Aboveground and Soil Carbon Stock of Teak Plantations under Varied Rainfall Regimes

Aims: Forest plantations are considered to be the most effective approach to reducing the atmosphere's rising carbon dioxide levels. The variation in the carbon stock under important plantation species and the heterogeneity across climatic regimes, however, are urgently needed.

Place and Methodology: Research was conducted on seven-year-old teak plantations in Karnataka, India, to determine the above-ground and soil carbon sequestration potential of teak plantations under various rainfall regimes.

Results: The teak plantations under high rainfall zone (RFZ) accumulated maximum above-ground biomass revealing the positive effect of rainfall the productivity. This was reflected in the total above-ground carbon sequestration of the plantations leading to maximum carbon storage under the high RFZ followed by medium and low RFZ. Further, the variation of the SOC along the soil depth was evident in the present study.

Conclusion: According to the findings, rainfall significantly impacted above-ground carbon sequestration and SOC, with high rainfall leading to the greatest sequestration. The climate sensitivity of carbon sequestration demands elaborate studies to improve carbon storage in the plantations in future climate change scenarios.