New field research from Himachal Pradesh finds that apple-based agroforestry stores significantly more soil carbon than conventional annual crops or barren land. In the Rohru region of the Himalayas, mixed apple and crop plots reached 19.83 mg/g of total organic carbon, about 50% higher than nearby agricultural plots and more than double the level on barren reference soil. The study also measured active and passive carbon pools, with agroforestry showing the strongest results in both. The research, published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, used carbon pool and management indices to compare valley and slope positions. Valley soils held more fast-cycling carbon, while slope soils accumulated more resistant fractions. The authors link the gains to continuous organic matter inputs from leaf litter, pruning residues, and root biomass. For carbon project developers and land managers, the findings reinforce agroforestry as a practical land-use intervention in wet temperate mountain regions, though site-specific measurement is still needed to support any carbon accounting.
