irrespective of the soil depths. Thus, this study provided good ideas about potentiality of agroforestry development for sustainable soil use and mitigates atmospheric carbon dioxide.