Enhancing fodder biomass and mitigating climate change in Central India’s semi-arid zones through silvipastures

Abstract

Fodder production, biomass carbon storage and the oxygen release potentials of the silvipasture system consisting of Acacia nilotica, Ficus infectoria, Morus alba and Leucaena leucocephala integrated with grass species Megathyrsus maximus and Chrysopogon fulvus along with fodder legume Stylosanthes seabrana were evaluated. Among trees/shrubs, at the age of 12 years, F. infectoria yielded (Mg ha-1) highest green fodder (5.72) followed by L. leucocephala (5.01), A. nilotica (3.93) and M. alba (2.87). Among pasture species, M. maximus yielded (Mg ha-1) the highest green fodder (31.13), followed by C. fulvus (22.10) and legume S. seabrana (4.75). The system stored 7.51 to 20.80 Mg C ha-1 in its biomass, amounting to 27.56 to 76.34 Mg ha-1of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) and besides this, the system also released 20.05 to 55.54 Mg ha-1 of oxygen under various tree/shrub+ grass/legume combinations. Thus, silvipasture systems with F. infectoria + M. maximus (fodder: 36.85 Mg/ha; carbon stock: 13.61 Mg C ha-1; oxygen released: 36.34 Mg ha-1); A. nilotica + M. maximus (fodder: 35.06 Mg ha-1; carbon stock: 18.66 Mg C ha-1; oxygen released:49.82 Mg ha-1); F. infectoria + C. fulvus (fodder: 27.82 Mg ha-1; carbon stock: 13.78 Mg C ha-1; oxygen released:36.79 Mg ha-1) and A. nilotica + C. fulvus (fodder: 26.03 Mg ha-1; carbon stock: 20.80 Mg C ha-1; oxygen released: 55.54 Mg ha-1) are ideal system for fodder as well as environmental security in degraded lands of semi-arid India.