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Soil Inorganic Carbon in Dry Lands: An Unsung Player in Climate Change Mitigation

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Enhancing Resilience of Dryland Agriculture Under Changing Climate

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Abstract

In dryland soil ecosystem, soil inorganic carbon (SIC) is a hidden treasure, which refers to the parent rock carbonate formed during weathering process of silicate carbon, commonly occurring in the form of calcite or dolomite. Generally, in dryland regions, high evapotranspiration along with moisture deficient situation promotes formation of SIC. Apart from its (SIC) potential as atmospheric CO2 sink, it may play an indirect positive role in soil aggregation through the interaction between carbonates and soil organic matter. During the amelioration of sodic soils in dryland regions, SIC acts as a modifier or ecosystem engineer. Anthropogenic activities including unsustainable land use practices and injudicious use of water are the major driving forces for increasing the coverage of global dry lands. The largest accumulation of carbonates occurs in the soils of arid and semiarid areas because of the conducive environment created under dryland ecosystem due to calcification and formation of secondary carbonates. As a result, SIC plays an important role in soil C sequestration and global C cycle. Soil erosion and arid conditions coupled with climate change (drought and heat waves) are posing challenges to dry lands, which strongly influence the carbon cycle due to erosion-induced loss of carbon. Therefore, to unlock the potential of dryland SIC and climate change mitigation, desertification must be controlled to achieve land degradation neutrality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, Ramagirikhilla, Telangana, India

    Kiran Pilli

  2. Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science, M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Bishnuprasad Dash

  3. Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India

    Biswabara Sahu & Jaison M

  4. Department of Fruit Science, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India

    Durgam Sridhar

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  1. Kiran Pilli
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  2. Bishnuprasad Dash
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  3. Biswabara Sahu
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  4. Jaison M
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  5. Durgam Sridhar
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Integrated Farming System, ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, India

    Anandkumar Naorem

  2. Division of Natural Resource Management, ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, India

    Deepesh Machiwal

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Pilli, K., Dash, B., Sahu, B., M, J., Sridhar, D. (2023). Soil Inorganic Carbon in Dry Lands: An Unsung Player in Climate Change Mitigation. In: Naorem, A., Machiwal, D. (eds) Enhancing Resilience of Dryland Agriculture Under Changing Climate. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9159-2_14

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