Diversification strategies in soybean-corn system: effect on macroaggregate turnover and carbon stabilization in Cerrado soils

• Grant number: 25/13019-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri
• Grantee: Moisés Barbosa Oliveira
• 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

Sequestration of organic carbon in soil is crucial to mitigate the effects of climate change, especially in tropical regions, where high biological activity and edaphoclimatic conditions intensify decomposition processes. Carbon stabilization depends, among other factors, on soil aggregation, with macroaggregates and microaggregates being the main physical compartments that promote the protection of organic matter (SOM). The turnover of macroaggregates, a process that involves the formation, disaggregation and release of internal microaggregates, plays a central role in the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC). In Brazil, the soybean-corn system predominates as the main agricultural succession, and the off-season represents a strategic window for the adoption of conservation practices, due to the possibility of diversifying the system. However, studies evaluating how different plant diversification strategies influence soil structure and carbon stabilization in tropical environments, such as the Cerrado, are still scarce. This project aims to evaluate the effect of species and plant management strategies after soybean on macroaggregate turnover and carbon stability in a Cerrado Latosol. Consolidated methodologies such as wet sieving and isolation of microaggregates within macroaggregates will be applied, with subsequent elemental analysis of C and N. The aim is to generate technical information that supports recommendations for sustainable agricultural practices, contributing to the ecological intensification of tropical agriculture.