477However, C sequestration in soil provides the time up to the substitutes as fossil
fuels come into effect. Impacts of C sequestration on global climate change are
discussed below.
3.1.1 Farm Chemicals and Fuel Consumption
Many practices consist of C-based inputs present in N to about 0.86 kg C kg−^1 , P 2 O 5
0.17 kg C kg−^1 , K 2 O 0.12 kg C kg−^1 , lime 0.36 kg C kg−^1 , insecticides 4.9 kg C kg−^1 ,
herbicides 4.7 kg C kg−^1 , fungicides 5.2 kg C kg−^1 (West and Marland 2002 ), and in
groundwater, pumping for irrigation purpose is 150 kg C ha−^1 (Follett 2001 ). Tillage
practices also discharge C from the soil e.g., plowing with moldboard emits about
15 kg C ha−^1 , chisel 8 kg C ha−^1 , light tandem disks about 6 kg C ha−^1 , sub-soiler
11 kg C ha−^1 , cultivator 4 kg C ha−^1 , and rotavator 2 kg ha−^1 during hoeing (Lal
2004a). So, C release can be decreased by 30–35 kg C ha−^1 per season if conven-
tional tillage is replaced by no till farming (Lal 2004a). Balanced use of C-based
inputs is, however, very important to reduce the C losses.
3.1.2 Nutrition
Carbon is the one of the most important elements that constitutes the living bodies.
According to an estimate, for 1 Gt of C sequestration, the world requirement for N,
P and K are 80, 20 and 15 million tons, respectively (IFDC 2000 ). Various C sources
including biological nitrogen fixation, reuse of subsoil after recycling, deposits
through air, use of waste material from biological resources and from crop residues
provide C for sequestration. For instance, one ton cereal residues consist of nutri-
ents as N (12–20 kg), P (1–4 kg), K (7–30 kg), Ca (4–8 kg), and Mg (2–4 kg).
Globally, 3 Gt year−^1 of residues are produced from grain crops, those if used after
recycling can be used for fuel, betterment of quality of soil and for sequestration of
C. Crop residues are also used for the production of ethanol, and a good source for
energy production by burning. These can be utilized for C sequestration to improve
the soil quality, and for the production of biofuel. However, the economic assess-
ment of these two competing uses is required in future.
3.1.3 Soil Erosion and Deposition
Soil erosion removes SOC, through the sediments, borne from water and wind. The
sediments enriched with SOC are either reallocated over the landscapes, settled
down in depressions, and may be passed to the water bodies. Even though a major
portion of C, transferred due to erosion, might be covered up and redeployed, the
remaining is released to atmosphere by methanogenesis as CH 4 and by mineraliza-
tion as CO 2 (Smith et al. 2001c). Deposition and burial due to erosion is 0.4–0.6 Gt
C year−^1 than released into atmosphere which is 0.8–1.2 Gt C year−^1 (Lal 2003b).
Soil Carbon Sequestration in Dryland Agriculture