PresentationOwing to its fast growth, deciduous nature, marketing acceptability, and successful intercropping, poplar has become a viable alternative to traditional irrigated rice-wheat rotation in north-western states of India and satisfies the rising requirements of the plywood industry. Agroforestry provides multiple ecological and economical benefits including carbon sequestration, soil and water improvement, raising species diversity and stabilizing farmer’s incomes by diversification.
Results show the carbon sequestration potential of poplar based agroforestry systems and effects of spacing as well as row direction. In the study, the wheat crop was sown during the first week of November and harvested in April and no other crop was grown till the next winter wheat crop. For estimation of carbon flows, four carbon pools were considered, viz. above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, litter and soil carbon.
Winter cereals are suited to partner deciduous trees. The crop grows strongly during the initial period from November to mid March, when shading is not a problem. By the time the poplars have developed foliage, the cereal crop is completing its vegetative growth and the ripening of the crop is delayed by two weeks. The yield of the grain and straw decreased sharply from 15 to 65 % under one to six year duration. Organic carbon content in the top soil increased considerably under agroforestry crops with 0.36 % under the six year plantation and 0.22 % under the control. The carbon stock in different carbon pools under study indicated that the above-ground biomass followed by below-ground biomass accumulated to 39 t/ha at the age of 6 years under the agroforestry system compared to 4.9 t/ha of the control. The study strongly reinforces poplar-crops association a better option than the sole agricultural cropping, not for carbon mitigation only but for sustainable productivity as well as profitability
