Soil carbon sequestration under integrated agricultural systems in Brazilian drylands

• Grant number: 23/00438-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2023
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Maurício Roberto Cherubin
• Grantee: Lucas Tadeu Greschuk
• 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
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/07837-8 - INTEGRATED AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS AND CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON SOIL CARBON STORAGE IN BRAZILIAN DRYLANDS, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Land use change and soil organic matter (SOM) loss in agricultural areas are the activities that most contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Brazil. In this sense, the adoption of management practices that reduce GHG emissions, such as integrated agricultural systems (IAS), is fundamental to mitigating climate change and ensuring sustainable agricultural development. However, although the benefits of IAS have been proven in some regions, such as Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes, the potential of these systems are almost unexplored in the Brazilian drylands (Caatinga biome). Therefore, the objective of this project is to the change in soil C stock in integrated agricultural systems in the Brazilian dryland region, providing recommendations for land management and the development of public policies. Soil samples will be collected up to 1 m depth in the states of Ceará (CE), Piauí (PI), and Pernambuco (PE). The treatments will comprise areas with different levels of intensification of integrated systems, degraded and non-degraded pasture, native forest, and monoculture. Variations in total soil C and N stocks will be quantified, as well as SOM fractions obtained by the physical fractionation method. The data obtained will be submitted to variance analysis and, when significant, to Tukey's test (p < 0.05). Further, multivariate techniques will be applied to identify the relationship between the soil health indicators and the evaluated systems. A literature review and bibliometrics will be applied considering the current state of the art about integrated systems and their capacity to store carbon in drylands. Similarly, the development of an index to assess soil health will be proposed. Modeling and mapping of carbon stocks will be prepared for the study area under current and future climate scenarios. The stability of SOM induced by different cropping systems will be evaluated by physical fractionation of SOM associated with spectroscopic techniques. IAS can be a powerful solution to address global food and energy insecurity and climate change in the coming decades. Therefore, recognizing the potential of IAS to enhance C sequestration in Brazilian drylands can be a valuable scientific basis to help Brazil achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions and other climate actions, well as contribute to developing a baseline for the carbon market.

Scientific publications

(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)

GRESCHUK, LUCAS T.; DEMATTE, JOSE A. M.; SILVERO, NELIDA E. Q.; ROSIN, NICOLAS AUGUSTO. A soil productivity system reveals most Brazilian agricultural lands are below their maximum potential. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 13, n. 1, p. 14-pg., 2023-08-29. (23/00438-8, 21/05129-8)