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Due to higher atmospheric greenhouse gasses concentrations, global warming is undoubtedly the most critical environmental issue that needs an immediate solution. Agroforestry has attained worldwide recognition to cope with this global problem due to its greater potential to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide along with other ecosystem services, including food security. However, quantitative information about the biomass and carbon sequestration in poplar-maize agroforestry systems is not available in semi-arid climatic zones in Pakistan. The current study was carried out to evaluate the vegetation biomass and carbon stocks under three poplar-maize agroforestry planting patterns under semi-arid climatic conditions in a subdivision Jaranwala, District Faisalabad, Pakistan. The data was collected in three agroforestry patterns like; A (192 trees ha−1), B (255 trees ha−1), and C (296 trees ha−1). Allometric equations were used to estimate the biomass and carbon stock in plant species. Results showed that the poplar tree carbon stock among three planting patterns was significantly different, with maximum carbon stock of 35.62 t ha−1 in pattern C, and it was 8% and 33.5% greater than the carbon stock of pattern B and pattern A, respectively. The maximum aboveground biomass assimilated by maize crop was (11.95 t ha−1) in pattern B, and it was 10.3% and 3.6% greater than pattern A and pattern C, respectively. The grain yield was highest in pattern A as compared to the other two patterns. Additionally, the maximum soil carbon stock in soil was estimated (22.72 t ha-1) in pattern C, at 0-15 cm depth, while it was 13.42% and 6.61% greater than pattern A and pattern B, respectively. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggested that pattern C with maximum biomass production and carbon stocks is the optimum poplar maize planting pattern in requisites of both financial and environmental benefits in the form of carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-year experiment was conducted at Student Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (31.4533° N, 73.0585° E) during 2020 and repeated in 2021 for the accuracy of the results. The treatments were T0 Control (recommended fertilizers at 20:60 NP kg ha−1), T1: 50% of recommended vermicompost (FYM) + 50% of recommended fertilizers, T2: 25% of recommended vermicompost (FYM) + 25% of recommended compost (FYM) + 50% of recommended fertilizers, T3: 50% of recommended vermicompost (wheat straw) + 50% of recommended fertilizers, T4: 25% of recommended vermicompost (wheat straw) + 25% of recommended compost (wheat straw) + 50% of recommended fertilizers, T5: 50% of recommended vermicompost (rice straw) + 50% of recommended fertilizers and T6: 25% of vermicompost (rice straw) + 25% of recommended compost (rice straw) + 50% of recommended fertilizers. It was concluded from this study that 50% vermicompost (produced from FYM, rice and wheat straw) mixed with 50% recommended fertilizers showed excellent results. 25% vermicompost (produced from FYM, rice and wheat straw) and 25% compost (produced from farmyard manure, rice straw and wheat straw) mixed with 50% recommended fertilizers showed intermediate results, whereas control showed minimum results in the mungbean crop and soil fertility decreased in the T0 treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]