Abstract
Grain legumes and drylands cereals including chickpea (Cicer arietinum), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), lentil (Lens culinaris), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), soybean (Glycine max), finger millet (Eleusine coracana), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) are the leading sources of food grain in drylands of Africa and South Asia. These crops can help smallholder agriculture to become more resilient, productive, and profitable, but their quantitative impact on carbon sequestration is unknown. The aim of this review study was to quantify their contribution to carbon sequestration across the drylands of Africa and South Asia based on 437 publications with 1319 observations in studies conducted across 32 countries. Cropping systems with grain legumes showed the greatest increase in soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations, while cereals (and pigeon pea) gave the largest amount of aboveground carbon stock (>2 Mg C ha−1). Estimated carbon stock in post-harvest residues of these crops was 1.51 ± 0.05 Mg C ha−1 in Africa and 2.29 ± 0.10 Mg C ha−1 in South Asia. These crops produced more aboveground carbon, and significantly increased SOC, when grown as intercrops. Soils with low initial SOC (<1%) and high clay content (>32%) showed the greatest potential for carbon sequestration when cropped with grain legumes and dryland cereals. This study is the first of its kind to provide evidence that grain legumes and drylands cereals improve carbon sequestration across Africa and South Asia.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 108583 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-11 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment |
Volume | 355 |
Early online date | 17 May 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The manuscript is an output from the project 'Natural resource management (NRM) evidence for inclusion of grain legumes and dryland cereals in farming systems', which was initiated and funded as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Drylands Cereals (GLDC), CoA 1.4 of PF 1 and FP 3. The authors would like to express their thanks to the reference group for the project: Katrien Descheemaeker (WUR), Kai Mausch (ICRAF), Steve Boahen (IITA), Dixit Sreenath (ICRISAT), Gajanan L Sawargaonkar (ICRISAT), Kaushal Kishor Garg (ICRISAT), Singh Ramesh (ICRISAT), and Tesfaye Woldeyohanes (ICRAF). The reference group provided inputs during the formulation of the research aims, defining the research questions, determining indicators of natural resource management, developing search strings, and reviewing the preliminary results.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
Funding
The manuscript is an output from the project 'Natural resource management (NRM) evidence for inclusion of grain legumes and dryland cereals in farming systems', which was initiated and funded as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Drylands Cereals (GLDC), CoA 1.4 of PF 1 and FP 3. The authors would like to express their thanks to the reference group for the project: Katrien Descheemaeker (WUR), Kai Mausch (ICRAF), Steve Boahen (IITA), Dixit Sreenath (ICRISAT), Gajanan L Sawargaonkar (ICRISAT), Kaushal Kishor Garg (ICRISAT), Singh Ramesh (ICRISAT), and Tesfaye Woldeyohanes (ICRAF). The reference group provided inputs during the formulation of the research aims, defining the research questions, determining indicators of natural resource management, developing search strings, and reviewing the preliminary results.
Keywords
- Aboveground carbon
- Crop rotation
- Intercropping
- Soil organic carbon
- Sustainable intensification