Reduced tillage is effective in maintaining soil carbon storage in semi-arid regions where carbon is being lost by erosion and by the use of fallow periods, but otherwise there is no clear scientific evidence that it increases carbon levels over the whole soil profile, and certainly not to the extent of organic farming. Cropland, which takes up 10% of the Earth's land, is a major target for soil-based carbon sequestration. Farmers can add more carbon to agricultural soils by planting certain kinds of crops as perennial crops, which do not die off every year, grow deep roots that help soils store more carbon. Tilling the soil in conventional farming creates large air pockets which fill up with oxygen, prompting microbes to turn carbon in the soil into CO₂.Carbon is sequestered in soil by plants through photosynthesis and can be stored as soil organic carbon (SOC). Agroecosystems can degrade and deplete the SOC levels but this carbon deficit opens up the opportunity to store carbon through new land management practices. Soil can also store carbon as carbonates

Conservation tillage, as a type of no-till farming, is an important method for increasing carbon sequestration in agriculture. Conservation tillage is an agricultural technique that minimizes soil disturbance during tillage, preserves residue from previous crops, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions from the soil by improving soil health.

Conservation tillage contributes to carbon sequestration in several ways. Firstly, by minimizing tillage, it preserves soil structure and maintains soil organic matter content, thus increasing carbon storage in the soil. This reduces the decomposition of organic matter in the soil, which can lead to a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions.

Secondly, preserving crop residues from previous crops contributes to ongoing carbon storage in the soil when new crops are grown. This plant material, along with carbon absorbed by the soil, is continuously stored in the soil.

Lastly, conservation tillage can increase crop productivity, leading to more biomass production, which can help fix more carbon within agricultural land as part of crop production.

Therefore, conservation tillage is an important method for promoting carbon conservation in agriculture and increasing carbon sequestration.

Thanks Dr. Dogyun Park for participating in the discussion.

Conservation tillage incorporates a range of residue management and no till or reduced tillage practices. Conservation tillage practices have been shown to promote SOC sequestration, most notably, in the shallow surface soil. Tillage can cause the loss of significant amounts of carbon immediately after tillage. The exposure of soil organic carbon to aeration during soil erosion increases CO2 emissions. In addition, soil erosion can cause carbon to accumulate with soil sediments and be removed from the soil carbon pool.Zero-tillage, an agricultural practice that minimizes soil disturbance, can increase soil aggregation and may preserve and/or accumulate SOC which is critical to meet global targets for soil carbon sequestration. Adopting no-tillage in agro-ecosystems has been widely recommended as a means of enhancing carbon (C) sequestration in soils. Managing soils for abundant soil microorganisms by providing sufficient and diverse plant inputs and by reducing tillage can vastly improve the capacity of soils to sequester carbon. Increasing soil carbon is accomplished in various ways, including: reducing soil disturbance by switching to low-till or no-till practices or planting perennial crops; changing planting schedules or rotations, such as by planting cover crops or double crops instead of leaving fields fallow.