Estimation of carbon storage in tea plantations located in three different

altitudes at Valparai, Coimbatore district, India

K. Sivasankar and L. Arul Pragasan*
Department of Environmental Sciences, Bharathiar University
Coimbatore 641 046. India
*Email: arulpragasan@yahoo.co.in
As part of the carbon cycle, trees transform carbon dioxide to biomass through photosynthesis.
This function is beneficial to humans because it counteracts emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2), a
greenhouse gas. Anthropogenic carbon emissions have caused a 40% increase in atmospheric
CO2 concentrations in the last century, which is known to be causing global warming. The
biotransformation of carbon dioxide is quantified as carbon storage of tree or plant. Estimation of
carbon storage can give a better understanding of how forests offset carbon emissions to
contribute for climate change mitigation. The present study was carried out to estimate the
carbon storage in tea plantations located in three different altitudes (low, mid and high
elevations) in Valparai, Coimbatore district of India. Carbon storage of tea plants was determined
by loss on ignition method (LOI method). Fifteen leaf samples were collected from 10 m 10 m
quadrats laid at each altitude, and air dried for two days. Then the samples were placed in the hot
air oven for 24 hours at 105C. One gram of dried grind leaf sample was taken in separate preweighted crucibles and placed in the furnace at 550C for 2 hours. Then the crucibles were
cooled slowly inside the furnace, and the crucibles with ash were weighted for calculation of
percentage of organic carbon. The carbon content (%) estimated for the three altitudes low, mid
and high elevations was 54.350.75, 53.880.84 and 54.210.78, respectively. One way ANOVA
revealed that no significant variation in carbon storage of tea plantations was observed among
the three altitudes at Valparai (F(2,42) = 0.093, p = 0.911). Results of this study suggest that the
carbon storage in tea plantations at Valparai ranges between 53.88% to 54.35%, and the altitude
of tea plantation do not affect the carbon storage potential of the plantation. Quantification of
plant carbon storage in plantation is of urgent need for carbon management plans, due to the
increasing carbon emissions in atmosphere and their effects on global warming and climate
change.

Keywords: Tea plantation, Altitudinal range, Carbon storage, LOI method, Valparai