LAUSR

Introduction The perennial grass–legume cropping system benefits soil because of its high biomass turnover, cover cropping nature, and different foraging behaviors. We investigated the response of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools and their stock to organic and inorganic nutrient management in the Guinea grass and legume (cowpea-Egyptian clover) cropping system. Methods Depth-wise soil samples were collected after harvesting the Egyptian clover. Based on the ease of oxidation with chromic acid, different pools of SOC oxidizable using the Walkley–Black C method, very labile, labile, less labile, non-labile; and dissolved organic C (DOC), microbial biomass C (MBC), and total organic C (TOC) in soils were analyzed for computing several indices of SOC. Result and discussion After 10 years of crop cycles, FYM and NPKF nutrient management recorded greater DOC, MBC, SOC stocks, and C sequestration than the NPK. Stocks of all SOC pools and carbon management index (CMI) decreased with soil depth. A significant improvement in CMI, stratification ratio, sensitivity indices, and sustainable yield index was observed under FYM and NPKF. This grass–legume intercropping system maintained a positive carbon balance sequestered at about 0.8Mg C ha−1 after 10 years without any external input. Approximately 44–51% of the applied carbon through manure was stabilized with SOC under this cropping system. The DOC, MBC, and SOC in passive pools were identified for predicting dry fodder yield. This study concludes that the application of organics in the perennial grass–legume inter cropping system can maintain long-term sustainability, enhance the C sequestration, and offset the carbon footprint of the farm enterprises. Graphical Abstract Nutrient management affects biomass production and SOC sequestration.