title: A review on the role of organic inputs in maintaining the soil carbon pool of the terrestrial ecosystem.
abstract: Among the numerous sources of greenhouse gases, emissions of CO2 are considerably affected by changes in the extent and type of land use, e.g., intensive agriculture, deforestation, urbanization, soil erosion, or wetland drainage. As a feasible option to control emissions from the terrestrial ecosystems, the scientific community has explored the possibility of enhancing soil carbon (C) storage capacity. Thus, restoration of damaged lands through conservation tillage, crop rotation, cover cropping, reforestation, sub-soiling of compacted lands, sustainable water management practices, and organic manuring are the major antidotes against attenuation of soil organic C (SOC) stocks. In this research, we focused on the effect of various man-made activities on soil biotic organics (e.g., green-, farm-yard manure, and composts) to understand how C fluxes from various sources contribute to the establishment of a new equilibrium in the terrestrial ecosystems. Although such inputs substitute a portion of chemical fertilizers, they all undergo activities that augment the rate and extent of decay to deplete the SOC bank. Here, we provide perspectives on the balancing factors that control the mineralization rate of organic matter. Our arguments are placed in the background of different land use types and their impacts on forests, agriculture, urbanization, soil erosion, and wetland destruction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Tezpur University, Assam 784028, India.
authors.forename: Satya Sundar
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seoul 133-791, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kkim61@hanyang.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Ki-Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Tezpur University, Assam 784028, India.
authors.forename: Subhasish
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70124, USA.
authors.forename: Minori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uchimiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 133-791, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byong Hun
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, Seoul 143-747, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eilhann
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seoul 133-791, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Szulejko
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D057486:Carbon Cycle; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D004777:Environment; D005740:Gases; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D008372:Manure; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D014507:Urbanization; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D005740:Gases; D008372:Manure; D012987:Soil; D014867:Water; D002244:Carbon
keywords: C storage; CO(2); Carbon storage & capture; Land use; Soil organic C; Soil pollution