Grain legumes and drylands cereals including chickpea (Cicer arietinum), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), lentil (Lens culinaris), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), soybean (Glycine max), finger millet (Eleusine coracana), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) are the leading sources of food grain in drylands of Africa and South Asia. These crops can help smallholder agriculture to become more resilient, productive, and profitable, but their quantitative impact on carbon sequestration is unknown. The aim of this review study was to quantify their contribution to carbon sequestration across the drylands of Africa and South Asia based on 437 publications with 1319 observations in studies conducted across 32 countries. Cropping systems with grain legumes showed the greatest increase in soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations, while cereals (and pigeon pea) gave the largest amount of aboveground carbon stock (>2 Mg C ha⁻¹). Estimated carbon stock in post-harvest residues of these crops was 1.51 ± 0.05 Mg C ha⁻¹ in Africa and 2.29 ± 0.10 Mg C ha⁻¹ in South Asia. These crops produced more aboveground carbon, and significantly increased SOC, when grown as intercrops. Soils with low initial SOC (<1%) and high clay content (>32%) showed the greatest potential for carbon sequestration when cropped with grain legumes and dryland cereals. This study is the first of its kind to provide evidence that grain legumes and drylands cereals improve carbon sequestration across Africa and South Asia.

豆类和旱地谷物，包括鹰嘴豆 ( Cicer arietinum )、菜豆 ( Phaseolus vulgaris )、豇豆 ( Vigna unguiculata )、花生 ( Arachis hypogaea )、扁豆 ( Lens culinaris )、木豆 ( Cajanus cajan )、大豆 ( Glycine max )，指粟 ( Eleusine coracana )、珍珠粟 ( Pennisetum glaucum ) 和高粱 ( Sorghum bicolor) 是非洲和南亚干旱地区粮食的主要来源。这些作物可以帮助小农农业变得更具弹性、生产力和盈利能力，但它们对碳封存的量化影响尚不清楚。这项审查研究的目的是根据在 32 个国家/地区进行的研究中的 437 份出版物和 1319 项观察结果，量化它们对非洲和南亚旱地碳封存的贡献。种植豆类作物的种植系统土壤有机碳 (SOC) 浓度增加最多，而谷物（和木豆）的地上碳储量最大 (>2 Mg C ha -1 ⁾。这些作物收获后残留物中的碳储量估计为 1.51 ± 0.05 Mg C ha ⁻¹在非洲和 2.29 ± 0.10 Mg C ha ⁻¹在南亚。当作为间作作物种植时，这些作物产生更多的地上碳，并显着增加 SOC。当种植豆类和旱地谷物时，初始 SOC 低 (<1%) 和粘土含量高 (>32%) 的土壤表现出最大的固碳潜力。这项研究首次提供证据表明豆类和旱地谷物改善了非洲和南亚的碳封存。