Environmental effects of the pasture-sugarcane conversion and pasture intensification

• Grant number: 15/18790-3
• Support type: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
• Duration: March 01, 2017 - November 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal researcher: Luiz Antonio Martinelli
• Grantee: Luiz Antonio Martinelli
• Home Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Pesquisadores principais: Janaina Braga do Carmo ; Luis Cesar Schiesari
• Assoc. researchers: Arnaldo Alves Cardoso ; Cassiana Carolina Montagner ; Eiko Eurya Kuramae ; Evaldo Luiz Gaeta Espindola ; Gisela de Aragão Umbuzeiro ; Heitor Cantarella ; Jorge Marcos de Moraes ; Katia Maria Paschoaletto Micchi de Barros Ferraz ; Luiz Felipe Mendes de Gusmão ; Marcelo Zacharias Moreira ; Michiel Adriaan Daam ; Paulo Inácio de Knegt López de Prado ; Plínio Barbosa de Camargo ; Raffaella Rossetto ; Robson Willians da Costa Silva ; Silvio Frosini de Barros Ferraz ; Solange Filoso ; Tadeu de Siqueira Barros ; Victor Satoru Saito
• Associated grant(s): 20/14550-6 - Multi-users equipment approved in the process 2015/18790-3: Mass Spectrometer, AP.EMU
• Associated scholarship(s): 20/07221-6 - Evaluation of the effects of fipronil, 2,4-D and their mixtures on the interactions between predators and prey of neotropical aquatic biota, BP.IC; 20/13513-0 - Consequences of land conversion to sugar cane production on freshwater communities, BP.TT; 19/17132-3 - In situ assessment of ecotoxicological effects on the aquatic community from sugarcane expansion over pasturelands, BP.IC; + associated scholarships 19/17218-5 - Livestock production in intensified tropical grazing systems and its consequences for the environmental, BP.PD; 19/16919-0 - Consequences of land conversion for sugarcane production to freshwater communities, BP.TT; 19/10668-5 - Environmental effects of the pasture-sugarcane conversion and pasture intensification, BP.PD; 18/15068-3 - Effects of pesticides fipronil, 2,4-D and their mixtures in Daphnia Similis: a multiple endpoint approach, BP.IC; 19/04198-6 - Impacts of sugarcane vinasse on neotropicals benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates, BP.IC; 18/03108-0 - Zebrafish embryo test as a tool for an integrated assessment of water quality in sugarcane impacted areas, BP.PD; 17/24126-4 - EFFECTS OF THE PESTICIDES FIPRONIL AND 2,4-D, ISOLATELY AND IN MIXTURE, ON NATIVE SPECIES OF THE NEOTROPICAL AQUATIC BIOTA, BP.PD; 17/23982-4 - Effects of the intensification in land use on algal biomass and productivity: a simulation of spatial isolation and agrochemical application in experimental freshwater systems, BP.IC; 18/00771-0 - Conversion of low-to-high intensity pasture and to sugarcane fields: soil management impact, BP.DR; 17/04858-0 - The production of bioethanol in Brazil and its consequence to the terrestrial ecosystem, BP.PD; 17/18918-5 - Management of technologies generated in AUCUCAR cane expansion projects and their environmental effects, BP.PD; 17/02455-6 - Denitrification and greenhouse gas emissions in riparian forests and small tropical streams, BP.PD; 17/13377-6 - Evaluation of ecotoxicological effects of livestock products and sugarcane pesticides to amphibians., BP.PD; 17/11332-5 - Phosphorus dynamics and its fractions in soils under pasture-sugarcane conversion and intensification in pastureland, BP.PD; 17/04122-4 - Effects of local processes and spatial isolation on aquatic community assembly: a simulation of land use intensification, BP.DR; 16/05706-7 - Development, calibration and application of new analytical methodologies for measuring ammonia and nitrogen oxide emissions from fertilized soil, BP.DR - associated scholarships

