Soil organic matter quality and quantity in conventional and organic sugarcane production systems

Author(s)

Thalita Fernanda Abbruzzini

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2012-01-13

Examining board members

Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri; Cristiano Alberto de Andrade; Debora Marcondes Bastos Pereira Milori

• Advisor: Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri

Abstract

The high demand for biofuels as an alternative energy source has generated a wide expansion of etanol industry in Brazil, being considered the largest sugarcane producer worldwide. Legal and environmental issues promote changes in sugarcane production, with the conversion of burned to unburned harvesting and the increase of sugarcane organic production as an important trade generating ongoing discussions associated to production, sustainability and environmental quality. Soil organic matter (SOM) is considered one of the most important indicators of soil quality. However, there is still little information available on a qualitative and quantitative assessment basis in sugarcane production systems. The first stage of this study compared soil C and N contents, soil C and N stocks and soil carbon in microbial biomass (C-MB) in conventional and organic sugarcane systems. Higher values of C stock were observed for native vegetation (NV) (27.11 Mg C ha-1), unburned sugarcane (US) (23.03 Mg C ha-1), 12-year organic sugarcane (OS12) (21.80 Mg C ha-1) in 0-10 cm layer. In sugarcane areas, C stocks varied from 10.87 to 23.03 Mg C ha-1 in conventional and from 13.62 to 21.80 Mg C ha-1 in organic system. In relation to N stocks, higher values were observed for OS12 and NV in 0-10 cm layer; 1.78 and 2.06 Mg N ha-1, respectively. However, N stocks in 0-100 cm were higher in OS12 when compared to NV; 5.24 and 4.56 Mg N ha-1, respectively. The highest MB-C was observed for NV (608.51 g C g -1 soil). In sugarcane areas, the highest C-MB was observed for OS12 (506.61 g C g -1 soil) and the lowest for burned sugarcane (BS) (144.21 g C g -1 soil). The next stage of this study was to assess the influence of soil management in soil oganic matter quality through chemical fractionation and spectroscopic analysis of humic substances and soil samples. Organic sugarcane areas and NV presented lower humification degrees. In burned and unburned sugarcane areas HFIL values did not vary as a function of depth. We can also infer that the main modifications in SOM treated as a whole are more related to modifications in FA and HU than in HA. The results of this study provide basic information to the assessment of environmental sustainability, carbon footprint and soil quality in sugarcane production systems. The approach can also be very useful to establish new strategies to promote agricultural sustainability. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/04017-7 - Greenhouse gas emissions and soil C and N under organic and conventional sugarcane cultivation
• Grantee: Thalita Fernanda Abbruzzini
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master