Leaf metabolites and carbon harvesting: Insights into spatial extremities of a mangrove ecosystem in Mumbai, India

Abstract. Lupembe IB, Munishi PKT. 2019. Carbon stocks in the mangrove ecosystem of Rufiji River Delta, Tanzania. Bonorowo Wetlands 9: 32-41. Carbon sequestration is one of the most important ecosystem services provided by mangrove ecosystems. Despite this, most Tanzanian carbon storage research has focused on terrestrial environments. Carbon and volume prediction models for the mangrove ecosystem in Tanzania's Rufiji River Delta were constructed in this study. The created models were utilized to calculate carbon emissions. At various depths, the importance of soil organic carbon as a carbon storage was also evaluated. Using linear regression, a damaging sample of 50 trees spanning various DBH size classes was used to create biomass and volume, prediction models. Wet oxidation was used to determine the amount of organic carbon in the soil. Biomass models for stems, branches, roots, leaves, and twigs and volume prediction models for total volume were constructed. At P0.05 and P0.001, respectively, all linear and power form models constructed were significant. At 0-15 cm, 15-30 cm, and 30-60 cm, organic carbon was 39.61 t ha-1, 28.04 t ha-1, and 32.85 t ha-1, respectively. The surface layer (0-15 cm) had considerably more soil organic carbon (39.61 t ha-1) than that at 15-30 cm (28.04 t ha-1) and 30-60 cm (32.85 t ha-1) depths (P0.05). The most biomass C was contributed by Rhizophora mucronata (39.87%), followed by Avicennia marina (39.86%). (28.06%). The smallest contributions came from Sonneratia alba (2.58%) and Lumnitzera racemosa (1.98%). Rhizophora mucronata contributed 39.3% of the overall volume, whereas Avicennia marina contributed 27.1%. Overall, soil organic carbon (61.6%) was nearly twice that of vegetation carbon (38.4%), highlighting the importance of soil as a carbon storage in mangrove ecosystems.

A research on the structure and composition of mangrove vegetation in the Bangkagi Village South Walea Tojo Una Una District has been conducted from September to October 2013 which aims to determine the structure and composition of mangrove vegetationin the studied area. The research was used exploratory survey method by using line (transect method) and in thetransects, plots were made in the size 10 m x 10 m for the observation of trees,5 m x 5 m for the poles and the 2 m x2 m for seedlings.The result of the research showed that there were 7 species of mangrove namely: Ceriopstagal, Avicennia marina, Sonneratia alba, Rhizophora mucronata, Bruguiera gymnorhia, Xylocarpus molluccensis and Schiphyphora hydrophillacea . It’s belong to 5 family that Rhizophoraceae, Avicenniaceae, Sonneratiaceae, Meliaceae and Rubiaceae. The diversity index of Mangrove species at Bangkagi village was low. Species Mangrove of trees in the studied area were dominated by Rhizophora mucronata (193,63%),mean while Rhizophora mucronata (173,30 %) and Rhizophora mucronata were dominant on the level of sapling and seedling (135,35 %). Keywords :Structure, Composition, Mangrove, Bangkagi village.

Below-ground root yield and distribution in natural and replanted mangrove forests at Gazi bay, Kenya

Litter is one of the most important factors controlling the accumulation, stabilization, and turnover of soil organic carbon (SOC) in forests. There is a knowledge gap of the impacts of aboveground and belowground litter inputs on the balance of new and old SOC under different forests in subtropical region. We examined the effects of aboveground and belowground litter inputs on SOC turnover using isotopic tracing technique, based on a 3-year C3 plants/C4 soil replacement experiment in natural forest (NF), Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) plantation (PM) and Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantation (CL). Our results showed that forest types, litter treatments, and sampling time significantly affected SOC contents, δ13C, new and old SOC contents. Moreover, there were significant interactions between forest types and litter treatments. Litter input increased SOC content and net SOC increment, with higher sensitivity of NF than CL. Litter inputs decreased soil δ13C, with lower values in NF and PM compared to CL. For PM, the new SOC content in belowground litter treatment was significantly higher than that in aboveground litter treatment. The contents of old SOC were lower in belowground litter treatment than aboveground litter treatment in the NF and CL. Above- and below-ground biomass were positively correlated with SOC content and net increment. Belowground litter biomass were positively correlated with soil C/N ratio and new SOC content. Our results implied that belowground litter input had stronger effects on SOC turnover compared to aboveground litter input, with the effects varying among different forests. Our results provided new information on SOC accumulation and on sustainable management of the typical forests in subtropical region.

