Does the accretion of carbon fractions and their stratification vary widely with soil orders? A case‐study of an Alfisol and an Entisol of sub‐tropical eastern India

Abstract

Comparison of the carbon (C) stocks among different soil orders allows us to explore the role of various soil characteristics in long-term C storage and their vulnerabilities.This study quantified and compared the accumulation rates of soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions (in 0-60 cm soil profile) in an Alfisol of Malda (25 27 0 33.9 00 N, 88 19 0 10.2 00 E) and an Entisol of Cooch Behar (26 09 0 62.7 00 N, 89 53 0 51.7 00 E) districts of West Bengal, India. We noticed a greater level of SOC (0-60 cm depth) in the Alfisol than the Entisol as the former soils were clayey in nature (fine textured) which provided the maximum stabilization of SOC compared to the Entisol (sandy textured).However, the storage of C fractions showed some peculiar results. The concentration of mineral-associated carbon (Min-C) was more or less similar in both the soil orders, but its stock was maximum in the Alfisol. While in the Entisol, permanganate oxidizable carbon (POX-C) and particulate organic matter carbon (POM-C) stocks recorded maximum among all the studied depths. A positive relation of SOC fractions and stocks with clay (r 2 = >0.500 in the Alfisol; r 2 = >0.700 in the Entisol) indicated the importance of finer fractions in profile storage of C. Min-C contributed to SOC of about 75%-85% followed by POM-C (3.27%-17.87%) and POX-C (2.57%-4.22%).Higher stratification of SOC and POX-C and POM-C fractions was observed in Entisol; while in Alfisol, stratification of Min-C was greater. Overall, this research demonstrated that the Alfisol has a greater potential in stabilizing Min-C than the Entisol with POM-C and POX-C and the distribution of these fractions varied as per its stabilization.

Land degradation and development in India: Status quo, challenges and opportunities

“…Authors find that non‐structural measures are effective for soil health (Roy, Pal, et al, 2022). An assessment of carbon storage in different land use systems and soil can help us to understand the role of various soil characteristics in long‐term carbon storage (Rakesh et al, 2022).…”

Threatened and Near Threatened Underutilized Edible Fruit Species of Southern India for Food Security and Diversifying Agroecology

“…Greenhouse gases are increasing the earth's temperature; among them, CO is the key gas in global 2 warming, leading to climate change. Additionally, humaninduced intensive agriculture degrades productive soils (Rakesh et al 2022). Thus, sequestration of atmospheric C would be the possible solution for soil quality, yield sustainability, and environmental security (Rakesh et al 2022, Dinesha et al 2023.…”

“…Additionally, humaninduced intensive agriculture degrades productive soils (Rakesh et al 2022). Thus, sequestration of atmospheric C would be the possible solution for soil quality, yield sustainability, and environmental security (Rakesh et al 2022, Dinesha et al 2023. Planting fruit trees through various afforestation and reforestation programmes would help restore degraded lands.…”

Greenhouse gases emissions and agronomic productivity as influenced by varying levels of N fertilizer and tank silt in degraded semiarid Alfisol of Southern India

“…Being rich in soil organic carbon (SOC) and other nutrients, TS application to soil can enhance the water holding capacity (WHC), which is critical to cope with the mid‐season droughts under rainfed agriculture. Soil organic carbon helps in increasing soil stability by promoting soil aggregation that aids in the provision of restoring degraded lands (Rakesh et al, 2022; Srinivasarao et al, 2020). Thus, TS application to croplands improves the physical and chemical properties of soil and results in good crop stand and productivity (Indoria et al, 2018).…”