Intensified management in regenerative agriculture: impacts on intra-aggregate organic matter

• Grant number: 25/01214-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri
• Grantee: Vanessa Mandro Baesteiro
• Host Institution: CENTRO ESTUDOS CARBONO AGRICULTURA TROPICAL/USP
• Associated research grant: 21/10573-4 - Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture (CCARBON), AP.CEPID

Abstract

Inadequate management can lead to degradation, reducing the soil's ability to act as a carbon dioxide (CO2) sink and, therefore, mitigate climate change. Alternatively, regenerative agriculture has been identified as a practice that promotes carbon sequestration in the soil and sustainable food production. The central objective of this project is to quantitatively and qualitatively investigate the aggregation and sequestration of carbon in the intra-aggregated organic matter (SOM) fractions of the soil, induced by the use of cover crops and diversification in regenerative agriculture (AR) areas. Thirteen treatments combining cover crops and diversification in the soybean off-season will be evaluated in a long-term experiment (10 years) in Lucas do Rio Verde-MT. Sampling will be carried out up to 30 cm deep (0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm) for physical, chemical and biological evaluations. Furthermore, qualitative assessments (FT-IR spectroscopy) will be combined with the determination of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents, aggregate stability (by wet screening and via the SLAKES® application), physical fractionation of intra-aggregated organic matter and determination of glomalin levels in the soil in response to the adoption of conservation practices. The data will be subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the means obtained will be compared using the Scott-Knott test (p<0.05), regression and correlation tests, as well as multivariate techniques. It is expected that the results obtained will guide national public policies that work to reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture, as well as being able to identify the potential for GHG mitigation through intensified systems of a regenerative nature. The project adheres to the investigative theme of land use change and diversified systems on the C balance in the Brazilian Cerrado, within the scope of the Center for Carbon Studies in Tropical Agriculture (CCarbon) at USP.