EVALUATION OF CARBON SEQUESTRATION ABILITY OF NEEM (Azadiractha indica, A.Juss.) AND PONGAMIA (Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre.)
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Date
2009-07-15
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University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
Abstract
Carbon dioxide is a dominant greenhouse gas in the
atmosphere. Increased atmospheric CO2 is attributable mostly to fossil
fuel combustion and deforestation worldwide. With the increasing
deforestation, planting programmes of woody perennials on degraded
lands, marginal agricultural lands, etc is intensified and emphasized.
Trees fix carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. During metabolic
activities part of carbohydrates are used and excess carbon will be
stored as biomass. With the increase in the age of the tree, there will
be an increase in biomass with a relative increase in carbon stock.
Carbon is sequestered by the plant photosynthesis and stored as
biomass in different parts of the tree. In the present study conducted
to evaluate the potential of carbon sequestration in Azadiractha indica
and Pongamia pinnata as influenced by age, selecting the plantation of
three age class viz., 2 year, 5 year and 10 year respectively. The mean
carbon sequestration rate in neem and pongamia across ages was
0.01,0.96,2.16t/ha and 0.04,0.40,1.75t/ha respectively. Based on the
gas exchange studies, it was found that the mean photosynthetic rate
in neem and pongamia across ages (2 and 5 year) was 11.84, 12.00 µ
moles m-2sec-1 and 9.455, 12.63 µ moles m-2sec-1 respectively.
Similarly the stomatal conductance, inter cellular carbon dioxide rate,
transpiration rate was higher in pongamia across ages compared to
neem. Water use efficiency and in vivo Carboxylation efficiency across
2 and 5 years was found higher in neem compared to and pongamia
respectively.
Thus the results clearly indicate that rate of growth in neem is
slow in initial stages but later growth enhances leading to the
sequestering of more carbon than pongamia. The studies conducted
elsewhere using other important forestry species showed that neem
and pongamia are comparable in growth and carbon uptake.
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