Impact of agricultural management practices on soil carbon sequestration and its monitoring through simulation models and remote sensing techniques: A review

Abstract

Toward an attempt to limit the global warming to 2 °C, there has been an increasing emphasis on devising suitable policies and practices for entrapment and storage of atmospheric CO₂ to mitigate the detrimental effects of climatic change. Agriculture being a predominant global land use, C sequestration under different agro-ecosystems through appropriate management practices is an important option to combat the anthropogenic climate change. Conservation tillage along with residue management, stubble retention, mulching, organic farming and integrated nutrient management not only facilitates soil C storage but also improves soil health. Change in land-uses and cropping system also impart notable effects on soil C turnover. Biochar application is found effective in augmenting soil C stock and improving soil aggregation. Bioenergy plantations are also effective in sequestering C. Simulation models and remote sensing are innovative tools for predicting and mapping soil C status and identifying site-specific strategic policies to minimize the risk of land degradation and to maintain environmental sustainability. Therefore, the aim of this review is to disseminate ideas regarding current C status, identify researchable priorities and to deliberate pros and cons of agricultural management practices for better implementation of soil C sequestration strategies for mitigating the consequences of climate change.

Graphical abstract

Keywords:

• Soil carbon sequestration
• agricultural management practices
• remote sensing and simulation models

Acknowledgements

We express our immense gratitude to World Food Prize Laureate Dr. Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science, The Ohio State University; Director, Carbon Management and Sequestration Centre; Past President, International Union of Soil Sciences; Adjunct Professor, University of Iceland for his valuable suggestions for strengthening the manuscript.

Author contributions

A. Mandal conceptualized the article structure, content and figures. A. Mandal wrote the manuscript and compiled data with significant contribution from A. Majumder, S.S. Dhaliwal and A.S. Toor. S.S. Dhaliwal, P.K. Mani, R.K. Naresh, R.K. Gupta and T. Mitran provided substantial suggestions. Further edits and improvements during revision was made by A. Mandal and S.S. Dhaliwal.

Disclousure statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.