Abstract

Sugarcane ethanol is an alcohol-based renewable biofuel produced by the fermentation of sugarcane extract and molasses, and Brazil is the world's largest producer of it. Brazil is also the largest producer of sugar; hence, sugarcane agriculture in the country is quite extensive, covering an area of about 10 million ha of arable land and ranking as the third largest crop after corn and soybean. Looking back, there is no doubt that Brazil's successful use of sugarcane significantly reduced the country's oil dependency, increased energy security, contributed to a thriving economy, and positioned Brazil as a world leader in the biofuel sector. In recent years, the increases in bioethanol consumption in the country and the production of bioelectricity from sugarcane solid waste have also reduced GHG emissions considerably. However, growing concerns about the social and environmental costs associated with ethanol production at a large scale have led to the development of indicators of environmental sustainability that allow quantifying both costs and benefits of biofuels benefits to society. The criteria adopted to assess biofuel sustainability are quite comprehensive and should help society to realize the benefits of biofuels. Nevertheless, our knowledge about the impacts of sugarcane ethanol produced in Brazil is still limited, especially for water and soils, and presents a serious obstacle in assessing sugarcane biofuel sustainability. One of the premises is that land requirements for biofuel should not exert extra pressure on native ecosystems or compete with food production by using the best agricultural lands. This premise implies that the expansion of biofuel crops like sugarcane should proceed without future clearings or without advancing over food crops. One alternative that has been considered to avoid clearing of native vegetation of Brazilian biomes is to expand energy crops in degraded or underutilized pasturelands. In order to free pastureland for other uses, the same number of animal heads, including future expansions, should be accommodated in an area smaller area by stocking rates (number of animals per hectare). We called this process "pasture intensification". Land use intensification to produce increase animal production per unit of pastureland or to convert pastureland to sugarcane has to be implemented in a way that preserves basic ecosystem integrity and maximizes the provision of ecosystem services. In order to do that, a set of environmental management practices conducive to that goal are needed. Based on this previous discussion, the goal of this project is to assess the environmental consequences of two major land intensifications that are critical for Brazil and the development of the bioenergy industry in other subtropical and tropical areas: the conversion of pasturelands to sugarcane fields, and the intensification in pastureland management that, potentially, enables such conversion. Our ultimate goal is to provide a series of management practices that would preserve the environmental integrity, and maximize ecosystem services. More specifically we will address how land intensification affects the water, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics, and how pollution (pesticides) and fragmentation from agriculture affect ecosystems functioning. In order to achieve such goal we propose the follow components of the project: (i) a set of paired field experiments where pasturelands plots will be intensified to increase the animal product output per unit area or converted to sugarcane fields with the purpose of investigating changes in nutrients and contaminants dynamics; (ii) at watershed level (100 to 1,000 ha), a series of studies to assess the effect of agricultural intensification on the landscape ecology and water cycle. (AU)

Scientific publications

(25)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

OGURA, ALLAN PRETTI; LIMA, JACQUELINE ZANIN; MARQUES, JESSICA PELINSOM; SOUSA, LUCAS MASSARO; SILVESTRE RODRIGUES, VALERIA GUIMARAES; GAETA ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ. A review of pesticides sorption in biochar from maize, rice, and wheat residues: Current status and challenges for soil application. Journal of Environmental Management, v. 300, DEC 15 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

SILVA, LAIS C. M.; MOREIRA, RAQUEL A.; PINTO, THANDY J. S.; VANDERLEI, MARINA R.; ATHAYDE, DANILLO B.; LOPES, LAIS F. P.; OGURA, ALLAN P.; YOSHII, MARIA P. C.; FREITAS, JULIANE S.; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA C.; GOULART, V, BIANCA; SCHIESARI, LUIS; DAAM, MICHIEL A.; ESPINDOLA, EVALDO L. G. Lethal and sublethal toxicity of pesticides and vinasse used in sugarcane cultivation to Ceriodaphnia silvestrii (Crustacea: Cladocera). AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY, v. 241, DEC 2021. Web of Science Citations: 1.

