Carbon sequestration potential of plantation forestry and improvements in soil nutrient status in a subtropical area of northern India

Variability in carbon sequestration efficiency of different tree species in Kahinaur plantation forest of district Mau, Uttar Pradesh, India was evaluated. Moreover, improvement in nutrient status and other physicochemical characteristics of soil due to plantation forest was also taken into consideration. Soils in the plantation forest possessed higher soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) than the adjacent waste land soil. However, nutrient status of both plantation and wasteland soil decreased with increasing soil depth and bulk density. The soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), soil enzyme activities like soil dehydrogenase activity, acidic and alkaline phosphates and soil respiration were higher in the plantation forest soil as compared to the waste land soil. The highest SMBC (114.47 μg g−1 soil 24 h−1) was reported in plantation forest soil, but only 56.65 μg g−1 soil 24 h−1 in waste land soil. In addition, the activity of soil dehydrogenase (2.74 μg g−1 soil h−1) was also highest in the plantation forest soil. Among the studied tree species, carbon accumulation was found maximum in Prosopis juliflora, Putranjiva roxburghii, Pithecellobium dulce and Artocarpus heterophyllus depicting that these can be recommended as atmospheric carbon reducers for their better potential to sequester and store carbon. The study indicated that afforestation or forest plantation improved SOC, nutrient stock and improved other important soil fertility parameters in the plantation forest soil as compared to the non-forest soil i.e., waste land.