Soil Properties, Litter Dynamics and Biomass Carbon Storage in Three-Bamboo Species of Sub-Himalayan Region of Eastern India

Information on biomass carbon storage in bamboo plantations/groves at local or regional landscapes is crucial to understand its potential in carbon stock management and climate change mitigation. The present work aims to study soil properties, litter dynamics and biomass carbon storage for the three common bamboo species from the Terai region of Indian Eastern Himalayas. Bambusa nutans, Dendrocalamus giganteus and Melocanna baccifera groves were selected for the present study. The soil pH, moisture and electrical conductivity under different bamboo groves of three species varied significantly, but moisture and electrical conductivity responded inconsistently with increasing soil depth. Similarly, the amount of soil available primary nutrients also varied significantly, where soils of M. baccifera grove were quantified with highest amount of these nutrients at all depths. M. baccifera grove produced the highest litter, although the difference with the other two groves was non-significant. The amount of oxidizable soil organic carbon quantified varied significantly among the bamboo groves, with the highest SOC content under the M. baccifera grove. The decomposition rate gradually increased with time, and within 9 months, the entire litter got decomposed. The annual return of nutrients was in the order N > K > P. The total biomass of D. giganteus, B. nutans and M. baccifera was estimated at 270.97, 127.21 and 16.31 Mg ha−1, respectively. Based on the higher R2 and adj R2, and lower AIC and HQC, Model 1 was more appropriate for B. nutans and D. giganteus, whereas Model 2 was suitable for M. baccifera. The ecosystem carbon stock of D. giganteus was significantly (163.28 Mg ha−1) higher than the other two species because of its significantly higher biomass carbon accumulation. This amount of biomass carbon storage and ecosystem carbon stock is comparable with agroforestry and forest ecosystems in the study region or elsewhere. The present study suggests these bamboos can be a feasible option for carbon farming and carbon trading, climate change adaptation and mitigation, apart from its contribution in social and economic contributions to the region’s rural life. Therefore, value addition and nationalizing of bamboo are recommended to improve rural folks’ livelihood. Encouraging value-added bamboo products can be negative feedback to climate change because of their durability and thus permanency of carbon stored in it.