Author(s):

Arvind Kumar, Vikas Sharma and Manoj Kumar

Abstract: Conservation agriculture sequesters maximum soil organic carbon near soil surface layer. Adoption of conservation agriculture with use of crop residues mulch, no till farming and efficient use of agricultural inputs help to conserve moisture, reduce soil erosion and enhance SOC sequestration. Rate and amount of SOC sequestration differ with soil types, depths and land use and varies from one region to another. The soil organic carbon (SOC) pool, a significant indicator of soil quality, has many direct and indirect effects on such quality. Increases in the SOC pool improve soil structure and tilth, counter soil erosion, raise water capacity and plant nutrient stores, provide energy for soil fauna, purify water, denature pollutants, improve the crop/crop residue ratio and mitigate the effects of climate. Conservation tillage systems (such as minimum and no-till) have been observed to contribute to the role of soil as a carbon sink. In India, agriculture contributes about 17 per cent of the country’s total GHGs emission. An intensive agricultural practice during the post-green revolution era without caring for the environment has supposedly played a major role towards enhancement of the greenhouse gases. Due to increase in demand for food production the farmers have started growing more than one crop a year through repeated tillage operations using conventional agricultural practices. Increase in carbon emission is the major concern, which is well addressed in kyoto protocol. An article synthesizes the much-needed state-of-knowledge on the effects of conservation agriculture practices on SOC sequestration and greenhouse gas emission identifies potential research gap, and limitations in studying SOC dynamics.

Pages: 2488-2493  |  648 Views  223 Downloads

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