Sugarcane expansion in Brazilian tropical soils—Effects of land use change on soil chemical attributes

Cherubin, Maurício Roberto; Franco, André L.C.; Cerri, Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino; Oliveira, Dener Márcio da Silva; Davies, Christian A.; Cerri, Carlos Clemente

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2015.06.006

Cited by 72 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The climate at all three sites has rainfall concentrated in the spring and summer (October-April), while the dry season is in the autumn and winter (May-September). Further details on the location and climate of each site can be found in Table 1 and Cherubin et al (2015).…”

Section: Site and Land Use Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soil acidification and nutrient depletions were the result of long-term (>30 yr) soil use with continuous grazing and the absence of lime and fertilizer inputs, as indicated by Cherubin et al (2015) (Kayser and Isselstein, 2005), and release of non-exchangeable K forms by the aggressive root systems of the grasses (Rosolem et al, 2012).…”

Section: Soil Chemical Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) Evaluation of Brazilian Sugarcane Expansion on Soil Quality

Cherubin

Karlen

Franco

et al. 2016

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

107

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The Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) was developed to evaluate impacts of land use and management practices on soil quality (SQ), but its suitability for Brazilian tropical soils was unknown. We hypothesized that SMAF would be sensitive enough to detect SQ changes associated with sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) expansion for ethanol production. Field studies were performed at three sites across the south-central region of Brazil, aiming to quantify the impacts of a land use change sequence (i.e., native vegetation-pasture-sugarcane) on SQ. Eight soil indicators were individually scored using SMAF curves developed primarily for North American soils and integrated into an overall Soil Quality Index (SQI) and its chemical, physical, and biological sectors. The SMAF scores were correlated with two other approaches used to assess SQ changes, soil organic C (SoC) stocks and Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) scores. our findings showed that the SMAF was an efficient tool for assessing land use change effects on the SQ of Brazilian tropical soils. The SMAF scoring curves developed using robust algorithms allowed proper assignment of scores for the soil chemical, physical, and biological indicators assessed. The SQI scores were significantly correlated with SoC stocks and VESS scores. Long-term transition from native vegetation to extensive pasture promoted significant decreases in soil chemical, physical, and biological indicators. overall SQI suggested that soils under native vegetation were functioning at 87% of their potential capacity, while pasture soils were functioning at 70%. Conversions of pasture to sugarcane induced slight improvements in SQ, primarily because of improved soil fertility. Sugarcane soils are functioning at 74% of their potential capacity. Based on this study, management strategies were developed to improve SQ and the sustainability of sugarcane production in Brazil.Abbreviations: AGS, macroaggregate stability; BD, bulk density; BG, b-glucosidase activity; MBC, microbial biomass carbon; SMAF, Soil Management Assessment Framework; SQ, soil quality; SQI, soil quality index; SOC, soil organic carbon; VESS, Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure. S oil quality or health is a key factor required to achieve sustainable agricultural systems that will meet our increasing demands for food, feed, fiber, and fuels. Therefore, in recent decades SQ has been discussed worldwide and become a major agenda item for the scientific community (Karlen et al., , 2014a. Soil quality was defined as the capacity of a specific kind of soil to function, within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality, and support human health and habitation (Karlen et al., 1997 Core Ideas:• The SMAF efficiently detected soil quality changes under Brazilian tropical conditions.• Soil Quality Index was 0.87 (native vegetation), 0.70 (pasture), and 0.74 (sugarcane).• Sugarcane expansion improves soil quality, mainly due to increasing so...

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Section: Site and Land Use Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Soil Chemical Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) Evaluation of Brazilian Sugarcane Expansion on Soil Quality

Cherubin

Karlen

Franco

et al. 2016

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The classification of the soils, using criteria outlined by the USDA Soil Taxonomy (Soil Survey Staff, 2014), is presented in Table 2. Further details regarding soil characteristics and LUC history of the studied sites are available in Cherubin et al (2015). …”

Section: Land-use Change Sequencementioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing soil structural quality under Brazilian sugarcane expansion areas using Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS)

