Unlocking the potential of conservation agriculture for soil carbon sequestration influenced by soil texture and climate: A worldwide systematic review

Abstract

Conservation Agriculture (CA) systems have gained significant attention as a sustainable cropping approach that not only improves crop yields but also contributes to climate change adaptation and mitigation through enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. However, a comprehensive understanding of the influence of soil texture and climate conditions on SOC sequestration under CA remains limited. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic review using the PRISMA method, analyzing data from 35 peer-reviewed articles encompassing 71 field experiments and 451 observations worldwide. Our findings demonstrate the substantial positive impact of CA on SOC sequestration, with an overall increase of approximately 78%. Remarkably, only a mere 2% of observations reported neutral effects, while 20% indicated adverse outcomes. Notably, SOC sequestration rates were highest in tropical regions experiencing dry winters, reaching an impressive 2.50 Mg/ha/year in the topsoil layers. Moreover, fine and moderate textured soils, such as clay, clay loam, loam, and clay sandy, exhibited higher SOC sequestration rates (20-27%) compared to coarse-textured soils dominated by sandy proportions (9%). These findings emphasize the significance of climate conditions and soil texture in shaping the impact of CA on SOC sequestration.