Abstract
The increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration is a major cause of global warming. This issue may be effectively addressed through sequestration of carbon in plants and soils. Here we studied the potential of vetiver, Vetiveria zizanioides L., to sequester carbon in field plots in Bangalore, India. Vetiver is a perennial and economically viable crop growing in tropical and subtropical regions. Vetiver has medicinal and aromatic properties. Vetiver shoot and root C amounts were measured. Results show that vetiver sequesters 15.24 Mg C ha−1 year−1 in shoot and roots, much higher than that for lemongrass with 5.38, palmarosa with 6.14, and trees with 2.92. In addition the benefit/cost ratio of vetiver, 2.3, is higher than that of rice, 1.97. We estimate that vetiver cropping could sequester 150 Tg per year in India, which is nearly 46 % of C emissions in India.
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This study was funded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (C.S.I.R.), New Delhi, India, under the project “Integrated Analysis for Impact, Mitigation and Sustainability (IAIMS)” (NWP-52).
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Singh, M., Guleria, N., Prakasa Rao, E.V.S. et al. Efficient C sequestration and benefits of medicinal vetiver cropping in tropical regions. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 34, 603–607 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0184-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0184-3