To meet the great challenge of feeding the Indian population in the coming centuries by keeping soil health intact, scientists are busy to find suitable ways to maintain, whenever necessary to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) in SAT soils. Following the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) recommendations mainly for agricultural land uses in Indian SAT soils since the last several decades during the post green revolution period, SOC stock (0-150 cm) shows changes from 30 to 395% in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) soils, and from 30 to 120 % in the red and black soils region (BSR) over 19801. Economic analysis on SOC sequestration reported that in majority of long-term experiments, the recommended doses of NPK plus FYM (10t ha-1) treatment showed higher SOC and also higher net return than that under NPK treatment, suggesting that application of FYM with NPK is a cost effective, win-win technology for the Indian farmers 2. Paradoxically, the short and long-term experiments reported during the recent past 1,3 and in recent times on both IGP 4,5 and BSR 6-8 soils indicate that these soils have reached a quasi-equilibrium stage and seldom show OC content (0-30 cm) > 1% whereas the soils of humid tropical (HT) climates have >>1-3 % OC content 9. This suggests that for OC rich Indian HT soils, there is no immediate need to achieve the “4 per 1000” goal but it may be necessary for SAT soils 10. However, it is intriguing that why the SAT soils (non-acidic, calcareous and dominated either by mixed or smectitic clay minerals) under decades long NARS management for agricultural crops, do not have OC > 1%? Factors preventing the further rise in OC beyond 1% are not yet known. Does it suggest that the aspiration of “4 per 1000” concept loses its relevance in SAT soils when they are cultivated for agricultural crops? This important question is posted in RG to invite fruitful discussion and also seek valuable comments and suggestions from my esteemed RG colleagues, which may help develop suitable management protocol in pursuit of enhancing SOC content not only for SAT soils of India but also for similar soils of the tropical world.
1. Bhattacharyya T, Pal DK, Chandran P, Ray SK, Mandal C, Telpande B (2008) Soil carbon storage capacity as a tool to prioritise areas for carbon sequestration. Curr Sci 95:482-494
2.Pathak H, Byjesh K, Chakrabarti B, Aggarwal PK (2011) Potential and cost of carbon sequestration in Indian agriculture: estimates from long-term field experiments. Field Crops Res 120:102–111
3.Wani SP, Pathak P, Jangawad LS, Eswaran H, Singh P (2003) Improved management of Vertisols in the semi-arid tropics for increased productivity and soil carbon sequestration. Soil Use Manage 19: 217–222
4.Sidhu GS, Bhattacharyya T, Sarkar D, Chandran P, Pal DK et al. (2014) Impact of management levels and land-use changes on soil properties in rice-wheat cropping system of the Indo-Gangetic Plains. Curr Sci 107: 1487-1501
5.Ghosh A, Bhattacharyya R, Meena MC, Dwivedi BS, Singh G, Agnihorti R, Sharma C (2018) Long-term fertility effects on soil organic sequestration in an Inceptisol. Soil Tillage Res 177:134-144
6.Joshi SK, Bajpai RK, Kumar P, Tiwari A, Bachkaiya V, Manna MC, Sahu A, Bhattacharjya S, Rahman MM, Wanjari, RH, Singh M, Coumar V, Patra AK, Chaudhari SK (2017) Soil organic carbon dynamics in a Chhattisgarh Vertisol after use of a rice–wheat system for 16 years. Agron J 109:2556–2569, doi:10.2134/agronj2017.04.0230
7.Sharma KL, Reddy S, Chary GR et al. (2018) Effect of surface residue management under minimum tillage on crop yield and soil quality indices after 6 years in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)-cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) system in rainfed Alfisols. Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev 33: 64-74
8.Datta A, Mandal B, Badole S, Chaitanya KA, Mazumdar SP, Padhan D, Basak N, Barman A, Kundu R, Narkhede WN (2018) Interrelationship of biomass yield, carbon input, aggregation, carbon pools and its sequestration in Vertisols under long-term sorghum-wheat cropping system in semi-arid tropics. Soil Tillage Res 184: 164-175
9.Pal DK, Wani SP, Sahrawat KL, Srivastava P (2014) Red ferruginous soils of tropical Indian environments: a review of the pedogenic processes and its implications for edaphology. Catena 121: 260-278. doi: 10.1016 /j. catena 2014.05.023
10.Nath AJ, Lal R, Sileshi GW, Das AK (2018) Managing India’s small holder farms for food security and achieving the “4 per thousand” target. Sci Total Environ 634: 1024-1033.
