Comparative performance of farming practices in terms of carbon sequestration potential of mulberry and soil organic carbon stock

Experimentation under the study at Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute, Berhampore (West Bengal, India) was laid out in RBD comprising of seven treatments replicated thrice. The treatments consist of six different farming practices along with a fallow. Mulberry variety, S 1635, spaced at 60 x 60 cm was subjected to those farming practices under irrigated Gangetic alluvial soil. Three years’ field experimentation revealed that yield attributes, carbon sequestration potential (CSP) and NPK uptake by mulberry was varied significantly with respect to farming practices as well as seasons. Mulberry growing under moderate tillage with grass cover registered the highest leaf productivity and CSP of 38.72 t ha-1 year-1 and 6.90 t ha-1 year-1, respectively in comparison to the existing farming practice (intensive tillage without grass) registering the same two parameters as 38.16 t ha-1 year-1 and 6.54 t ha-1 year-1, respectively. It shows that the former is capable of earning an annual carbon credit of 0.36 t from one hectare of land in comparison to the existing farming practice and of course without any compromise with the leaf productivity. Furthermore, the particular farming practice, moderate tillage with grass cover, registered 40.16 Mg ha-1soil organic carbon stock (SOCS) estimated after completion of the field experimentation and the same was significantly higher than the existing farming practice registering the value of 35.25 Mg ha-1. Thus, in terms of SOCS also, the same farming practice is capable of earning carbon credit to the tune of 4.91 Mg ha-1 in comparison to the existing farming practice over a time period of three years. It is also worthy to mention that the particular altered farming practice as mentioned can even earn a carbon credit of 1.14 Mg ha-1 in terms of SOCS in comparison to the fallow land over the same period of time.