O papel da razão C:N da biomassa vegetal no estímulo a estabilização de carbono no solo

• Grant number: 25/13428-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Simone Raposo Cotta
• Grantee: Simone Raposo Cotta
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/15399-0 - Mechanisms of diversified cropping systems in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through changes in microbial communities., AP.PFPMCG.R

Abstract

Climate change demands strategies that combine GHG mitigation with carbon sequestration. Plant residues are key to soil organic carbon (SOC) formation, yet the role of microbial processing is often overlooked. As major agricultural by-products, plant residues enhance soil aggregation and can boost SOC stocks by up to 11.4% over a decade. Their labile components, such as hemicellulose and sugars, are quickly decomposed and transformed into microbial biomass, thereby driving long-term soil carbon stabilization.The objective of this project is to understand how plant residues with different nutritional compositions affect the incorporation and stabilization of carbon in the soil. Microbial activity during the decomposition of these components and its impact on the formation of the detritusphere are not yet fully understood. (AU)