Sandeep Sasidharan

By Sandeep Sasidharan and Sankaran Kavileveettil

Forests cover nearly one-third of the terrestrial surface and support life with energy, raw materials, and food and offer a range of services ranging from biodiversity conservation to climate regulation. The realization of this goods and services depends on the health of these pristine ecosystems. Forest degradation diminishes the utilitarian and ecosystem potentials of the forest and assessing this at local and global scales is draught with complexities and challenges. Recently, climate change has been identified as a major factor of forest degradation across the globe. Although native forests may be adapted to disturbances to a critical threshold level, the intensification of the stress will move the forests in a new trajectory. Evaluating the cause-effect relationship of forests and climate also play determinable roles in the forest-climate loop. Such analysis is critical in identifying the factors of degradation and would be crucial in developing strategies for restoring and conserving the forest ecosystems.

Part of the book: Forest Degradation Under Global Change

By Kamala Rajalekshmi, Betty Bastin and Sandeep Sasidharan

The integration of physical, chemical, and biological indicators of soil quality that have an impact on environmental factors and farmer profitability is the focus of soil health. Applying biochar is an effective technique to promote soil carbon sequestration, which is a component of soil quality. Rice husk biochar (RHB), produced from the pyrolysis of rice husk (RH), has a higher nutritious value than biochar made from wood. A field research was conducted to evaluate the short-term implications of RHB-derived nutrient translocation and distribution in rice crop, as well as their effects on soil nutrients, rice productivity, and methane (CH₄) emissions in wetland Ultisol. The treatments included applying four organic fertilizers: rice husk biochar, daincha (Sesbania aculeata), jack tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus) leaves, and farm yard manure (FYM) at rates of 35 (N1), 70 (N2), and 105 (N3) kg N ha⁻¹. The results showed that the application of RHB enhanced the uptake of soil organic carbon (SOC) as well as the production of rice grains and straw. The yield of brown rice increased with higher rates of N treatment. The RHB contributed a significant amount of carbon to the refractory paddy soil, which increased its carbon content in the crop as well. Consequently, there was a significant 50–60% drop in CH₄ emissions from soil as compared to FYM.

Part of the book: Reducing Carbon Footprint in Different Sectors for Sustainability [Working title]