FERREIRA FREITAS, ISABELE BAIMA; OGURA, ALLAN PRETTI; FERNANDES CUNHA, DAVI GASPARINI; COSSOLIN, ALINE SILVA; FERREIRA, MURILO DE SOUZA; GOULART, BIANCA VELOSO; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA; GAETA ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ. The Longitudinal Profile of a Stream Contaminated With 2,4-D and its Effects on Non-Target Species. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, v. 82, n. 1 NOV 2021. Web of Science Citations: 1.

PELINSON, RODOLFO MEI; LEIBOLD, MATHEW A.; SCHIESARI, LUIS. Top predator introduction changes the effects of spatial isolation on freshwater community structure. ECOLOGY, v. 102, n. 11 SEP 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

VIANA, NATALIA PRUDENCIO; MENEZES DA SILVA, LAIS CONCEICAO; PORTRUNELI, NATALIA; SOARES, MICHELLY PEREIRA; CARDOSO, ISRAEL LUZ; INES BONANSEA, ROCIO; GOULART, BIANCA VELOSO; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA; GAETA ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ; ALBERTO WUNDERLIN, DANIEL; FERNANDES, MARISA NARCISO. ioconcentration and toxicological impacts of fipronil and 2,4-D commercial formulations (single and in mixture) in the tropical fish, Danio rerio. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, v. 29, n. 8 SEP 2021. Web of Science Citations: 1.

DA SILVA PINTO, THANDY JUNIO; ROCHA, GISELI SWERTS; MOREIRA, RAQUEL APARECIDA; MENEZES DA SILVA, LAIS CONCEICAO; CARDOSO YOSHII, MARIA PAULA; GOULART, BIANCA VELOSO; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA; DAAM, MICHIEL ADRIAAN; GAETA ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ. Multi-generational exposure to fipronil, 2,4-D, and their mixtures in Chironomus sancticaroli: Biochemical, individual, and population endpoints{*}. Environmental Pollution, v. 283, AUG 15 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

MARIANO, EDUARDO; GOMES, TACIANA F.; LINS, SILVIA R. M.; ABDALLA-FILHO, ADIBE L.; SOLTANGHEISI, AMIN; ARAUJO, MARIA G. S.; ALMEIDA, RODRIGO F.; AUGUSTO, FERNANDA G.; CANISARES, LUIZA P.; CHAVES, SIGLEA S. F.; COSTA, CRISTIANE F. G.; DINIZ-REIS, THAIS R.; GALERA, LEONARDO A.; MARTINEZ, MELISSA G.; MORAIS, MARISTELA C.; PEREZ, ELEN B.; REIS, LUCAS C.; DA P. SIMON, CARLA; MARDEGAN, SILVIA F.; DOMINGUES, TOMAS F.; MIATTO, RAQUEL C.; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; REIS, CARLA R. G.; NARDOTO, GABRIELA B.; KATTGE, JENS; MARTINELLI, LUIZ A. LT-Brazil: A database of leaf traits across biomes and vegetation types in Brazil. GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY, v. 30, n. 11 AUG 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

DA SILVA PINTO, THANDY JUNIO; MOREIRA, RAQUEL APARECIDA; DA SILVA, LAIS CONCEICAO MENEZES; YOSHII, MARIA PAULA CARDOSO; GOULART, BIANCA VELOSO; FRAGA, PRISCILLE DREUX; DA SILVA ROLIM, VICTOR LUIZ; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA; DAAM, MICHIEL ADRIAAN; ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ GAETA. Toxicity of fipronil and 2,4-D formulations (alone and in a mixture) to the tropical amphipod Hyalella meinerti. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, v. 28, n. 28, p. 38308-38321, JUL 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

STEFANO, PAULO HENRIQUE PRADO; ROISENBERG, ARI; GOMES, ELIAS BITTENCOURT; GOULART, BIANCA VELOSO; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA. Transport of emerging contaminants: a column experimental study in granitic, gneissic, and quaternary alluvial soils from Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT, v. 193, n. 5 MAY 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

ACAYABA, RAPHAEL D'ANNA; DE ALBUQUERQUE, ANJAINA FERNANDES; RIBESSI, RAFAEL LUIS; UMBUZEIRO, GISELA DE ARAGAO; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA. Occurrence of pesticides in waters from the largest sugar cane plantation region in the world. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, v. 28, n. 8, p. 9824-9835, FEB 2021. Web of Science Citations: 1.

