Changes in soil temperature and moisture due to sugarcane straw removal in central-southern Brazil

Author(s)

Belarmino dos Santos, Arthur Klebson ^[1] ; Popin, Gustavo Vicentini ^[1] ; Gmach, Maria Regina ^[2] ; Cherubin, Mauricio Roberto ^[1] ; Neto, Marcos Siqueira ^[3] ; Peregrino Cerri, Carlos Eduardo ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, ESALQ, Dept Ciencia Solo, CP 09, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[2] Swedish Univ Agr Sci, Dept Ecol, POB 7044, SE-75007 Uppsala - Sweden

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, CENA, Lab Biogeoquim Ambiental, CP 09, BR-13416900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Scientia Agricola; v. 79, n. 6 2022.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Crop residues left in the field cover and protect the soil surface, and regulate key processes and functions, such as gas and water exchanges. However, the Brazilian sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) sector has begun to use straw as feedstock to produce bioenergy. We conducted a field study to evaluate the effects of sugarcane straw removal in soil temperature and moisture changes at three sites (with different soil textures: Site 1 - clayey Oxisol, Site 2 - medium texture Oxisol, and Site 3 - sandy Ultisol) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks with four rates of straw removal: i) no removal (NR); ii) moderate removal (MR); iii) substantial removal (SR), and iv) total removal (TR). Soil temperature was measured by sensors in the 0- to 5- and 5- to 10-cm soil layers. Undisturbed soil samples were collected from the 0- to 20- and 20- to 40-cm layers to determine soil moisture. Intensive straw removal (HR and TR) increased the soil temperature between 2 and 3 °C and the thermal amplitude between 5 and 9 °C in the 0- to 5-cm layer, compared to MR and NR. Soil moisture decreased between 0.03 and 0.07 g g–1 in the 0- to 20-cm layer with intensive straw removal. The sandy soil was more susceptible to straw removal. Therefore, straw maintenance on the soil surface plays an essential role in temperature regulation and preservation of higher soil moisture, especially in regions with severe water deficits and long periods of water stress. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/09845-7 - Implications of expansion and management intensification on soil ecosystem services
• Grantee: Maurício Roberto Cherubin
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 19/25988-5 - Nitrogen in deep soils of Cerrado biome: environmental factor or crop management setback?
• Grantee: Gustavo Vicentini Popin
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate