Soil Carbon Stock and Carbon Pool Indices under Major Land Use Systems of Mayiladuthurai District, Cauvery Delta Zone, India

Background- Soil organic carbon serves as potential indicator of the soil quality which is influenced by the changes in management practices. The conversion of natural ecosystem by anthropogenic activities resulted in decline of SOC. So, this study was conducted to assess the carbon indices and understand the dynamics to develop the management strategies for enhancing the C pool in the soil. Methods- The present study was conducted in major land use systems of Mayiladuthurai district of Cauvery delta zone in Tamil Nadu. Soil samples were collected by stratified random sampling at two different depths and estimated for soil carbon indices. Result- The SOC, C stock, bulk density, microbial biomass carbon, dehydrogenase, carbon management index of the study area varied with the mean value of 12.51 Mg ha-1, 10.57 t ha-1, 1.26 Mgm-3, 302.52 µg kg-1, 38.21 µg TPF g-1 day-1and 126.91 % respectively. C stock were in the order of forestry greater than rice-pulses greater than rice-cotton greater than sugarcane greater than uncultivated among the different land uses of the study area. The difference in vegetation, litterfall, soil chemistry, microbial activity, substrate, root exudate, root biomass and root turnover influenced the variation in carbon pool under different land uses of the study area.