Precision Agriculture and Carbon Sequestration - Need of an Hour in Current Climate Changing Scenario

Abstract

Climate change is reality Global warming, caused by the increase in concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere, has emerged as the most prominent environmental issue all over the world. These GHGs viz. Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4) and surface and thus raise the atmospheric temperature. The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climatic Change (IPCC), in its Fifth Assessment Report, has reiterated that warming of the climatic system is International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 02 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com India has been able to produce enough to feed its 1.25 + billion As well as export food grains to other countries. But the challenge to feed a Projected population of1.6 billion in 2050 and provide them with nutrition Security, is a formidable one because of the continuously degrading natural resource base and shrinking of good agriculture land for cultivation, It has been estimated that to meet the demands of that vast population, land productivity has to be enhanced four times along with three fold increase is water productivity and concomitant increase of six times in labour productivity. The era of Anthropocene has been endorsed by both climatic and non–climatic factors. It may increase the risk of food and water security across the globe. Among all, carbon (C) sequestration is one of the important strategies that could mitigate the effect of climate change to some extent by transferring atmospheric CO2–C into the longlive natural pools such as soils and perennial green biomass. Soil organic carbon (SOC) has relation in plant growth and agronomic productivity Most of the soils of India have been depleted their SOC stocks. Further, changes in climate are exacerbating the risk of soil erosion and alter nutrient cycling, and thereby impacting optimization of crop production. Therefore, conservation of sol organic matter (SOM) is essential to prevent soils from further degradation and for overall soil health maintenance. This article focuses climate change impact on agriculture, C Sequestration and their role on vice-VERSA. The strategies for C sink (efficient use of crop residue, conservation agriculture, integrated nutrient management, agroforestry, cover crop, use of organic and other bio-solids etc.) along with soil C which will have marked influence on sustainable crop production and impart climate resilience. K e y w o r d s Climate change, Carbon sequestration, Smart agriculture, Climate resilient Agriculture Accepted: 17 January 2018 Available Online: 10 February 2018 Article Info Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(2): 1668-1673 1669 unequivocal. The anthropogenic influence on the climatic system is evident from the increasing concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere and the positive radiative forcing. As a result, the temperature atmosphere and ocean is going up, snow and ice are melting fast, and sea level is of rising. This global climate change will have considerable impact on the crop, soil, livestock and fishery. Agriculture engages almost two-third of the workforce in gainful employment and accounts for a significant share in India’s gross domestic product. Several industries depend on agricultural production for their requirement of raw materials. Due to its close linkages with other economic sectors, agricultural growth has a multiplier effect on the entire economy of the country. The agricultural sector is believed to contribute to the greenhouse effect and the ensuring climate change is likely to have adverse impact on this sector, Various agricultural activities such as land clearing, cultivation of crops, irrigation, animal husbandry, fisheries and aquaculture have a significant impact on the emission of GHGs and consequently on climate change (IPCC, 2014). An in-depth understanding of trends in emission of GHGs, their driver, and the relation between the two, is essential for comprehending the need for mitigation and adaptation. The objectives of this paper are to evaluate the emission of GHGs from Indian agriculture, analyze the drivers and trends of GHG emission and assess the potential of various mitigation options. Agriculture as a source and sink of GHG Agriculture contributes to greenhouse effect primarily through the emission and consumption of GHGs such as CH4, N2O and CO2, CH4 is produced in soil during microbial decomposition of organic matter under anaerobic conditions. Rice fields submerged underwater are the potential sources of CH4 production. Continuous submerged, higher organic C content and use of organic manure in Puddled soil enhance CH4 emission. Burning of crop residues also contributes to the global methane budget. The enteric fermentation in ruminants is another major source of CH4 emission. Nitrous oxide is produced in soils through the processes of nitrification and denitrification. Nitrification is the aerobic microbial oxidation of ammonium to nitrate, and denitrification is the anaerobic microbial of nitrate to nitrogen gas (N2) Nitrous oxide is a gaseous intermediate in the reaction sequence of denitrification and a byproduct of nitrification that leaks from microbial cells into the soil and ultimately into the atmosphere. One of the main controlling factors in this reaction is the availability of inorganic N in soil through additions of synthetic or organic fertilizers, manure, crop residues, sewage sludge or mineralization of N in soil organic matter following drainage/ management of organic soil and cultivation / lands-use change on mineral soils. The main source of carbon dioxide in agriculture is tillage, which triggers emission of this gas though biological decomposition of soil organic matter. Tillage breaks the soil aggregates, increases the oxygen supply and exposes the surface area of organic material promoting the decomposition of organic matter. Use of fuel for various agricultural operations and burning of crop residues are the other sources of carbon dioxide emission. An off-site source is the manufacturing of farm implements, fertilizers and pesticides. Climate change is becoming a serious global environmental concern. The signatures of climate change, have been seen in every sphere of life on the earth which ignited the issues towards set back free and eco-friendly environment. The climate has been changing Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(2): 1668-1673 1670 naturally as volcanoes, tectonic plate movements since the beginning of time. Recently it is in the news due to anthropogenic emissions and man-made disturbances. Concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere exceeded the pre-industrial levels by about 40, 150 and 20% in 2011 CO2, CH4, N2O, Respectively. The current total global anthropogenic emission is estimated at 400 ppm (WMO, 2013). It was expected that increase in atmospheric CO2 has a fertilization effect on crops through carbon(C) assimilation pathway and thus may encourage crop growth and productivity (Srinivasa Rao et al., 2016). On the other hand, increase in temperature could reduce crop growth and periods, alter photosynthetic processes, and affect pest populations, nutrient loss in soils. The transfer of C in the green biomass and its sink into the soils is one of the most important strategies to address the problem of land degradation and climate change mitigation. Secondly, CO2 concentration in the atmosphere can be minimised by reducing the global energy use or through the substitution of fossil fuels by biomass and sequesteringCO2 in soils and biomass (Schrag, 2007). SOC refers to containing C in SOM; hence, conservation and agricultural soils have list 30 to 75% of their antecedent SOC pool (Lal et al., 2007). Agricultural, forest and other landuse change (AFOLU) contributes less than 25% (~10-12 Gt CO2 eq/year) of anthropogenic GHG emission. Long-term experiments are important for assessing long-term changes in SIC and crop yields and estimating C sequestration potential of agricultural lands (Srinivasa Rao et al., 2013). Carbon sequestration – a route to