Evaluation of carbon sequestration as a regulating service in a faba bean agroecosystem

Kazemi, Hossein; Shahi Moridi, Raziyeh; Okuro, Toshiya

doi:10.22034/aes.2026.536819.1109

Evaluation of carbon sequestration as a regulating service in a faba bean agroecosystem

Document Type : Original research article

Authors

Hossein Kazemi ¹

Raziyeh Shahi Moridi ²

Toshiya Okuro ³

¹ Department of Horticulture, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

² Department of Agronomy, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

³ Laboratory of Landscape Ecology & Planning, Department of Ecosystem Studies, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan

10.22034/aes.2026.536819.1109

Abstract

One of the most important ways to remove or reduce carbon dioxide is to store this gas in the form of plant biomass and add organic carbon to the soil. Faba bean is one of the oldest crops, used both for human nutrition and for carbon sequestration. In this study, our objectives were to evaluate carbon sequestration (CS) as a regulating service and to calculate its economic value. For these purposes, a field experiment was carried out as a randomized complete blocks design in the Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (Iran) farm. In this experiment, four cultivars of faba bean are considered as experimental treatments. These common cultivars in Golestan province included Shadan, Mahta, Feyz, and Barkat. This research showed the genetic diversity of faba bean cultivars to provide CS view under the climatic conditions of Gorgan County (Semi-Mediterranean climate). Results showed that the highest soil CS was obtained in plots under Barkat (9,083.2kg/ha) and Feyz (5,877.2 kg/ha) cultivars. Also, there is a significant difference between faba bean cultivars in terms of the total economic value of CS. The economic value of CS was estimated at 494.3 $/ha, which was higher in Barkat than in other cultivars. We observed that cultivated plots under Mahta and Shadan cultivars had the lowest soil CS potential, so that the amount of soil CS was negative in plots cultivated with these cultivars. It means that carbon was transferred to the atmosphere instead of being transferred to the soil.

Highlights

· The highest CS was obtained in plots under Barkat and Feyz cultivars.

· The economic value of CS by faba bean was estimated 494.27 $/ha.

· There was no significant difference for the plant organs in terms of carbon absorption potential, except for the stem.

Keywords

Agroecosystem

Carbon sequestration

Faba bean

Organic matter

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