<p>The Earth’s terrestrial carbon stocks have depleted an estimated 344 billion tons. Carbon losses amid water scarcity in climate-vulnerable drylands are a mounting challenge, and their restoration requires optimizing water-to-carbon biotransformation. Synthesizing thousands of worldwide experimental studies, we identify key biophysical pathways for enhancing carbon restoration and ecosystem resilience in global drylands, as follows: (i) Cropping diversification increases net primary productivity by 18.9% (<i>n</i> = 1296 studies); (ii) Regulated deficit irrigation cuts water use by 30–50% while improving yield-scaled water use efficiency by 3.4% (<i>n</i> = 9068 paired comparisons); (iii) Soil mulching increases land productivity by 22.2% (<i>n</i> = 48,144 paired comparisons); and (iv) Soil health rejuvenation strategies can sequester 1.2–3.8 t SOC ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Priorities to implement these biophysical pathways to enhance water-to-carbon biotransformation include: ‘smart’ irrigation, carbon dioxide fertilization-enhanced photosynthetic assimilation, rhizosphere engineering for microbiome-based nutrient solutions, biodegradable mulches replacing traditional polyethylene films, diversifying farming systems with low soil disturbance and climate-smart practices, and inclusive governance frameworks. These prioritized strategies reconcile water scarcity with carbon restoration to enhance dryland ecosystem resilience, which supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.</p><p></p>

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Enhancing carbon restoration and ecosystem resilience in global drylands via water-to-carbon biotransformation strategies

  • Li Wang,
  • Shiqian Guo,
  • Mohamed Hijri,
  • Muhammad Farooq,
  • Abdul Rehman,
  • Tida Ge,
  • Shoujiang Feng,
  • Zhenyang Wei,
  • Jinlin Zhang,
  • Cai Zhao,
  • Shaozhong Kang,
  • Kadambot H. M. Siddique,
  • Zhenmin Jin,
  • Min Zhao,
  • Gary Y. Gan

摘要

The Earth’s terrestrial carbon stocks have depleted an estimated 344 billion tons. Carbon losses amid water scarcity in climate-vulnerable drylands are a mounting challenge, and their restoration requires optimizing water-to-carbon biotransformation. Synthesizing thousands of worldwide experimental studies, we identify key biophysical pathways for enhancing carbon restoration and ecosystem resilience in global drylands, as follows: (i) Cropping diversification increases net primary productivity by 18.9% (n = 1296 studies); (ii) Regulated deficit irrigation cuts water use by 30–50% while improving yield-scaled water use efficiency by 3.4% (n = 9068 paired comparisons); (iii) Soil mulching increases land productivity by 22.2% (n = 48,144 paired comparisons); and (iv) Soil health rejuvenation strategies can sequester 1.2–3.8 t SOC ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Priorities to implement these biophysical pathways to enhance water-to-carbon biotransformation include: ‘smart’ irrigation, carbon dioxide fertilization-enhanced photosynthetic assimilation, rhizosphere engineering for microbiome-based nutrient solutions, biodegradable mulches replacing traditional polyethylene films, diversifying farming systems with low soil disturbance and climate-smart practices, and inclusive governance frameworks. These prioritized strategies reconcile water scarcity with carbon restoration to enhance dryland ecosystem resilience, which supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.