Page 170 - Agroforestry system - book inner (final corrected) - 9.-3-21_Neat

National level e-symposium on “Agroforestry system for augmenting livestock
productivity and empowering resource poor rural farmers”

S4 – 7

Soil carbon sequestration in existing silvipastoral systems

V.S.Mynavathi*, S.Gunasekeran and C.Valli
Assistant Professor, Institute of Animal Nutrition, Kattupakkam - 603203
Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University
*Corresponding author e-mail: mynagri@gmail.com

Introduction
Climate change is an important environmental issue that has captured the world’s attention during
the recent past. Agroforestry is recognized worldwide as an integrated approach for sustainable land-use.
Agroforestry systems are believed to have a higher potential to sequester carbon (C) because of their perceived
ability for greater capture and utilization of growth resources (light, nutrients, and water) than single-species
crop systems. Silvipastoral systems can better sequester carbon in soil and biomass and help to improve the
soil conditions.

Selection of high productive species with high carbon sequestration potential becomes more important in
this context for utilization of these degraded areas. Hence this research aims at identifying silvipastoral systems
that provide economically attractive solutions to farmers and offer environmental services, particularly the
recovery of degraded areas and Carbon (C) sequestration in dryland ecosystems vulnerable to climate change
(Klaus Lorenz and Rattan Lal, 2014). Soil C stocks, C contents in biomass and socio-economic indicators
were evaluated in the existing silvipastoral systems. Therefore, the present study was designed to estimate
biomass and carbon allocation in different components of 12 year old silvipasture under degraded waste land.

Materials and Methods
The present study was carried out in the existing 12 year old silvipastoral systems in degraded wastelands
at Institute of Animal Nutrition, Kattupakkam. Existing silvipastoral systems consisted of Gliricidia sepium
with the understorey of Stylosanthes scabra was studied. All qualitative and quantitative traits of plants and
soils were observed at regular intervals for assessment and selection of potential species using standard
analytical procedures and methods under different land uses.
To assess biomass and carbon allocation in the existing 12 year old silvipastoral systems in degraded
wastelands, a sample plot of 0.25 ha was allocated and within this sample plot, diameter of all trees at breast
height was measured and recorded. The carbon content of vegetation is surprisingly constant across a wide
variety of species. Most of the information for carbon estimation described in the literature suggests that
carbon constitutes between 45 to 50 percent of dry matter, and it can be estimated by simply taking a fraction
of biomass as per the guidelines given by Magnussen and Reed, 2004.
Results and Discussion

The initial physiochemical soil properties under silvipasture in degraded wasteland is presented in
table 1.

Institute of Animal Nutrition, Centre for Animal Production Studies, TANUVAS
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development 151