Carbon sequestration, soil health improvement and livelihood security through mango-based agroforestry system

Abstract

This present experiment on mango-based agroforestry system was carried out at on-farm experimental site of Daspalla block in Nayagarh district, Odisha during 2013-14 to 2016-17 under All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Agroforestry, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design consisting of nine treatments, i.e. intercrops cluster bean, cowpea, brinjal, okra, blackgram, groundnut, arhar, sesamum and sole mango with three replications. Maximum mango tree height (2.46 m), basal girth (18.40 cm) and total tree biomass (0.326 t ha-1) was recorded with mango + cowpea as intercrop at 48 month after planting. The highest net return of Rs. 55,340 ha-1 and BCR 2.38 was recorded with mango + brinjal system. This system also generates maximum employment of 240 days followed by cowpea (200 mandays ha-1) and okra (180 mandays ha-1) compared to sole mango (50 mandays ha-1). Among different agroforestry system mango + cowpea resulted in maximum improvement in soil organic carbon content (3.77 g kg-1), available N (142.5 kg ha-1), available P (16.87 kg ha-1), available K (257.9 kg ha-1), total carbon sequestration (8.36 t ha-1) and equivalent CO2 (0.82 t ha-1) compared to initial value of organic carbon content (2.88 g kg-1), available N (113.4 kg ha-1), available P (9.44 kg ha-1), available K (194.6 kg ha-1), total carbon sequestration (7.03 t ha-1) and equivalent CO2 (0.30 t ha-1).