Delineate Soil Characteristics and Carbon Pools in Grassland Compared to Native Forestland of India: A Meta-Analysis

Padbhushan, Rajeev; Rana, D.S.; Kumar, Upendra; Kohli, Anshuman; Kumar, Ranjit

doi:10.3390/agronomy10121969

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Soils from FL systems showed the highest amount of MBC levels mostly from the larger amounts of aboveground residues and root biomass (Holden and Treseder, 2013;Kumar et al, 2021). MBC can be a sensitive indicator of SOC changes as it has a much faster rate of turnover; hence, trends in MBC have been suggested to predict longer-term trends in SOC (Gupta et al, 1994;Lal, 2004;Haynes 2005;Padbhushan et al, 2020). The lack of carbon inputs from plants would be the primary reason for the lowest MBC in the BL systems.…”

Section: Changes In Soil Carbon Pools and Microbial Quotient (Mq) Fol...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Detecting the impact of management and LUC in soil carbon pools is likely to be more sensitive than total SOC (Campbell et al, 1997;Padbhushan et al, 2015;Padbhushan et al, 2016a;Padbhushan et al, 2016b;Rakshit et al, 2018;Meetei et al, 2020;Padbhushan et al, 2020). Soil microbial activity is the central process in the terrestrial carbon cycle.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of Land-Use Changes on Soil Properties and Carbon Pools in India: A Meta-analysis

Padbhushan

Kumar

Rana

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Land-use changes (LUC), primarily due to deforestation and soil disturbance, are one of the major causes of soil quality degradation and greenhouse gas emissions. Effects of LUC on soil physicochemical properties and changes in soil quality and land use management strategies that can effectively restore soil carbon and microbial biomass levels have been reported from all over the world, but the impact analysis of such practices in the Indian context is limited. In this study, over 1,786 paired datasets (for meta-analysis) on land uses (LUs) were collected from Indian literature (1990–2019) to determine the magnitude of the influence of LUC on soil carbon, microbial biomass, and other physical and chemical properties at three soil depths. Meta-analysis results showed that grasslands (36.1%) lost the most soil organic carbon (SOC) compared to native forest lands, followed by plantation lands (35.5%), cultivated lands (31.1%), barren lands (27.3%), and horticulture lands (11.5%). Our findings also revealed that, when compared to forest land, the microbial quotient was lower in other LUs. Due to the depletion of SOC stock, carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq) emissions were significantly higher in all LUs than in forest land. Results also showed that due to the conversion of forest land to cultivated land, total carbon, labile carbon, non-labile carbon, microbial biomass carbon, and SOC stocks were lost by 21%, 25%, 32%, 26%, and 41.2%, respectively. Changes in soil carbon pools and properties were more pronounced in surface (0–15 cm) soils than in subsurface soils (15–30 cm and 30–45 cm). Restoration of the SOC stocks from different LUs ranged from a minimum of 2% (grasslands) to a maximum of 48% (plantation lands). Overall, this study showed that soil carbon pools decreased as LUC transitioned from native forestland to other LUs, and it is suggested that adopting crop-production systems that can reduce CO2 emissions from the intensive LUs such as the ones evaluated here could contribute to improvements in soil quality and mitigation of climate change impacts, particularly under Indian agro-climatic conditions.

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Section: Changes In Soil Carbon Pools and Microbial Quotient (Mq) Fol...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Land-Use Changes on Soil Properties and Carbon Pools in India: A Meta-analysis

Padbhushan

Kumar

Rana

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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“…(2) SOC stock loss related with nutrient management was determined by using Equation 3 (Shanmugam et al, 2018;Padbhushan et al, 2020).…”

Section: Mqmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The CO 2 equivalent emissions from SOC stock loss were estimated as the amount of carbon in the oxidized form using respective molecular weights by using Equation 4 (Padbhushan et al, 2020).…”

Section: Mqmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Meta-Analysis Approach to Measure the Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Crop Performance, Microbial Activity, and Carbon Stocks in Indian Soils