Agricultural operations such as excessive tillage and intense cropping deplete soil organic carbon (SOC), making sustainable agriculture management critical for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study evaluates the impact of crop intensification on soil quality and soil organic carbon stocks (SOCS) under double cropping (DC) and single cropping pattern (SC) in upper Haramosh of Gilgit, Pakistan. Soil samples were taken from cropping zones (DC and SC) under three depths (0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm). Standard methods were used to analyze selected soil quality parameters and SOC. Statistical analysis using ANOVA showed that soil temperature, moisture, pH, SOC, and SOCS highly significantly differed (p < 0.001) for different cropping patterns (DC and SC), whereas bulk density (BD), electrical conductivity (EC), and clay were not significantly different. The SC retained 4.4% more moisture and had lower BD than the DC, while BD increased with increasing depth. The texture of the soil was sandy loam at both cropping zones. The mean SOC and SOCS of SC were greater (by 12%) than in the DC zone. Pearson correlation showed a significant and positive correlation of SOC stock with SOC, moisture (p < 0.01), and EC (p < 0.05), but had a negative correlation with bulk density, pH (p < 0.01), and sand (p < 0.05). DC apparently degraded soil quality and organic carbon reserves, thus reducing the soil health in mountain agriculture.

ABSTRACTIron (Fe) oxides play an important role in maintaining soil organic carbon (SOC) stability. However, little attention has been paid to the role of Fe oxides in preserving SOC in mangrove wetlands with different vegetation communities. In this study, four soils of dominant vegetation communities: Phragmites australis (PA), Acanthus ilicifolius (AI), Sonneratia apetala (SA), and mixed soils of S. apetala and A. ilicifolius (SA + AI) were selected from mangrove wetland of Qi'ao Island. The distributions of Fe‐bound organic carbon (OC‐Fe) and Fe oxides (Feo, acid oxalate‐extractable Fe; Fep, pyrophosphate‐extractable Fe), and the role of soil factors in SOC conservation were investigated. The results showed that soil OC‐Fe content ranged from 1.03 to 4.96 g/kg, with a contribution to SOC ranging from 5.97% to 24.07%, which was highest in SA + AI (3.58 ± 0.94 g/kg), followed by PA (2.67 ± 1.07 g/kg), SA (1.88 ± 0.43 g/kg), and AI (1.82 ± 0.32 g/kg). The Fep content was higher in the PA and SA + AI, however, the Feo content was lower. Structural equation modeling indicated that SOC, Feo, and Fep were direct drivers of OC‐Fe formation. Overall, the aboveground biomass of different vegetation communities indirectly affected the OC‐Fe content by regulating SOC inputs. High water contents, low oxygen conditions, and near‐neutral soils in mangrove wetlands favor OC‐Fe formation between Fe oxides and SOC by co‐precipitation or complexation. This study highlights the importance of mangrove wetland vegetation communities in Fe‐C coupling, while providing theoretical support for the study of carbon cycling processes in mangrove wetlands.

The study utilized the fractal dimensions of the leaves of mangrove species locally found in the City of Tangub to determine if the same can be used for classification purposes. The species used were: Rhizophora mucronata, Avicennia marina, Pemphis acidula, Sonneratia alba and Acrostichum aureum. Findings revealed that fractal dimensions can be used to differentiate one mangrove species from another through their leaf roughness (f =14.400, p = 0.000). However, leaf fractal dimensions alone cannot differentiate the following mangrove species within groups: {Rhizopora mucronata and Avicennia marina}, {Acrostichum aureum and Pemphis acidula}, {Sonneratia alba}. In effect, leaf fractal dimensions identify only the following groupings: {Rhizopora mucronata, Avicennia marina}, {Acrostichum aureum, Pemphis acidula} and {Sonneratia alba}. The results may be due to the small sample sizes used for some of the mangrove species. In particular, the standard deviations of the fractal dimensions of the Sonneratia alba and Avicennia marina may have been over-estimated because of the small sample sizes. The empirical probability of misclassification using the technique is approximately 4.5%.

