Shillong: A 20-year-old fruit farming system in Umiam is trapping more carbon than standard cropland. Researchers at the ICAR Research Complex for the North Eastern Hill Region found that Khasi mandarin orchards held 279 tonnes of soil carbon per hectare. Neighboring cropland held only 200.5 tonnes. This is a massive gap.
The study, featured in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, examined six different fruit systems established in 2002. These plots featured peach, Assam lemon, pear, plum, and guava, all planted at a density of 400 trees per hectare alongside turmeric and ginger. The fruit-tree plots consistently outperformed cropland in organic carbon, microbial biomass, and nitrogen levels.
India aims to add 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon sink capacity by 2030 to reach its 2070 net-zero goal. The government reports it already hit 2.44 billion tonnes of sequestration between 2005 and 2022. This new data suggests fruit-tree agroforestry could play a major role in that national strategy.
The mandarin system stored an average of 13.95 tonnes of carbon per hectare each year over two decades. Cropland managed only 10 tonnes. These results stem from tree litter and constant root activity. The researchers warned against broad generalizations though. The authors explicitly caution that these are time-averaged estimates obtained by dividing the measured stock by the 20-year age of the system; they are not instantaneous annual sequestration measurements.
More field tests must happen. Scientists need data from diverse soil types and management styles before treating every orchard as a climate solution. If proven effective, these farms could shift how Meghalaya manages agricultural assets while fighting climate change.
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