Delineate soil characteristics and carbon pools in grassland compared to native forestland of India: A meta-analysis

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dc.creatorPadbhushan, Rajeev
dc.creatorSharma, Sheetal
dc.creatorRana, D.S.
dc.creatorKumar, Upendra
dc.creatorKohli, Anshuman
dc.creatorKumar, Rajkishore
dc.date2020-12-15
dc.date2024-12-19T12:53:50Z
dc.date2024-12-19T12:53:50Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T04:12:11Z
dc.descriptionGrassland is a highly dynamic land use system and it provides vital ecosystem services, mainly consisting of carbon storage in the tropics and subtropics. The objective of this study was to delineate grassland in India according to soil characteristics and carbon pools in comparison to native forestland, and to discuss management strategies for improving soil carbon (SC) storage in grassland. A total of 675 paired datasets from studies on grassland and forestland in India generated during the period of 1990–2019 were used for meta-analysis study. The analysis shows that soil pH and bulk density (BD) in grasslands were greater by 1.1% and 1.0% compared to forestlands while soil organic carbon (SOC) declined by 36.3% (p < 0.05). Among carbon pools, labile carbon (LC), non-labile carbon (NLC), and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) were 35.5%, 35.3% and 29.5% lower, respectively, in the grassland compared to the forestland. Total carbon (TC) was 35.0% lower in the grassland than the forestland (p < 0.05). Soil carbon stocks (SCS) were 32.8% lower in the grassland compared to the forestland. In the grassland, MBC/SOC (%) from the surface layer and subsurface layer were lower by 2.4% and 8.5%, respectively compared to forestland. The percentage effect size was found to have decreased from surface soil to subsurface soil. Relative SCS loss and carbon dioxide equivalent emission from the grassland compared to forestland were 15.2% and 33.3 Mg ha−1, respectively (p < 0.05). Proper management strategies like agroforestry, legume introduction, silvipastoral system, fertilization, irrigation, and quality grass species could improve SC storage and reduce SCS loss in grassland. Overall, this study gives an idea that conversion of native forestland into grassland in India has declined the SC content and hence it is necessary to adapt proper strategies to manage the soil-atmosphere carbon balance.
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/164382
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/24945
dc.languageen
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourcePadbhushan, Rajeev; Sharma, Sheetal; Rana, D. S.; Kumar, Upendra; Kohli, Anshuman and Kumar, Rajkishore. 2020. Delineate soil characteristics and carbon pools in grassland compared to native forestland of India: A meta-analysis. Agronomy, Volume 10 no. 12 p. 1969
dc.titleDelineate soil characteristics and carbon pools in grassland compared to native forestland of India: A meta-analysis
dc.typeJournal Article

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Instituto Internacional de Investigación del Arroz (IRRI)