Emission of CO2, N2O, CH4 and physical, chemical and microbiological soil in management systems in sugarcane

• Grant number: 12/10441-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: October 10, 2012
• End date: July 09, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Zigomar Menezes de Souza
• Grantee: Rose Luiza Moraes Tavares
• Supervisor: Kurt A. Spokas
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola (FEAGRI). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Minnesota (U of M), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 11/04842-0 - Soil CO2 emission spatial and temporal variability and physical, chemical and microbiological attributes in sugarcane management systems, BP.DR

Abstract

The process of burn the cane before harvest facilitates manual harvesting, however, this process is associated with the issue of large quantities of polluting gases and the greenhouse effect, while harvesting cane without burn has been the target of studies as a mitigation measure of the greenhouse effect. This project aims to evaluate the spatial variability of the emission of CO2, N2O and CH4 in soils under sugarcane system and burned, and to correlate these emissions to the physical, chemical and microbiological soil. The experimental area is located at Usina São Martinho in the city of Pradópolis / SP / Brazil, whose plots consist of three areas cultivated with sugar cane: 1 - without sugarcane burn for 5 years, 2 - without sugarcane burn for 15 year 3 - burning cane. Disturbed soil samples were collected at a depth of 0.00 to 0.20 m for microbiological (microbial respiration, microbial biomass, metabolic quotient and microbial quotient) and chemical (organic carbon, macro and micronutrients), while the undisturbed soil were collected at depths of from 0.00 to 0.10, 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m for the following determinations: particle size, porosity and bulk density, aggregate stability and water content soil. The sample loops were properly installed in areas that, from the geostatistical analysis to relate the anisotropy of the emission of CO2 (in field) and CO2, CH4, and N2O (laboratory) to determine the soil. Thus, it is expected to meet some questions about the benefits that the management system of mechanized cane sugar can bring the mitigation of the main greenhouse gas. (AU)