{"id":72669,"date":"2025-11-10T11:25:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T05:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=72669"},"modified":"2025-11-10T11:57:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T06:27:29","slug":"soil-organic-carbon-soc-decline-due-to-unscientific-fertiliser-use-and-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/soil-organic-carbon-soc-decline-due-to-unscientific-fertiliser-use-and-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Decline Due to Unscientific Fertiliser Use and Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A six-year-long <\/span><b>comprehensive study<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2017\u20132023) by the <\/span><b>Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and coordinated by the Indian Institute of Soil Science (IISS), Bhopal, has highlighted<\/span><b> serious degradation of soil organic carbon<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (SOC) in India\u2019s arable lands.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study, covering 254,236 soil samples from 620 districts across 29 States, was published in the international journal Land Degradation &amp; Development.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Key Findings of the ICAR Study<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil health:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SOC is the<\/span><b> foundation of soil chemistry<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, physics, and biology, <\/span><b>influencing fertility and productivity.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study establishes that low organic carbon leads to <\/span><b>higher micronutrient deficiency<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while higher SOC improves soil quality.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Imbalanced fertiliser use <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>climate change<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are major causes of SOC depletion.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Influence of climate and geography (Elevation and temperature):<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SOC is <\/span><b>positively correlated with elevation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 higher altitudes (hill regions) show higher organic carbon.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SOC is <\/span><b>negatively correlated with temperature <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 hotter regions like Rajasthan and Telangana show lower SOC levels.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rainfall, temperature, and elevation are the three <\/span><b>primary natural determinants<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of SOC concentration.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Cropping patterns and fertiliser use:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Role of cropping systems: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rice-based and<\/span><b> pulse-based systems<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> retain higher SOC due to microbial activity enhanced by irrigation. <\/span><b>Wheat and coarse-grain systems <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">show lower SOC accumulation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Fertiliser practices<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Imbalanced use of urea and phosphorus, especially in <\/span><b>Haryana, Punjab, and Western UP<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, has degraded SOC. States like <\/span><b>Bihar<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where balanced fertiliser application is practiced, maintain relatively healthier soil carbon levels.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Development of agri-ecological base map:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scientists developed an agro-ecological base map covering 20 agro-ecological regions to assess SOC variations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The map can <\/span><b>guide policy decisions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> related to land degradation assessment, carbon credit, and sustainable agriculture planning.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Impact of Climate Change on SOC<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SOC shows a strong negative correlation with rising temperatures, while <\/span><b>rainfall variations have minimal impact.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Declining SOC reduces soil heat absorption and increases surface heat reflection, <\/span><b>aggravating greenhouse gas effects.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hence, SOC degradation <\/span><b>directly links to climate change acceleration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and carbon cycle imbalance.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Policy Implications and Recommendations<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Promoting organic carbon sequestration: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify soils with SOC less than 0.25% and <\/span><b>promote organic carbon enrichment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through improved cropping systems and irrigation facilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Incentivising carbon credit mechanisms:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Introduce carbon credit schemes to <\/span><b>reward farmers <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">who sequester higher carbon through sustainable practices.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Expanding vegetative cover<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Encourage perennial plantations and cover crops to maintain soil organic matter and prevent degradation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Climate-smart crop management<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Develop region-specific crop management practices to mitigate temperature effects and enhance SOC resilience.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Way Forward<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shift towards <\/span><b>balanced fertiliser application<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, incorporating organic manures and bio-fertilisers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Promote <\/span><b>integrated nutrient management (INM)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and climate-resilient agriculture under national missions like the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (<\/span><b>NMSA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enhance soil health monitoring through <\/span><b>digital soil maps<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and farmer awareness campaigns.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ICAR study serves as <\/span><b>a scientific wake-up call <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for India\u2019s agricultural policy.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It establishes that <\/span><b>unsustainable fertiliser use and rising temperatures<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are <\/span><b>critically eroding soil organic carbon<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the lifeline of soil fertility and climate stability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Addressing this requires integrated soil-carbon management, carbon credit incentives, and <\/span><b>climate-resilient farming systems<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 essential for achieving India\u2019s goals of <\/span><b>sustainable agriculture and carbon neutrality.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/climate-change-imbalance-in-fertiliser-use-kill-soils-organic-carbon-icar-study\/article70257059.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>TH<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A comprehensive study by the ICAR has highlighted serious degradation of soil organic carbon (SOC) in India\u2019s arable lands. 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