Indonesia is a maritime and archipelagic country with an ocean area of almost two-thirds of its total area, with a coastline stretching 99.123 km from Sabang to Merauke. According to Indonesian Law Number 1 of 2014, it is mentioned that one of the most important biological resources of the coast is mangroves. Some mangrove species commonly found on Lombok Island are Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba, and Avicennia marina. However, there has not been much exploration of the compound content in these mangroves. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the secondary metabolites of the n-hexane fraction of the three mangrove species using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The leaves of each mangrove species were extracted by sonication method using 96% ethanol solvent, followed by multistage fractionation using n-hexane and water. GC-MS analyzed the n-hexane fraction of each mangrove species. The GC-MS analysis revealed that in the n-hexane fraction of mangrove leaves Rhizophora mucronata and Avicennia marina there were 10 compounds, while Sonneratia alba obtained five compounds. The compounds with the highest intensity in the n-hexane fraction of mangrove leaves of Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba, and Avicennia marina were squalene (41.71%), ethyl oleate (87.53%), and ethyl oleate (44.02%), respectively. Squalene was reported to have antioxidant and anticancer activities. The ethyl oleate was reported to have bactericidal activity on gram-positive and negative bacteria. The three types of mangrove leaves can be an alternative source of medicine

Background: Mangroves play a crucial role in biogeochemical cycles, contributing significantly to the regulation of atmospheric gases, including carbon (C), carbon dioxide (CO2), and oxygen (O2). Through photosynthesis, mangrove species assimilate carbon dioxide, and their biomass formation, including both aboveground and belowground components, is a key indicator of their productivity. This study assesses the carbon sequestration potential and oxygen release of mangroves in Sukol River, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, focusing on the allometric data of various mangrove species. The primary objective of this study was to quantify the carbon stock and oxygen release of mangrove species in Sukol River through biomass estimation. This was achieved by using an allometric approach to determine the aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB), followed by calculating carbon stock and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq), as well as estimating oxygen release from photosynthesis. Methods: A quantitative research design was employed, utilizing the tree allometry protocol for mangrove biomass estimation. A total of six mangrove species—Sonneratia alba, Rhizophora mucronata, Rhizophora apiculata, Avicennia marina, Avicennia officinalis, and Bruguiera sexangula — were assessed within a 125-meter transect line divided into six circular plots. Biomass data were collected, and the carbon stock was estimated using established equations for mangrove carbon and oxygen assessments (Kauffman &amp; Donato, 2012; Zakaria et al., 2021). Results: The mangrove species in the study site had varying biomass, with Sonneratia alba exhibiting the highest AGB of 7,078.50 Mg·Ha?¹ and BGB of 21.63 Mg·Ha?¹, while Bruguiera sexangula showed the lowest values of 7.71 Mg·Ha?¹ AGB and 0.0905 Mg·Ha?¹ BGB. The combined biomass of all species in the study site totaled 4,031.04 Mg·Ha?¹ of carbon stock, equating to 14,793.90 Mg·Ha?¹ CO2-eq. Additionally, based on carbon stock, the mangrove species in Sukol River can release 10,749.43 Mg·Ha?¹ of oxygen. Conclusions: Mangroves in the Sukol River ecosystem demonstrate substantial carbon sequestration capacity and oxygen release, contributing significantly to the global carbon cycle and atmospheric oxygen balance. The results emphasize the potential of mangrove restoration in enhancing carbon sink functions and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Effective management and conservation of these ecosystems are essential for maintaining their biogeochemical roles in combating climate change.

