Impact of land use Change on Carbon Management Index- A Study from the Foothills of Western Himalayas

Soil carbon (C) management is crucial due to its role in the maintenance of soil health and regulation of global carbon cycle. Thus, maintaining soil C is crucial for the mitigation of climate change in the temperate zones, like Western Himalayas. So, the present study aims to understand the impact of different land use systems on carbon management index (CMI). From different land uses, soil samples were collected at 0–20 and 20–60 cm depths. Collected soil samples were analysed for different soil C fractions, C stock, carbon sequestration rate and CMI. Conversion of uncultivated land to other land uses can significantly increase total organic carbon at surface (9.4–52.0%) and subsurface (13.4–37.2%) depth. The saffron soils exhibited the highest passive C pool at both soil depths and active C pool at the surface layer, followed by pear, vegetables and flowering plants. The overall trend of the different C fractions and pools, total organic and total C was saffron > pear > vegetables > flowering plants > uncultivated land in surface soil, whereas in subsurface soil, the observed trend was pear > saffron > vegetables > flowering plants > uncultivated land. The maximum CMI was observed in saffron (169.4) and pear (151.8) soils. The findings of this study have demonstrated the potential of different land use patterns utility in the context of identifying and improving soil C status. Results further imply that the distribution of soil organic C along depth, was influenced by factors such as shoot/root allocations and vertical root distributions.