Carbon dynamics and greenhouse gas fluxes in integrated crop-livestock systems in Amazonia and Cerrado

Author(s)

João Luís Nunes Carvalho

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2010-03-12

Examining board members

Carlos Clemente Cerri; Cimélio Bayer; Jeferson Dieckow; José Laercio Favarin; Marcelo Valadares Galdos

• Advisor: Carlos Clemente Cerri

Abstract

Changes on land use and management influence the accumulation of carbon (C) in soil and the greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes. In Brazil, especially in Amazonia and Cerrados biomes, the native vegetation has been historically converted in pastures and agriculture causing considerable amount of GHG emissions to the atmosphere. Recently, pastures and agricultural activities have been adopting more intensified and technically advanced land management systems, such as the integrated crop-livestock (ICL) system, which has the capacity to increase soil C accumulation and promote GHG mitigation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the alterations in soil C stock and GHG fluxes in areas under land use changes in the Amazonia and Cerrados biomes. The study focused on areas under native vegetation, pasture, crop succession and ICL under different edaphoclimatic conditions. The fertility management of soil under pasture affects the biomass production which, in turn, influences not only the soil C accumulation but also the C loss. This study showed that pasture cultivated in fertile soil presented an accumulation of 0.46 Mg of C ha-1 year-1. Under naturally low soil fertility, losses of 0.15 and 1.53 Mg of C ha-1 year -1 were observed in non-degraded and degraded pastures, respectively. Conversion of native vegetation and pasture to agriculture, even when cultivated under no-tillage, caused the reduction of C stock and showed losses from 0.69 to 1.44 Mg ha-1 year -1. The implementation of ICL systems in crop succession areas caused the increase of soil C stock with rates ranging from 0.82 to 2.58 Mg ha-1 year -1. By applying the Century model, the same tendencies in soil C accumulation and C loss were observed. However, the model underestimated the C stock in all areas under evaluation. In Montividiu, Goiás State, the evaluation of GHG fluxes from different land uses and management showed that pasture produced higher C-CO2 emissions (10829 kg ha-1 year -1) than crop succession (4987 kg ha-1 year -1) and ICL (6565 kg ha- 1 year -1). The N-N2O emission was higher from ICL (2.00 kg ha-1 year-1) and lower from native vegetation (0.35 kg ha-1 year-1). Regarding the C-CH4 emissions from pastures, the fluxes were in the order of 1.67 kg ha-1year-1 while the other areas showed sink. In ICL, the soil management applied to the cotton stalk resulted in GHG flux differences. Chemical management with no soil disturbance reduced the CO2 emissions, increased N2O emissions and showed no influence on CH4 fluxes. Carbon sequestration rates, expressed in C equivalent, showed losses in the order of 0.43 and 0.77 Mg ha-1 year-1, respectively, from the conversion of Cerrado to pasture and crop succession. The implementation of ICL in areas under crop succession resulted in C sequestration in soil, regardless the type of management applied. Chemical management produced C sequestration of 1.05 Mg ha-1 year -1. Mechanical management with Cotton 1000 equipment and full tillage produced the sequestration of 0.58 and 0.71 Mg of C ha-1 year-1, respectively. The implementation of ICL systems showed to be an excellent alternative for soil C accumulation and mitigation of GHG emission. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 06/07110-2 - Crop-cattle farming integration in the southwest of Amazonia and Goiás: impacts on organic matter in the soil and on the flux of greenhouse effect gases
• Grantee: João Luís Nunes Carvalho
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate