Soil Carbon Sequestration: Basis & Basics

Global warming caused by the greenhouse gases has resulted in unprecedented climatic changes.
Various anthropogenic as well as natural processes serve as sources for emission of carbon dioxide,
the most potent greenhouse gas. Soil carbon stocks, a key determinant of soil health is getting
depleted at a fast rate, indirectly placing the global food security at stake. Considerable variability in
the soil organic carbon stocks exists in above and below ground phytomass, which vary with latitude
and climatic regions and with different land use systems. The recalcitrant carbon fraction not only
reduces the losses of soil organic carbon but also serve in locking up the carbon by way of soil carbon
sequestration thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions and global warming to a considerable extent.
Soil carbon sequestration includes a host of technologies that are employed which has the potential to
greatly reduce, capture and store carbon produced both by anthropogenic factors and natural means
in the soil. Mitigative and adaptive strategies of carbon sequestration are largely based on natural
processes, engineering techniques and chemical transformations. A judicious land use and prudential
adoption of recommended management practices is the need of the hour. While tillage based
agriculture damages the soil, conservation agriculture builds soil quality, protects water quality,
increases biodiversity and sequesters carbon. Pyrolytic production of biochar holds much prospect for
soil carbon sequestration.