Abstract
Under the changing climate documentation of soil carbon and nutrients is indispensable for sustainable crop production which is scarce in the agro-ecological zone (AEZ) of Northern and Eastern Piedmont Plains in Bangladesh. Therefore, the study was conducted collecting and analyzing a total of 240 soil samples considering 0-20 cm soil depth from two upazilas viz. Purbadhola and Akhaura under the mentioned AEZ to quantity carbon stock and nutrient contents of soils. Organic carbon stocks in soils of Purbadhola and Akhaura upazila were 45.97 and 97.04 Gg, respectively, while in the Northern and Eastern Piedmont Plains was 8.56 Tg. The soil pH was very strongly acidic to slightly acidic (4.4-5.8), organic carbon contents (0.53-1.31%) were very low to medium, while the overall soil fertility rated as very low to medium. Balanced fertilization using organic and inorganic sources in general and liming for upland crops might improve fertility and productive capacity of soils in the study area. The study opens up avenues to find out means and ways of increasing carbon contents in soils of Northern and Eastern Piedmont Plains and might help the policy makers to debate on future global carbon trading issues.
 SAARC J. Agri., 16(2): 61-72 (2018)
Highlights
Carbon is a vital element that accomplishes all bio-physico-chemical properties in soils
An important finding is that even though soil organic carbon content is high but because of lower soil bulk density the resultant carbon stock is low in the low land
According to Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) (2012) such potassium level in soils are rated as low for upland crops and medium for wetland rice crop
Summary
Carbon is a vital element that accomplishes all bio-physico-chemical properties in soils. Selection of best and suitable cropping systems potential in storing and maintaining carbon in soils is necessary for sustaining soil health and for limiting the negative effect of global warming in crop production. The sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in the soil and biomass reduces greenhouse effect which is indispensable to improve soil quality, increase agronomic productivity and use efficiency of different production inputs like fertilizers and water helps maintain or restore the capacity of soil to carry out its production and environmental functions on a sustainable basis. The study was conducted to evaluate existing carbon stock and C, N, P and K contents of Northern and Eastern Piedmont Plains which might be helpful in improving soil health adopting different management practices at farmer’s level
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
