Allometric equations for aboveground biomass and carbon content in bamboo-based farm forestry systems in humid and semi-arid zones of Peninsular India: a case study of Bambusa balcooa Roxb. and Dendrocalamus stocksii Munro

Over the years, climate change has become the central point of conversation in the international arena, with special significance to enhance carbon sinks, enabling a reduction in the carbon load in the atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change has consistently highlighted that developing countries are more vulnerable to changing climate, emphasizing the need for proactive mitigation and adaptation strategies to lower probable damages. In this context, bamboos have gained increasing attention owing to their high growth rate, resulting in high biomass productivity and potential for carbon sequestration, something that many studies have highlighted. This study evaluated the carbon sequestration potential of two commercially important bamboo species in India, i.e., Bambusa balcooa and Dendrocalamus stocksii . These two species are widely preferred in farm forestry practices as alternatives to the conventional use of trees for carbon sequestration. The aboveground biomass (AGB) and carbon stock content (C content) were assessed through destructive sampling across the humid and semi-arid zones. Subsamples were brought to the laboratory to determine the moisture content. The culm AGB and C content were estimated using standard procedures for both species in both humid and semi-arid zones. In addition, allometric equation models were developed to predict various aboveground parameters that produced a significant fit for the culm parameter for both species in both humid and semi-arid zones. Similar models were also developed to predict the C content. Model performance varied across species and ecological zones, emphasizing the importance of localized equations rather than generalized biomass models. For B. balcooa , models that incorporated both basal diameter and height improved the predictive accuracy, whereas basal diameter alone proved to be a reliable predictor for D. stocksii . These allometric equations provide robust tools for accurate biomass quantification and carbon stock assessment, improving carbon accounting and supporting the integration of bamboo-based systems into climate change mitigation, restoration initiatives, and nature-based climate solutions.