Climate change, imbalance in fertilizer use impact soil’s organic carbon: ICAR study, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• An ICAR study reveals that unscientific fertilizer use and climate change degrade organic carbon in India's arable land.
• The study analyzed 2,54,236 soil samples from 620 districts across 29 States, starting in 2017.
• Organic carbon levels correlate with elevation, with higher elevations showing higher carbon content.
• Imbalanced fertilizer use, particularly in Haryana, Punjab, and western Uttar Pradesh, negatively impacts soil organic carbon.

Detailed Insights:

• The research emphasizes that organic carbon is crucial for the soil's physical, chemical, and biological health.
• The study correlates low organic carbon with high micronutrient deficiencies in the soil.
• Temperature negatively impacts organic soil carbon, with higher temperatures leading to lower carbon content, as seen in Rajasthan and Telangana.
• The scientists developed an 'agri-ecological base' map to evaluate the impact of cropping systems and fertilizer use on organic carbon.
• The map can aid in policy decisions related to carbon credits and assessing land degradation.
• Rising temperatures due to climate change may further reduce soil organic carbon, affecting soil health, carbon credits, and heat emissions.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Organic Carbon: The carbon component of organic compounds in the soil.
• Carbon Credit: A permit that allows a company to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide.
• Land Degradation: The reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity and complexity of rain-fed cropland, or range, pasture, forest and woodlands.