Assessment of agricultural crop and soil carbon pools in Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

A geospatial analysis of agricultural carbon pools (crop biomass and soil organic matter) of Madhya Pradesh, India for the year 2005-06 is reported. Remote sensing data, district boundaries, and the agro-ecological sub-regions (AESR) were integrated in GIS with land cover and an FAO-UNESCO soil map. District-wise crop production statistics of agricultural crops of M.P. for the year 2005-06 were used to estimate crop biomass by using conversion factors. Point-based data of soil organic carbon (0-30 cm) was regionalized for all five AESR, and total soil carbon density and stock were estimated. Total crop and soil C stocks of the study area were 34.94 and 790.61 Tg, respectively. Malwa plateau and Narmada valley with hot dry sub-humid condition (AESR III) recorded the maximum crop biomass carbon (14.12 Tg) while Satpura range and Wainganga Valley with hot moist sub-humid condition (AESR V) reflected the minimum crop biomass carbon (2.71 Tg). Maximum (3.95 Mg C ha-1) and minimum (0.50 Mg C ha-1) crop biomass C densities were recorded in Indore and Shahdol districts, respectively. AESR-wise soil organic carbon stocks varied from 74.7 Tg (AESR V) to 263.23 Tg (AESR III). The estimates were found to be positively correlated (R2=0.65) with the remotesensing derived max. NDVI. Positive correlation was also seen with the cropping intensity, net irrigated area, and per capita N consumption.