Effects of land use change and intensification of agroecossystems on organic carbon stocks in Cerrado soils

• Grant number: 21/14337-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2022
• End date: February 28, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri
• Grantee: Letícia Thomaz Cipriani
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Politécnica (EP)
• Associated research grant: 20/15230-5 - Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Innovation - RCG2I, AP.PCPE

Abstract

The increase in the concentration of green house gases (GHG) in the atmosphere has aggravated the climate change scenario. In Brazil, the disturbance of natural land through deforestation followed by conversion to agricultural land is considered among the activities that most contribute to the GHG emission, induced primarily by the depletion of soil organic matter (SOM). On the other hand, the adoption of best management practices can contribute to the decrease of GHG emission, in addition to promoting carbon (C) sequestration in soil. Therefore, the objective of this project is to evaluate the impacts of converting native forest to agricultural use considering different levels of crop intensification and soil preparation on the dynamics of SOM in the Brazilian Cerrado. Hence, soil samples will be collected up to 1 m in depth, in the localities of Sapezal - MT, Costa Rica - MS, and Cristalina - GO. The treatments considered will comprise areas under different tillage systems (conventional and no-tillage systems) and different crop intensification levels (successions and rotations). Changes in total soil C and N stocks will be quantified, as well as changes in the SOM fractions that will be obtained through physical densimetric fractionation in different classes of aggregates of SOM. Data will be submitted to analysis of variance, and when significant, to Tukey mean comparison test (p < 0.05). The results will contribute to the identification of management practices that can promote the mitigation of GHG emissions and the sequestration of C in the soil of cultivated areas in the Brazilian Cerrado region. (AU)