Abstract
Soil C sequestration through enhanced land use is a good strategy to mitigate the increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2. A study was conducted in Chhatiwan VDC of Makawanpur District to compare soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks of four main land use types such as forest, degraded forest, Khet and Bari land. Stratified random sampling method was used for collecting soil samples. Organic carbon content was determined by Walkley and Black method. Total SOC stock of different types of land followed the order: as Forest (110.0 t ha-1) > Bari (96.5 t ha-1) > Khet (86.8 t ha-1) > Degraded land (72.0 t ha-1). The SOC% declined with soil depths. The SOC% at 0–20 cm depth was highest (1.26 %) that recorded in the forest soils and lowest (0.37%) at 80- 100cm depth in degraded forest land. Thus, the SOC stock varied with land use systems and soil depths. The study suggests a need for appropriate land use strategy and sustainable soil management practices to improve SOC stock.
 SAARC J. Agri., 16(2): 13-23 (2018)
Highlights
Soil is a complex mixture of mineral nutrients, organic matter, water, air, and living organisms determined by various environmental factors such as climate, parent materials, relief, organisms, and time factors (Bajracharaya et al, 2004)
Bulk Density The Bulk density (BD) increased with soil depths for all land uses
There was no linear relationship between bulk density and total soil organic carbon (SOC) content. This implies that the quantity of organic carbon stored in the soil is governed by SOC percentage and BD
Summary
Soil is a complex mixture of mineral nutrients, organic matter, water, air, and living organisms determined by various environmental factors such as climate, parent materials, relief, organisms, and time factors (Bajracharaya et al, 2004). Soil contains three times more carbon (C) than in atmosphere and 3.8 times more C than in biotic pool (Shrestha et al, 2012). Soils are a potentially viable sink for atmospheric carbon (Lal et al, 2012). Soil carbon sequestration is a process of transforming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the soil through crop residue and other organic solids, and in a form that is not immediately remitted. (Sundermeier et al, 2005) This transformation has the potential to reduce atmospheric CO2, thereby slowing global warming and mitigating climate change
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