Carbon Sequestration in Alkaline Soils

فصل كتاب

2019

تم النشر فى: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-29337-6_6

Bashir, Muhammad Rashid, Qaiser Hussain, Khalid Saifullah Khan, Mohammad I Alwabel, Munir Ahmad, Sarosh Alvi, Muhammad Riaz, Song Xiongyun, Abdul Manaf, Muhammad Azeem, Saqib . 2019

Healthy soils ensure food security through sustainable agricultural production and also support in mitigating the climate change hazardous like global warming and greenhouse gases emission. However, the anthropogenic distresses of global carbon cycle cause serious risks of global warming due to the rise in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Alkaline soils occupy around one-third of the land but contain only a small quantity of soil organic carbon which is crucial in sustaining soil health and productivity. The mismanagement and misuse of alkaline soils result in soil erosion, poor soil productivity, lower water retention, weak soil biodiversity, and desertification which ultimately cause a substantial loss of soil organic carbon. These soils have pronounced capacity of carbon sequestration which requires proper management and land use practices. The adoption of conservation tillage, crop rotation, cover crops, and organic amendments can minimize soil erosion and enhance soil quality. Additionally, these practices compared with conventional operations can enhance soil quality and water retention and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. The fallowing of lands must be discouraged because appropriate vegetative cover promotes carbon storage in alkaline soils.