Contribution ofJatropha curcasto soil quality improvement in a degraded Indian entisol

Abstract

Soil quality improvement is critical to any rehabilitation programme in dry land degraded ecosystems. This study reports on the impact of cultivation of Jatropha curcas with or without soil amendments on the structural stability, and carbon and nitrogen content of a degraded Entisol under rehabilitation in western India. Cultivation of Jatropha curcas resulted in 11% average increase in mean weight diameter of the soil and 2% increase in soil macro-aggregate turnover. Cultivation of Jatropha curcas with nitrogen and phosphorus-or without any-amendment improved macro-aggregate stability relative to nearby native vegetation. Regression analysis showed a significant correlation between organic carbon and mean weight diameter. The cultivation of Jatropha curcas appeared to have also contributed to the quality of these soils as it maintained organic carbon and nitrogen stock and displayed a potential to increase carbon sequestration rate. Soil structure recovery under cultivation of Jatropha curcas implies a sustainable improvement in the surface integrity of these soils, which will ensure more water infiltration rather than runoff and erosion.

Jatropha: From global hype to local opportunity

“…Third, planted as a hedge Jatropha can be used as a living fence, to exclude browsing animals for ecological restoration or food crop protection because it is unpalatable to livestock (Gubitz et al, 1999;Zahawi, 2005). Fourth, Jatropha can also be planted in contour hedgerows to reduce soil erosion (Heller, 1996;Gubitz et al, 1999) and to improve soil quality in degraded ecosystems (Ogunwole et al, 2008). Finally, locally organized oil extraction will keep seed cake, which is useful as combustible or as a soil amendment (Gubitz et al, 1999), available for the local farmers, which is more difficult in centralized processing setups (Francis et al, 2005), often used for largescale projects.…”

Integration of internet of things to reduce various losses of jatropha seed supply chain

“…However, warmer climates appear to result in better yields.  Quality of the soil Sandy soils [4] with ample drainage are ideal for a high jatropha yield. The condition of the ground water [5] is an important factor as well.…”

"Land Use Impact on Soil Physical Quality and Soil Structure in Three Highland Watersheds of Ethiopia"

“…Increased aggregation and stability of aggregates with organic carbon sequestration have been identified as key indicators for evaluating soil quality. 7,8 It is therefore, important to evaluate modifications that long term land use types can produce on soil aggregate dynamics and SPQ. Further, a new SPQ indicator referred to as Dexter 'S-index, S-value or S-theory' has been defined 9 at the inflection point of the soil water release curve (SWRC), as the slope of the SWRC (log h, θ) at that point.…”