MUBEENA P.*AND USHA C. THOMAS
AICRP on Forage Crops & Utilization
College of Agriculture, Vellayani,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India-695 522
*(e-mail: mubeenap94@gmail.com)
(Received : 2 January 2021; Accepted : 30 March 2021)
SUMMARY
Climate change is a growing concern and its impacts are reflected in almost every sector and is mainly due to the increase in greenhouse gases. There is a leap in atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has observed from 1930 (278 ppm) to 2018 (408 ppm) and it expected to cross 1000 ppm at the end of the century (IPCC, 2019), which is a major warning to food-fodder security and climate change in 21st century. Fodder production systems play a major role in mitigating climate change through improving carbon sequestration, reducing methane emission per unit livestock product and reducing nitrous oxide emission. Grasslands, pastures and forage crops contribute greatly in the global carbon cycle which stocks at least 30 per cent of world soil carbon. Many strategies can be adopted to enhance the carbon sequestration in fodder production system like implementation of pasture based agro forestry practices, restoration of degraded lands and inclusion of grasses and grazing management. Supplementation of suitable fodder in diet with high digestibility and high energy and protein concentrations will reduce the total methane emission per unit livestock. Certain pastures has a capacity to release biological nitrification inhibitors from their roots, which suppress nitrifier activity and reduce soil nitrification and nitrous oxide. Thus there is a need for strategies that will enable reduced GHG emissions through sustainable intensification of forage production systems to enhance productivity, income generation, climate mitigation and ensuring food-fodder security
Key words:Carbon sequestration, enteric fermentation, methane, mitigation, adaptation