Mangroves are key ecosystems in strategies addressing the mitigation of climate change through carbon storage in several countries around the world. The main objective of this study is to quantify the carbon storage (above- and below-ground) in the biomass and sediment of mangrove forests (Avicennia marina and Rhizophora mucronata), as well as to estimate the carbon sequestration potential in the Gebel Elba Protected Area along the Egyptian–African Red Sea Coast. The mean recorded soil bulk density in both mangrove species was 1.16 g cm–3, while the recorded mean soil organic carbon (SOC) content was 34.95 g C kg–1. The total mean SOC content was statistically higher in A. marina stands (39.66 g C kg–1) than in R. mucronata stands (33.15 g C kg–1 ). The total mean SOC density for A. marina and R. mucronata amounts to 40.60 kg C m–3. We recorded the carbon sequestration rate of mangrove forests in Egypt as 11.36 g C m–2 year–1 and the total carbon sequestration potential as 5.97 Gg C year–1. The average single tree biomass was notably highly variable between different mangrove species and sites, with a total average tree biomass of 164.8 and 43.7 kg tree–1 for A. marina and R. mucronata, respectively. The results show that the average total tree carbon content is 74.3 and 18.0 kg tree–1 for A. marina and R. mucronata, respectively. While the recorded tree below-ground biomass was 54.1 and 32.6 kg tree–1, and above-ground biomass was 110.7 and 11.1 kg tree–1 for A. marina and R. mucronata, respectively. The recorded average biomass per hectare of mangrove was 74997.1 and 22536.8 kg for A. marina and R. mucronata, respectively. Moreover, the average total tree carbon content per hectare was 33782.3 and 9304.7 kg for A. marina and R. mucronata, respectively. However, for Egypt mangroves (525 ha), the total organic carbon content amounts to 17.73 Gg C for biomass and 5.97 Gg C year–1 for soil, with total of 23.7 Gg C of organic carbon content storage in the mangrove ecosystem in Egypt.

Sundarban is the world's largest mangrove wetland. This study, conducted in 2016, to compare blue carbon sequestration with different natural metapopulations and a four-year-old Avicennia marina (30% area)-Rhizophora mucronata (70% area)-mixed mangrove plantation under anthropoganic stress. The aims of the study is to find out the variations in soil ecological function indicators (pH, electrical conductivity, bulk density, soil texture, available nitrogn, phosphorus and soil organic carbon) and key ecological service indicator (soil blue carbon pool) between sites. Simpson's Index of dominance, diversity and Shannon-Weiner Index revealed that all the sites are under ecological stress, with the Suaeda maritima-dominated mudflat having the least biodiversity. It is also revealed that pH and electrical conductivity were highest in Suaeda maritima and Phoenix padulosa-dominated metapopulations, whereas organic carbon was the highest under the mangrove plantation and Avicennia marina-dominated site. Available nitrogen was recorded highest in the community with the Sonneretia sp.-Avicennia marina association. The mixed mangrove plantation had the highest blue carbon pool. The species diversity was not found to be related with the distance from the nearby conserved mangrove forest, contrary to the island biogeography theory. This study concludes with a recommendation of mixed mangrove plantations to restore the degraded saline mudflats along the human settlements across the globe.

