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Karabi Pathak ¹, Arun Jyoti Nath ¹, Ashesh Kumar Das ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar 788 011, IN

Abstract

Imperata grasslands, among the oldest forms of managed village land use, provide rural people with subsistence and monitory benefits. Yet, little is known about their role in global carbon (C) budget under the scenario of changing climate. The present study was carried out in managed Imperata grassland in Cachar district, Assam, North East India. The study was designed to understand whether Imperata grasslands are C source or sink, because they are managed through annual fire practice. We studied (i) organic carbon accumulation rate in the soil, (ii) C input from aboveground biomass (CIAB), (iii) C input from belowground biomass (CIBB) and (iv) Soil CO₂ efflux/soil respiration (R_s) on monthly intervals from October 2013 to September 2014 following standard methods. Later monthly data were merged into four distinct seasons, viz. autumn, winter, summer and rainy season to have a clear vision of seasonal influence on C source/sink status. The study showed highest (2.52 g C m^-2 month^-1) soil organic carbon accumulation during summer season. Highest values for CIAB (14.31 g C m^-2 month^-1), CIBB (30.98 g C m^-2 month^-1) and R_s (31.85 g C m^-2 month^-1) were observed during rainy, autumn and summer seasons respectively. C budget analysis with respect to seasons showed Imperata grasslands act as C source during winter and summer, whereas they serve as sink during autumn and rainy seasons. However, annual C budget (across all the months) showed Imperata grasslands as a net sink of 38.45 g C m^-2 year^-1 (0.40 Mg C ha^-1 year^-1). Further research is needed to develop better management systems to enhance sink capacity of Imperata grasslands.

Keywords

Carbon Budget, Climate Change Mitigation, Imperata Grasslands, Soil Organic Carbon, Soil Respiration.

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Arun Jyoti Nath ¹, Biplab Brahma ¹, Karabi Pathak ¹, Ashesh Kumar Das ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar 788 011, IN

Abstract

Wetlands are transitional zones between terrestrial and aquatic systems, and remain inundated or saturated due to high groundwater or surface water during a part or all through the year. Wetlands in different parts of the world have been used for agriculture because of their natural fertility and water availability. Livelihood, food security, income and nutrition of the people living in and around the wetlands in Asia and Africa are strongly affected by their management. Wetlands are amongst the most environmentally sustainable systems, but produce low yield due to traditional systems of management.

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Rajashree Ray ¹, Karabi Pathak ¹, Arun Jyoti Nath ¹, Ashesh Kumar Das ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar 788 011, IN

Abstract

Bamboo is an important wood substitute and agroforestry plant¹ occupying about 37 million hectares of total forest area of the world² . There are about 1250–1500 species of bamboo worldwide³ . It is estimated that almost 11.4 million hectares of land in India is under bamboos and India is a major bamboo-producing country in Asia⁴ . It is one of the most environmentally and economically sustainable resources⁵ and has a major contribution to the diverse economic needs of the rural community of the country⁵ . North-east India occupies about 28% of the total bamboo area of the country and sustains about 70% of rural work force in the region⁶ . Therefore, bamboo forms an important component of rural economy of north-east India⁵ . There are many potential uses of bamboo including food, medicine, fencing, roofing, construction material, furniture, shelter, traditional crafts which plays a significant role as an income generator for the rural poor⁵ . It has been observed that bamboo has a high potential to sequester large amount of carbon and has a crucial role in the climate change mitigation by carbon balance in the ecosystem^1,3–5 . The high standing carbon stock of bamboo thus makes it a vital sink of the terrestrial ecosystem 7 .

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