DA SILVA PINTO, THANDY JUNIO; FREITAS, JULIANE SILBERSCHMIDT; MOREIRA, RAQUEL APARECIDA; MENEZES DA SILVA, LAIS CONCEICAO; CARDOSO YOSHII, MARIA PAULA; DE PALMA LOPES, LAIS FERNANDA; GOULART, BIANCA VELOSO; VANDERLEI, MARINA REGHINI; ATHAYDE, DANILLO BADOLATO; FRAGA, PRISCILLE DREUX; OGURA, ALLAN PRETTI; SCHIESARI, LUIS; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA; DAAM, MICHIEL ADRIAAN; GAETA ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ. Functional responses of Hyalella meinerti after exposure to environmentally realistic concentrations of 2,4-D, fipronil, and vinasse (individually and in mixture). AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY, v. 231, FEB 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

DA SILVA PINTO, THANDY JUNIO; MOREIRA, RAQUEL APARECIDA; MENEZES DA SILVA, LAIS CONCEICAO; CARDOSO YOSHII, MARIA PAULA; GOULART, BIANCA VELOSO; FRAGA, PRISCILLE DREUX; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA; DAAM, MICHIEL ADRIAAN; GAETA ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ. Impact of 2,4-D and fipronil on the tropical midge Chironomus sancticaroli (Diptera: Chironomidae). ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, v. 209, FEB 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

APARECIDA MOREIRA, RAQUEL; ARAUJO, CRISTIANO V. M.; DA SILVA PINTO, THANDY JUNIO; MENEZES DA SILVA, LAIS CONCEICAO; VELOSO GOULART, BIANCA; PRUDENCIO VIANA, NATALIA; CAROLINA MONTAGNER, CASSIANA; NARCISO FERNANDES, MARISA; GAETA ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ. Fipronil and 2,4-D effects on tropical fish: Could avoidance response be explained by changes in swimming behavior and neurotransmission impairments?. Chemosphere, v. 263, JAN 2021. Web of Science Citations: 2.

MOREIRA, RAQUEL APARECIDA; ROCHA, GISELI SWERTS; MENEZES DA SILVA, LAIS CONCEICAO; GOULART, BIANCA VELOSO; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA; GAMA MELAO, MARIA DA GRACA; GAETA ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ. Exposure to environmental concentrations of fipronil and 2,4-D mixtures causes physiological, morphological and biochemical changes in Raphidocelis subcapitata. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, v. 206, DEC 15 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

GOULART, BIANCA VELOSO; VIZIOLI, BEATRIZ DE CAROLI; ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ GAETA; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA. Matrix effect challenges to quantify 2,4-D and fipronil in aquatic systems. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT, v. 192, n. 12 DEC 2020. Web of Science Citations: 3.

SILVA, LAIS C. M.; MOREIRA, RAQUEL A.; PINTO, THANDY J. S.; OGURA, ALLAN P.; YOSHII, MARIA P. C.; LOPES, LAIS F. P.; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA C.; GOULART, BIANCA V.; DAAM, MICHIEL A.; ESPINDOLA, EVALDO L. G. Acute and chronic toxicity of 2,4-D and fipronil formulations (individually and in mixture) to the Neotropical cladoceran Ceriodaphnia silvestrii. ECOTOXICOLOGY, v. 29, n. 9, p. 1462-1475, NOV 2020. Web of Science Citations: 8.

MOUTINHO, MARIANA F.; DE ALMEIDA, EDUARDO A.; ESPINDOLA, EVALDO L. G.; DAAM, MICHIEL A.; SCHIESARI, LUIS. Herbicides employed in sugarcane plantations have lethal and sublethal effects to larval Boana pardalis (Amphibia, Hylidae). ECOTOXICOLOGY, v. 29, n. 7, p. 1043-1051, SEP 2020. Web of Science Citations: 5.