Introduction: Among the collection of natural resources in the world, soil is considered as one of the most important components of the environment. Protect and improve the properties of this precious resource, requires a comprehensive and coordinated action that only through a deep understanding of quantitative (not only recognition of the quality) the origin, distribution and functionality in a natural ecosystem is possible. Many researchers believe that due to the quick reactions of soil organisms to environmental changes, soil biological survey to estimate soil quality is more important than the chemical and physical properties. For this reason, in many studies the nitrogen mineralization and microbial respiration indices are regarded. The aim of the present study were to study the direct and indirect effects of soil physicochemical characteristics on the most important biological indicators (nitrogen mineralization and microbial respiration), which has not been carefully considered up to now. This research is the first study to provide evidence to the future planning and management of soil sciences. Materials and Methods: For this, a limitation of 20 ha area of Experimental Forest Station of Tarbiat Modares University was considered. Fifty five soil samples, from the top 15 cm of soil, were taken, from which bulk density, texture, organic C, total N, cation exchange capacity (CEC), nitrogen mineralization and microbial respiration were determined at the laboratory. The data stored in Excel as a database. To determine the relationship between biological indices and soil physicochemical characteristics, correlation analysis and factor analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) were employed. To investigate all direct and indirect relationships between biological indices and different soil characteristics, path analysis (path analysis) was used. Results and Discussion: Results showed significant positive relations between biological indices and clay, organic carbon and total nitrogen, whereas the correlations of the other soil properties (bulk density, silt, sand and CEC) were insignificant. Factor analysis using of principle component analysis showed that the behavior of these two biological indices in the same territory and controlled by the same factors. Path analysis was employed to study the relationship among soil biological indices and the other soil properties. According to results, soil nitrogen mineralization is more imposed by nitrogen (0.98) and organic carbon (0.91) properties as direct and indirect effects respectively. Whereas the values of soil microbial respiration were affected by organic carbon (0.89) and total nitrogen (0.81). It can be claimed that total nitrogen and organic carbon are the most important soil properties in relation to nitrogen mineralization and microbial respiration, respectively. Regarding to the strong relationship between soil organic carbon and nitrogen and also similarly strong relationship between nitrogen and organic carbon mineralization, enhancing nitrogen mineralization is expected by the increase in organic carbon. In this regard, Nourbakhsh, et al. (2002) claimed that nitrogen mineralization is depended to soil organic nitrogen and derived from total nitrogen. In addition, there is a strong relationship between total nitrogen and soil organic carbon. So, the greater amounts of nitrogen mineralization can be related to more accumulation of organic carbon and nitrogen in topsoil (23). This result is in accordance with Wood, et al. (1990) and Norton, et al. (2003) findings (21, 30). Ebrahimi, et al. (2005) stated that if the C/N ratio is more than 30, the process immobility or nitrogen mineralization stopwill be occurred. The ratios between 20 and 30 usually settle and release of mineral nitrogen does not take place, and the balance remains. If the C/N ratio is less than 20 net release of nitrogen in the soil will increase (9).In the present study, the values of soil C/N ratio were less than 20 (mean 15.80), so the process of nitrogen mineralization occurred in the study area. Suitable conditions for microbial activity of soil microorganism's especially adequate supply of organic carbon increased the microbial respiration in the study area. High correlation between the amount of organic carbon and microbial respiration confirmed this claim. However; it seems that the soil organic carbon is driver of microbial respiration rate. This finding is reported by different researchers (6, 7, 15, and 20). Conclusion: Path analysis as a complementary method of regression analysis and factor analysis using principal component analysis showed that the biological activity of the soil characteristics are directly affected by soil nitrogen (for nitrogen mineralization index) and organic carbon (for microbial respiration index) and other useful features influence them indirectly through strong correlation with the characteristics of nitrogen and organic carbon in soil.