In 2014, India was the fourth largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2) after China, USA, and the European Union. India's GHG emissions increased by an alarming 4.7% in 2016 compared to the previous year, while there was a decline in emission from the USA by 2% and China by 0.3%. India has agreed to reduce its emission intensity by 35% from the 2005 levels by 2030. To achieve this target, India has proposed (i) increasing the share of non-fossil fuel based power generation capacity to 40% of installed electric power capacity, and (ii) creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5–3 GtCO2e through afforestation by 2030. Agriculture, which is the major land use occupying 55% of the total land area of India and containing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks estimated at 3.2-3.6 Gt was not included in the proposal.
The “4 per 1000” target is not a normative target, it is intended to highlight that even small increases in SOC can play a crucial role in improving soil fertility, productivity and achieving the long-term objective of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C. The low reserves of SOC in the arid and semi-arid and dry sub-humid climatic regions, which cover nearly 50% of the total agricultural land of India provides an opportunity to work towards the “4 per 1000” initiative. Perhaps innovative best management practices may accelerate the SOC sequestration in arid and semi-arid and dry sub-humid climatic regions.
@Arun- Thanks for your answers. I think the first target for the soil researchers would be to find out factors that are preventing the rise in SOC even after conducting decades long experiments. Understanding the cause-effect relation appears to be mandatory for innovating the right management protocols that may help sequestering more OC. It is a true challenge for soil researchers; mere agronomic experiments would not be sufficient.
Thank you sir for sharing the concept papers.
SOC increase by 0.4 % up to 40 cm depth per year and continue for next 20 years. Initially we can achieve and it can be maintained for 5-6 yrs by adopting BMPs. It is impossible at global level or even in an individual farm level for 20 yrs.
@RPS-Would you please share some relevant data where 0.4 % increase for the first 5-6 years is achieved?
Sir,
This is the observation taken in vegetable based cropping systems of IGP area under organic and inorganic vegetable production systems. Trial was started in year 2008. SOC was increasing under FYM treatment and it was constant under inorganic RDF. Data published in Annual report of IIVR, Varanasi. Regards
@RPS - Was the increase truly 0.4% each year? In case it was then soils should have OC >> 1%. Is this the fact under SAT environment? Please confirm.
No sir, it is not like this. Actually SOC increased at the rate of more than 0.4% of the existing content of OC in soil under organic treatments i.e. FYM, poultry manure and vermicompost and it was almost constant under inorganic system.
I am working in AICRP -LTFE, and after 40 years of LTFE, we found that balance nutrient managment (100% NPK) is achieved the target of Peris Declaration of Soil C 4 per mille, except the Pantnagar center because the initial C content in Pantnagar soil was 1.48% (in 1971).
Therefore, especially for SAT, when farmars adopt balance nutrient management regularly, they will definately achieve the target of Soil C 4 per mille.
Also we found that 100% NPK+ FYM overweight the results of 100%NPK
Dear Uttam-Pantnagar soils were Mollisols formed in sub-humid moist bio-climate and thus do not strictly represent SAT environment. It appears SAT soils may not have OC > 1% even under best management practices. If at all it happens, that would call for in depth carbon research.
Sir, I also stated that except Pantnagar, in all the LTFE centers balance nutrient management fulfill the target of soil C 4 per 1000 in long run, which includes SAT environment like Jagtial (A.P.), Banglore and Coimbatore.
Many among us have started believing that the 4 mile concept has a good impact in our soils including SAT soils. Paradoxically, the SOC content (0-30 cm depth) of both short and long-term experiments on SAT soils with recommended doses of NPK fertilizers plus FYM (10t ha-1) show a value < 1%. Therefore, it is intriguing that why the SAT soils (non-acidic, calcareous and dominated either by mixed or smectitic clay minerals) under decades long NARS management for agricultural crops, do not have OC > 1% ? Factors preventing the further rise in OC beyond 1% are not yet known. Does it suggest that the aspiration of “4 per 1000” concept loses its relevance in SAT soils when they are cultivated for agricultural crops? So, a serious research endeavour in C research is warranted.
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