A study on biomass and carbon storage potential of agroforestry systems in the Northern Telangana region

Agroforestry systems cover 26.3 million hectares across India and offer a sustainable solution for improving green cover and mitigating emissions. However, district-level data on Agroforestry Systems (AFS), particularly in Telangana, are limited. This study assessed the biomass, carbon storage potential, and economic importance of various agroforestry systems in Mancherial, a northern Telangana district, India, using a non-destructive approach. The results showed “agrisilviculture” as the most prevalent system, with “bund” planting being the most commonly followed pattern. Agricultural crop productivity across different agroforestry patterns showed that paddy in boundary planting (13.49 t/ha) produced yields statistically similar to the sole paddy crop (13.60 t/ha). This demonstrates that integrating trees into agricultural lands, when managed, does not significantly affect crop productivity. Tree growth performance varied across planting patterns, with scattered planting recording the highest tree girth and volume, whereas the bund pattern showed the lowest. The Block+Boundary pattern had the highest tree density (138.40 trees/ha). Carbon storage potential varied significantly across agroforestry planting patterns, following the trend: Block + Boundary > Block > Boundary + Scattered > Boundary > Bund + Boundary > Bund+Scattered > Bund > Scattered > Sole agricultural crop. The Block + Boundary pattern stored the highest total carbon stock (24.85 t/ha), while the sole crop without trees had the lowest carbon stock (7.51 t/ha). Economically, the Block + Boundary pattern yielded the highest net returns (Rs. 171081.36 per hectare per year) with a benefit-cost (B:C) ratio of 2.82. In conclusion, agroforestry in northern Telangana offers substantial environmental and economic benefits. These systems enhance the carbon sequestration and provide significant financial returns, which serve as an effective adaptation strategy that improves crop productivity and sustainability in the region.