Variability in soil organic carbon pools in different land use systems in the north-eastern region of India

The current study was carried out during 2020 to 2022, at Horticulture Research Centre (HRC), Nagicherra, Agartala, Tripura to assess and compare the effects of various land use systems, including bamboo, tea, mango, lemon, rice-rice, wheat-millet, okra-onion and uncultivated soils, on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. SOC is a critical component of terrestrial ecosystems, influencing soil health, fertility and carbon sequestration potential. The NEH region of India, Tripura characterized by its diverse agro-ecological zones and land use systems (LUS), presents a unique opportunity to investigate the various land use regimes' effects on SOC pools. Walkley and Black carbon (WBC) significantly vary among the selected LUS, ranging from 7.14–12.48 g/kg, with the maximum values in tea LUS. In 0–30 cm depth, very labile C (CVL) pools are very variable among the selected LUS (2.04–5.35 g/kg), which is the highest in tea and mango compared to the uncultivated system. The C pools in selected LUS indicated the deviation depth and land use pattern. Lability index (LI) varies from 1.50–1.63 and 1.40–1.74 in 0–30 cm and 30–60 cm depth, respectively. Carbon pool index (CPI) assessed highest in tea LUS, 1.78 and 2.1 from 0–30 and 30–60 cm, respectively. Carbon management index (CMI) was higher in selected LUS compared to uncultivated system.