MOREIRA, RAQUEL APARECIDA; ROCHA, ODETE; DA SILVA PINTO, THANDY JUNIO; MENEZES DA SILVA, LAIS CONCEICAO; GOULART, BIANCA VELOSO; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA; GAETA ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ. Life-History Traits Response to Effects of Fish Predation (Kairomones), Fipronil and 2,4-D on Neotropical CladoceranCeriodaphnia silvestrii. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, v. 79, n. 3 AUG 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

DAAM, MICHIEL A.; ILHA, PAULO; SCHIESARI, LUIS. Acute toxicity of inorganic nitrogen (ammonium, nitrate and nitrite) to tadpoles of five tropical amphibian species. ECOTOXICOLOGY, v. 29, n. 9 JUL 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

SOLTANGHEISI, AMIN; WITHERS, PAUL J. A.; PAVINATO, PAULO SERGIO; CHERUBIN, MAURICIO ROBERTO; ROSSETTO, RAFFAELLA; DO CARMO, JANAINA BRAGA; DA ROCHA, GUSTAVO CASONI; MARTINELLI, LUIZ ANTONIO. Improving phosphorus sustainability of sugarcane production in Brazil. Global Change Biology Bioenergy, v. 11, n. 12, p. 1444-1455, DEC 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.

FREITAS, JULIANE SILBERSCHMIDT; GIROTTO, LAIS; GOULART, BIANCA VELOSO; GONCALVES ALHO, LAYS DE OLIVEIRA; GEBARA, RENAN CASTELHANO; MONTAGNER, CASSIANA CAROLINA; SCHIESARI, LUIS; GAETA ESPINDOLA, EVALDO LUIZ. Effects of 2,4-D-based herbicide (DMA (R) 806) on sensitivity, respiration rates, energy reserves and behavior of tadpoles. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, v. 182, OCT 30 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.

SCHIESARI, LUIS; MATIAS, MIGUEL G.; PRADO, PAULO INACIO; LEIBOLD, MATHEW A.; ALBERT, CECILE H.; HOWETH, JENNIFER G.; LEROUX, SHAWN J.; PARDINI, RENATA; SIQUEIRA, TADEU; BRANCALION, PEDRO H. S.; CABEZA, MAR; COUTINHO, RENATO MENDES; FELIZOLA DINIZ-FILHO, JOSE ALEXANDRE; FOURNIER, BERTRAND; LAHR, DANIEL J. G.; LEWINSOHN, THOMAS M.; MARTINS, AYANA; MORSELLO, CARLA; PERES-NETO, PEDRO R.; PILLAR, VALERIO D.; VAZQUEZ, DIEGO P. Towards an applied metaecology. PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION, v. 17, n. 4, p. 172-181, OCT-DEC 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.

DAAM, MICHIEL A.; MOUTINHO, MARIANA F.; ESPINDOLA, EVALDO L. G.; SCHIESARI, LUIS. Lethal toxicity of the herbicides acetochlor, ametryn, glyphosate and metribuzin to tropical frog larvae. ECOTOXICOLOGY, v. 28, n. 6, p. 707-715, AUG 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.

SCHIESARI, LUIS; MONTEIRO, ARTUR SGAMBATTI; ILHA, PAULO; POPE, NATHANIEL; CORREA, DECIO TADEU. The ecology of a system of natural mesocosms: Rock pools in the Atlantic Forest. Freshwater Biology, v. 63, n. 9, p. 1077-1087, SEP 2018. Web of Science Citations: 1.

SCHIESARI, LUIS; LEIBOLD, MATHEW A.; BURTON, JR., G. ALLEN. Metacommunities, metaecosystems and the environmental fate of chemical contaminants. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, v. 55, n. 3, p. 1553-1563, MAY 2018. Web of Science Citations: 6.