Cherubin

Franco

Guimarães

et al. 2017

Soil and Tillage Research

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Cherubin, Maurício R.; Franco, André L.C.; Guimarães, Rachel M.L.; Tormena, Cássio A.; Cerri, Carlos E. P.; Karlen, Douglas; and Cerri, Carlos C., "Assessing soil structural quality under Brazilian sugarcane expansion areas using Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS)" (2017 Increasing global demand for biofuel has accelerated land-use change (LUC) in Brazil, primarily through the planting of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) to replace degraded pastures. The intensive mechanization associated with this LUC has increased concerns regarding structural quality of Brazilian tropical soils. Through decades of research focusing on identifying sensitive indicators of soil degradation due to land use and management, the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) method has emerged as a simple, fast, reliable and accurate semi-quantitative approach for assessing soil structure changes. VESS integrates soil properties related to size, strength and porosity of aggregates, and root characteristics into a single score (Sq -structural quality) that ranges from 1 (good structural quality) to 5 (poor structural quality). Although the VESS method was developed for temperate soils, it has been used successfully as an indicator of soil and crop management practice effects on structural quality of tropical and subtropical soils. Our objectives were to evaluate soil structural quality changes associated with a LUC sequence (i.e., native vegetation to pasture to sugarcane) at three sites under Oxisols, Alfisols and Ultisols across centralsouthern Brazil using the VESS; and to correlate VESS scores with quantitative measurements of soil physical properties. Average VESS scores were 2.0, 2.7, and 3.1 for native vegetation, pasture, and sugarcane, respectively. Overall the VESS method was able to detect soil structural quality changes under LUC for sugarcane cultivation, indicating a decrease in soil quality from native vegetation through pasture to sugarcane. The VESS scores were significantly correlated with quantitative soil physical property measurements, suggesting VESS is a reliable indicator of soil structural quality in tropical soils. A VESS score Sq = 3.0 seems to be suitable as a guide for management decisions. We conclude that VESS scores provide an efficient method to identify impacts of sugarcane expansion on soil structural quality, and recommend that VESS assessment be incorporated into monitoring protocols for evaluating not only sugarcane expansion areas, but also overall soil quality/health in Brazil.

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“…Although earthworms show a higher percentage of survival at a pH between 5 to 6, the high acidity of the soil did not significantly influence the experiments because E. foetida have calciferous glands, which allow them to control the acidity of the medium through the release of calcium carbonate secretions. (Primavesi, 2002) According to the results obtained by Cherubin et al (2015) and Silva et al (2015), the organic matter of the soil can complex xenobiotics and make them unavailable to the earthworms. The soil was classified as a fine to medium dark brown silty sand containing approximately 5% organic matter.…”

Section: Soil Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Contaminated with Glyphosate: Can Vermicompost Be Considered a Bioremediation Agent?

Rezende

Benetti²,

Pigatin³

2017

JAS

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The efficiency of the addition of vermicompost in relation to the decontamination of red latosol was evaluated against acute toxicity, biomass gain and reproduction of Eisenia foetida (earthworms) incubated in the contaminated soil. The soil was spiked to different concentrations of glyphosate from 96 mg kg -1 (recommended by the manufacturer) to 10000 mg kg -1 to simulate contamination by shedding of the herbicide. To evaluate the effect of vermicompost in the soil contaminated with 10000 mg kg -1 glyphosate, 15 g of vermicompost, totaling 3%, was added to the soil. The incorporation of vermicompost to the soil inhibited earthworm mortality. However, even the dose of 96 mg kg -1 presented deleterious effects on the reproduction of E. foetida. It can be concluded that the addition of vermicompost to soil contaminated with glyphosate attenuates the deleterious action of the herbicide on E. foetida.

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Sugarcane expansion in Brazilian tropical soils—Effects of land use change on soil chemical attributes

Cited by 72 publications

References 48 publications

A Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) Evaluation of Brazilian Sugarcane Expansion on Soil Quality

A Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) Evaluation of Brazilian Sugarcane Expansion on Soil Quality

Assessing soil structural quality under Brazilian sugarcane expansion areas using Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS)

Soil Contaminated with Glyphosate: Can Vermicompost Be Considered a Bioremediation Agent?

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