Carbon sequestration potential in soil and stand of Nitraria schoberi L.

Arid and semi-arid lands cover around one-third of the world''s terrestrial expanse and their widespread plant distributions provide these areas with a high potential for sequestering carbon. Vegetation management for developing shrub or tree species in arid and semi-arid regions is one inexpensive and multi-purpose approach for decreasing CO2. This study assessed the potential of carbon sequestration in the soil and biomass of a Nitraria schoberi L. stand in central Iran. Samples were taken from in N. schoberi L. stand and the adjacent native vegetation (Halocnemum strobilaceum M. B. and Seidlitzia rosmarinus (Ehrh.) Bge.) as control area at Hoze Soltan desert region. In both areas, the amounts of aboveground and underground biomass of plant samples were calculated by cutting and weighing the aerial parts (leaves, stem) and roots. The ash method was used to determine the carbon sequestration coefficients of all samples and soil organic carbon (SOC) was measured using Walkley and Black''s methods. A comparison between the SOC of planted and control areas showed no difference regarding the ability of carbon sequestration between the two areas. The results indicated that the total carbon sequestration of the N. schoberi L. stand (28.06 Mg/ha) was significantly higher (p<0.01) than the control area (18.64 Mg/ha) in the Hoze Soltan region.