Carbon Sequestration for Sustaining Soil Health and Improving Crop Productivity in Sugarcane Based System

Soil management practices such as no tillage and residue mulching have been reported to promote the storage of carbon from atmospheric origin, and to constitute potential carbon sinks. Their assess remains of major importance now a days (i) for mitigating the increased atmospheric concentrations in greenhouse gases (especially CO₂) and (ii) for addressing the problem of agro ecosystem transformation and sustained land productivity. The C fixed in plants by photosynthesis and added to the soil is the primary source of C in ecosystems. Recent concerns with rising atmospheric levels of CO₂ and global warming have once again focused attention on soil organic matter and C-sequestration. Carbon sequestration taken as C-storage, can be achieved by various management practices and the capacity of different management practices to promote storage of soil C and provide a major sink for atmospheric CO₂, can be evaluated most convincingly from long-term studies that contributes unique information on soil C addition, losses and storage. But any predictions for change in C stock in soils depend on reliable estimates of net above ground biomass and the proportion of which is returned back to the soil.

Climatic endowments, soil and water resources are the key factors for high productivity. Intensified agriculture coupled with indiscriminate use of irrigation water and heavy application of fertilizers and/or plant protection chemicals to achieve maximum production in irrigated areas have, however, led to various kinds of physical and chemical degradation of the soil. Besides, emergence of multi-nutrient deficiencies, the problems of soil salinity, alkalinity and water logging also got accentuated. This calls for an integration of technologies for conservation and management of resources vis-à-vis input use efficiencies while safeguarding the soil health and sustaining the crop productivity. The use of organics in association with chemical fertilizers has proved superior over its individual components. Moreover, organics increase the nutrient use efficiency and bring an economy in fertilizer use. The fertilizer and manurial schedules in the system help in correcting the emerging deficiencies of nutrients other than, N, P and K particularly the micronutrients.