Padbhushan

Kumar

Rana

et al. 2021

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Cereal crop production gains under conventional agricultural systems in India have been declining in recent years because of inadequate management practices, creating a considerable concern. These activities were shown to deplete soil organic matter stocks, resulting in a decrease in microbial activity and soil organic carbon (SOC) content. Moreover, even with minimal use of organic sources in cultivated land, soil carbon status deteriorated, particularly in subtropical climates. Integrated nutrient management (INM), a modified farming method, has the potential to effectively utilize organic and inorganic resources, to improve the quality of soils and crops, and making farming more economically viable and sustainable. The aim of this study was to use meta-analysis to quantify the effects of INM on crop production, soil carbon, and microbial activity in Indian soils. During the years 1989–2018, data from various research studies in India, mainly on nutrient management in rice and wheat crops, were collected. Meta-Win 2.1 software was used to analyze the results, and significance was determined at p < 0.05. The results showed that the yield of rice and wheat was 1.4 and 4.9% more in INM than that in 100% NPK (N: nitrogen, P: phosphorous, and K: potassium), and that respective yields were comparatively higher in loamy soils (2.8%) and clayey soils (1.0%). The INM treatment increased SOC and microbial biomass carbon (MBC), resulting in improved overall soil quality. The SOC stock was increased by 23.8% in rice, 15.1% in wheat, 25.3% in loamy soils, and 14.4% in clayey soils in INM over 100% NPK. Microbial quotient (MQ) data showed significant trends between different management systems in both soil types, for example, INM > 100% NPK > No NPK. Due to more soil cracking and reduced aggregate stability in the rice field (greater short-term soil structural changes), the SOC stock loss in rice was higher than that in wheat. The CO2 equivalent emissions were 7.9 Mg ha−1 higher in no NPK (control) than in 100% NPK, and 16.4 Mg ha−1 higher in control than in INM. In other words, INM increased soil carbon sequestration by 2.3 Mg ha−1 as compared to using 100% NPK. Overall, the findings of this study show that INM could be a viable farming system mode in India for improving crop production, increasing soil carbon sequestration, and improving microbial activity while remaining economically and environmentally sustainable.

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Effects of short‐term nitrogen addition on the recovery of alpine grassland in the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang, China

Wang,

Liu,

Liu

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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The restoration of alpine grasslands has garnered significant attention across various sectors. Historically, natural restoration has been the primary approach for grassland recovery, characterized by its prolonged duration. To expedite the recovery of degraded grasslands, it is essential to identify the limiting factors of restoration, enabling efficient and rapid recovery. Appropriate nitrogen (N) addition levels have been considered a potential strategy to enhance the recovery of grassland ecosystems and augment their ecological benefits. However, the effectiveness of N addition in alpine grassland restoration remains debated. This study investigated the impact of five N addition levels (CK: control [0 g/m2]; LN: low N [5 g/m2]; MN: medium N [10 g/m2]; HN: high N [15 g/m2]; SN: severe N [20 g/m2]) and two experimental approaches (N addition once per year [NPY] and three times per year [NTY] at the same dosages) on plant and soil properties and the maximum restoration capacity of alpine meadows. Our findings reveal three key insights: The level of N addition was the primary factor influencing aboveground plant biomass and coverage. Plant diversity decreased under the NTY regime and increased with NPY in the Bayinbruck grassland. N addition significantly altered soil properties, including pH, salinity, soil organic carbon (SOC), soil‐available phosphorus (AP), and soil total phosphorus (TP). Notably, soil TP, total nitrogen (TN), and AP substantially impacted plant community structure and diversity. Based on structural equation model (SEM) and analysis of variance (ANOVA), optimal grassland restoration was achieved with the HN (15 g/m2) treatment under NPY and the MN and HN (10 and 15 g/m2) treatments under NTY. Overall, our study offers crucial insights into the conservation, management, and restoration of grassland ecosystems on the Bayinbruck Plateau. It underscores the significance of N addition effects on plant communities, vegetation restoration, and soil properties.

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Delineate Soil Characteristics and Carbon Pools in Grassland Compared to Native Forestland of India: A Meta-Analysis

Cited by 14 publications

References 59 publications

Impact of Land-Use Changes on Soil Properties and Carbon Pools in India: A Meta-analysis

Impact of Land-Use Changes on Soil Properties and Carbon Pools in India: A Meta-analysis

Meta-Analysis Approach to Measure the Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Crop Performance, Microbial Activity, and Carbon Stocks in Indian Soils

Effects of short‐term nitrogen addition on the recovery of alpine grassland in the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang, China

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