Critical carbon inputs to maintain soil organic carbon stocks under long-term finger-millet (Eleusine coracana [L.] Gaertn.) cropping on Alfisols in semiarid tropical India

Enrichment of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks through sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in agricultural soils is important because of its impacts on adaptation to and mitigation of climate change while also improving crop productivity and sustainability. In a long-term fertility experiment carried out over 27 y under semiarid climatic condition, we evaluated the impact of crop-residue C inputs through rainfed fingermillet (Eleusine coracana [L.] Gaertn.) cropping, fertilization, and manuring on crop yield sustainability and SOC sequestration in a Alfisol soil profile up to a depth of 1 m and also derived the critical value of C inputs for maintenance of SOC. Five treatments, viz., control, farmyard manure (FYM) 10 Mg ha1, recommended dose of NPK (50 : 50 : 25?kg N, P2O5, K2O ha1), FYM 10 Mg ha1 + 50% recommended dose of NPK, and FYM 10 Mg ha1 + 100% recommended dose of NPK imposed in a randomized block design replicated four times. Application of FYM alone or together with mineral fertilizer resulted in a higher C input and consequently built up a higher C stock. After 27 y, higher profile SOC stock (85.7 Mg ha1), C build up (35.0%), and C sequestration (15.4 Mg C ha1) was observed with the application of 10 Mg FYM ha1 along with recommended dose of mineral fertilizer and these were positively correlated with cumulative C input and well reflected in sustainable yield index (SYI). For sustenance of SOC level (zero change due to cropping) a minimum quantity of 1.13 Mg C is required to be added per hectare per annum as inputs. While the control lost C, the application of mineral fertilizer served to maintain the priori C stock. Thus, the application of FYM increased the C stock, an effect which was even enhanced by additional amendment of mineral fertilizer. We conclude that organic amendments contribute to C sequestration counteracting climate change and at the same time improve soil fertility in the semiarid regions of India resulting in higher and more stable yields.