Land-use change effects on soil greenhouse gas emissions in the Matopiba region: the new Brazilian agricultural frontier

• Grant number: 24/06008-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri
• Grantee: Caroline Andreatto Zanoli
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10573-4 - Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture (CCARBON), AP.CEPID

Abstract

Brazil has experienced an accelerated agricultural expansion process in recent decades, with emphasis in the so-called Matopiba region. This new agricultural frontier, located in the Cerrado biome, covers ~73 million hectares, distributed over the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia. However, despite the well-known potential of the Cerrado biome for agricultural activities, the Matopiba region is located in an area characterized by unique climate and soil aspects (i.e., short rain season and sandy soils), which raises the risk of soil degradation as agriculture expands. Disturbance of natural areas is known to have a direct impact on soil organic carbon (C) dynamics. The land conversion followed by mismanagement and the lack of best management practices is between the main activities that promote soil decarbonization through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of land- use change on soil GHG emissions in areas of agricultural expansion in the Matopiba region. The study will be conducted in multiple locations, under the use of native forest and annual crops; the latter under different levels of crop diversification (i.e., successional and rotational systems). The GHG emissions will be monitored for a period of nine months, during the first and the second crop seasons. The fluxes of CO2, N2O, and CH4 gases will be measured using static chambers, and the daily fluxes will be used to calculate the accumulated emissions. Additionally, the yield-scaled emissions will be calculated based on the system's production history. The data will be submitted to analysis of variance, and when significant, to the Tukey test (p < 0.05).