Soil Carbon Stocks in India — Issues and Priorities

Abstract

Restoration of soil health through soil organic carbon (SOC) management is a major concern for tropical soils. Barring its importance for sustainable crop production, the accelerated decomposition of SOC due to agriculture resulting in loss of carbon to the atmosphere and its contribution to the green house effect is a serious global problem. The contributions of SOC on physical, chemical and biological properties of soils in sustaining their productivity are being appreciated since the dawn of human civilization. Important factors controlling SOC levels include climate, hydrology, parent material, soil fertility, biological activity, vegetation patterns and land use (Jenny and Raychaudhuri 1960). SOC is sensitive to impact of human activities viz. deforestation, biomass burring land use changes and environmental pollution. It has been estimated that the land use change resulted in the transfer of 1-2 Pg C/yr from terrestrial ecosystem to the atmosphere of which 15-17% carbon is contributed by decomposition of SOC (Houghton and Hackler 1994).