Accurate estimation of wetland carbon densities is a prerequisite for wetland conservation and implementation of carbon sink enhancement plans. This study was designed to investigate spatial distribution in Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) and Total Nitrogen (TN), and Soil Organic Carbon density (SOCD) and Total Nitrogen density (TND) stocks in Lagos lagoon wetlands and the influence of other soil physicochemical. The SOC content generally exhibited high seasonal variations for all the sampling points in the wetlands. During wet season it ranges from 12.71±0.15 - 164.995±1.65 g/kg with a coefficient of variation of 40.99%, and dry season ranged from 132.02±3.520 - 383.570±8.43 g/kg with a coefficient of variation of 34.45%. The soil carbon content in the wet season was much lower than the dry season. The total nitrogen content in the wet season ranged from 4.53 – 16.58 g/kg with a COV of 27.96%, while the dry season ranged between 10.16 and 40.31 g/kg with a coefficient of variation of 29.39%.The SOC density of Lagos lagoon wetlands for tops soils ranged from 10.53 to 37.89 kgm−2 with an arithmetic mean of 26.70±1.41 kgm−2 and TND ranged from 0.61 to 2.37 kgm−2 with an arithmetic mean of 1.96±0.09 kgm−2. Pearson correlation reveal a positive correlation between SOC and TN (r=0.643), bulk density and SOC (r=0.344), TN and bulk density (r=0.478) and soil moisture and pH (r=0.085). In the present study, a negative correlation was observed in SOC and pH, and TN and pH. The results suggest that nitrogen content, moisture content and bulk density, which are significantly influenced by vegetation, seasons and topography, are some of the factors affecting their accumulation and seasonal variation. Thus, density of nitrogen and carbon in wetlands are important for soil quality. They also influence the carbon and nitrogen sequestration potential as well as reducing atmospheric CO₂ and mitigating the threat of global warming.Background: Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen are important components of wetland soils; they can greatly influence the wetland ecosystem fertility, quality and productivity. Accurate estimation of wetland carbon densities and pools is aprerequisite for wetland resource conservation and implementation of carbon sink enhancement plans. This study was designed to investigate the dynamics and spatial distribution in Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN), and SOC and TN density stocks in Lagos lagoon wetlands and the influence of other soil physicochemical parameters on them.Results: The SOC content generally exhibited high seasonal variations for all the sampling points in the wetlands. For wet season it ranges from 12.71±0.15 - 164.995±1.65 g/kg with a coefficient of variation of 40.99%, and dry season ranged from 132.02±3.520 - 383.570±8.43 g/kg with a coefficient of variation of 34.45%. The soil carbon content in the wet season was much lower than the dry season. The total nitrogen content in the wet season ranged from 4.53 – 16.58 g/kg with a coefficient of variation of 27.96%, while the dry season ranged between 10.16 and 40.31 g/kg with a coefficient of variation of 29.39%.The SOC density of Lagos lagoon wetlands for tops soils ranged from 10.53 to 37.89 kgm−2 with an arithmetic mean of 26.70±1.41 kgm−2 and TND ranged from 0.61 to 2.37 kgm−2 with an arithmetic mean of 1.96±0.09 kgm−2. Pearson correlation reveal a positive correlation between SOC and TN concentrations (r=0.643), bulk density was positively correlated also with SOC (r=0.344), TN and bulk density (r=0.478) and soil moisture content and pH (r=0.085) were also positively correlated. In the present study, a negative correlation was observed in SOC and pH, and TN and pH. The results suggest that nitrogen content, moisture content and bulk density, which are significantly influenced by vegetation cover and types, seasons and topography, are some of the factors affecting soil organic carbon and nitrogen accumulation and seasonal variation.Conclusion: This study provided an insight in the understanding of the seasonal and spatial distribution of SOC and TN density in the Lagos lagoon wetland. In conclusion, the estimation of the density and storage of nitrogen and organic carbon in the wetlands are important for knowing and maintaining the quality of the soils, and they also influence the carbon and nitrogen sequestration potential of the wetlands as well as reducing atmospheric CO₂ and mitigating the threat of global warming.

Mangrove forests are a community of tropical and subtropical beach vegetation, capable of growing and developing in tidal areas. This study aims to obtain information on the type and density of mangrove species by using remote sensing applications and to obtain mangrove distribution profile based on tidal. This research has been conducted in Bangkobangkoang Island Tupabbiring Sub-district of Pangkep Regency in September-October 2016. This research covers species inventory, mangrove density level using Landsat 8 image with Acquisition 6 June 2016 and mangrove distribution based on sea tides. The results showed that mangrove vegetation density conditions in Bangkobangkoang island were generally in good condition. The types of mangroves on the island of Bangkobangkoang are Rhizophora stylosa, Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba , and Avicennia marina . The dominant mangrove species are Rhysophora stylosa and Rhizophora apiculata. Mangrove distributed at the highest tide with Rhyzophora stylosa type will be submerged while at lowest tide generally no mangrove is submerged except on the western island with the same type of Rhyzophora stylosa Key words: Mangrove, Landsat-8, Density, Ddistributions profile

Soil organic matter (SOM) and soil organic carbon (SOC) constitute usually a small portion of soil, but they are one of the most important components of ecosystems. Bulk density (dB or BD) value is necessary to convert organic carbon (OC) content per unit area. Relationships between SOM, SOC and BD were established in weak alkaline clay fractions of agriculture soils in Southeast Anatolia Region in Turkey. The importance of such relationships results from using sample and rapid techniques to estimate SOC-BD and SOM-BD relationships. Between SOM and SOC, the positive strongest relationship for three models (R 2 =0.9976; 0.9982; 94.64) were detected. For SOM-BD and SOC-BD, negative relationship for three models were determined (R 2 =0.1342; 0.1420; 0.1329 and R 2 =0.1266; 0.1252; 0.1378 respectively). The mismanagement and land cultivation in the past and present causes soil degradation. Therefore, the soil organic matter and carbon are now below their potential level. Evaluation of their stocks requires knowledge about BD. BD is affected by factors such as water, aeration status, root penetrate, clay content, texture, land use and management, therefore it is a very important soil parameter. Key words: Soil organic carbon, soil organic matter, soil bulk density, arid-semi arid soils.