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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp3 (2026): Climate-Weed Nexus: Innovations for Sustainable Farming (CWIS 2025)

Carbon pool management using organic sources for climate change mitigation in a rice-rice cropping system

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13512
Submitted
3 January 2026
Published
09-06-2026

Abstract

The study examined carbon dynamics and physical fractionation patterns of short-term organic amendment incorporation along with mineral nitrogen (N) fertilisation for two consecutive seasons in a sandy clay loam soil (ultisol) under intensive rice cultivation. Four organic amendments plus an unamended control, with four N levels at 0, 35, 70 and 105 kg ha-1 (designated N0, N35, N70, N105) were evaluated. The organic amendments included farmyard manure (FYM), jack tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) leaves (ART), daincha (Sesbania aculeata Pers.) leaves (DNC) and rice husk biochar (RHB). Soil samples collected from 0–15 and 15–30 cm soil depths were analysed at harvest in both cropping seasons to evaluate treatment effects. Organic amendment addition substantially influenced total soil organic carbon (SOC) and its partitioning across physical fractions. Coarse particulate organic carbon (cPOC) was significantly higher and reached maximum concentrations (23.6 g kg-1) under RHB combined with 105 kg N ha-1. All the organic treatments showed more than 1 % increase in cPOC regardless of N supplementation. Fine particulate organic carbon (fPOC) peaked in both virippu and mundakan seasons when Artocarpus residues were paired with the high N rates. Light fraction organic carbon (LFOC) and intra-aggregate light fraction carbon concentrations were greatest under RHB without N addition, a pattern consistent across both seasons. Mineral-associated organic carbon (MinOC) accumulated maximum with RHB at 70 kg N ha-1, but the treatments were found non-significant. Results indicate that LFOC exhibited the highest management sensitivity, followed by sand-sized heavy fraction organic carbon (HFOC) and silt-clay MinOC, corresponding to active, slow and passive SOC pools respectively. Hence, the integrated application of RHB with mineral N elevated SOC, suggesting this strategy could sustain productivity in laterite-based rice systems.

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