SAMAR SINGH, RANJEET SINGH BOCHALYA AND SULTAN SINGH*
Faculty of Agriculture, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana Ambala-133 207 (Haryana),
India
*(e-mail: sultan.hau@gmail.com; Mobile: 99927 03833)
(Received: December 4, 2025; Accepted: March 8, 2026)
ABSTRACT
Global agriculture and ecosystems including their capacity to secure food are faced with climate change as a major obstacle. Carbon sequestration in soil and plants has emerged as one important means of reducing CO‚ concentrations in the atmosphere. Approximately 19-25% of greenhouse gasses produced by humans are attributed to the agricultural sector; it has a significant opportunity to become a dominant form of carbon sink material. Total estimated carbon sequestered or deposited in soil has been estimated between 1500-2400 Giga tons almost three times more than what is present in the atmosphere. With a 0.4% annual increase of soil organic carbon as recommended by the 4 per 1000 initiative, a large portion of CO2 released into the atmosphere can be sequestered. Soil degradation is one of the greatest threats to food security; however, by implementing sustainable farming practices, one can reduce the level of degradation and stabilize soil organic carbon reserves. Sustainable farming practices include planting and protecting tree cover, changing traditional agricultural production and landscapes, planting vegetative materials. This paper provides analysis of the soil and plant strategies available to sequester carbon, including the following agro forestry, conservation agriculture, use of cover crops, diversifying crop species, using biochar and using integrated nutrient management. This paper reviews how policy and economic incentives, as well as emerging digital technologies, affect the functioning of plants in terms of increasing carbon storage through improved efficiency of carbon fixation by photosynthetic means and maintaining appropriate levels of carbon in soils. The functional characteristics of plants, such as increased plant biomass, prolonged leaf life, stay green and roots with high lignin content represent potential pathways for developing new types of crops that will be successful under changing climatic conditions. The use of functional traits to develop crops that are resilient to climatic stresses will enhance not only soil organic matter but will also provide substantial benefits in conserving natural resources, enhancing diversity, improving the health and productivity of soils and crops and improving resiliency to extreme weather events in the ecosystems in which these types of crops grow.
Key words: Carbon sequestration, organic carbon soil, conservation agriculture, biochar