Crop-Livestock Integrated Systems Improve Soil Health in Tropical Sandy Soils

Autor(es)

Vanolli, Beatriz da Silva ; Dias, Henrique Boriolo ; da Luz, Felipe Bonini ; Lamparelli, Rubens Augusto Camargo ; Magalhaes, Paulo Sergio Graziano ; Cherubin, Mauricio Roberto

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: AGRONOMY-BASEL; v. 15, n. 2, p. 17-pg., 2025-02-01.

Resumo

The degradation of pastures in tropical regions, particularly in sandy soils, poses significant challenges to sustainable agricultural practices. Crop-livestock integration (CLI) systems have emerged as a promising strategy to restore these degraded soils. This study evaluated the impact of land-use transitions on soil health in Western S & atilde;o Paulo, Brazil, focusing on the conversion from pasture (Urochloa brizantha) to CLI systems with U. brizantha (CLI-u) and M. maximum (CLI-m). A comprehensive set of chemicals (pH, phosphorus, potassium), physical (aggregate stability, bulk density), and biological (beta-glucosidase activity, soil organic carbon) indicators were assessed across four land-use types: native vegetation (NV), pasture (PA), CLI-u, and CLI-m. The Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) was applied to calculate the Soil Health Index (SHI) across three soil depths (0-0.1 m, 0.1-0.2 m, 0.2-0.3 m). At the surface layer (0-0.1 m), PA and NV exhibited the highest SHI values (0.65 and 0.63, respectively), while CLI-m showed a lower SHI (0.56). In the subsurface layer (0.1-0.2 m), CLI-m and NV presented the highest SHI values (0.66 and 0.67, respectively), whereas PA and CLI-u had lower values (0.52 and 0.58). At the deepest layer (0.2-0.3 m), SHI values in CLI systems were comparable to NV (0.56), while PA recorded the lowest SHI (0.48). These results demonstrate that land-use transitions and management practices significantly affect soil health in sandy soils. The findings underscore the potential of CLI systems, particularly those incorporating M. maximum, to enhance biological and chemical soil health indicators in tropical agroecosystems. Further refinement of CLI management strategies is essential to optimize soil health recovery in sandy soil ecosystems. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 14/50279-4 - Brasil Research Centre for Gas Innovation
• Beneficiário: Julio Romano Meneghini
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa Centros de Pesquisa em Engenharia
• Processo FAPESP: 17/50205-9 - Monitoramento de sistemas integrados lavoura-pecuária por meio de sensoriamento remoto e agricultura de precisão para uma produção mais sustentável - rumo à agricultura de baixo carbono
• Beneficiário: Paulo Sergio Graziano Magalhães
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 20/06775-8 - Avaliação dos efeitos de sistemas de integração lavoura-pecuária e práticas de manejo associadas em processos de ciclagem de carbono no solo usando o modelo Agro-IBIS
• Beneficiário: Henrique Boriolo Dias
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 20/15230-5 - Centro de Pesquisa e Inovação de Gases de Efeito Estufa - RCG2I
• Beneficiário: Julio Romano Meneghini
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa Centros de Pesquisa em Engenharia
• Processo FAPESP: 22/14212-9 - Papel da macrofauna do solo na regulação da dinâmica do carbono em sistemas agrícolas integrados
• Beneficiário: Beatriz da Silva Vanolli
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 21/10573-4 - Centro de Pesquisa de Carbono em Agricultura Tropical (CCARBON)
• Beneficiário: Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Centros de Pesquisa, Inovação e Difusão - CEPIDs