Dados do Trabalho

Título

LONG-TERM REGENERATIVE MANAGEMENT IMPROVES SOIL FERTILITY ALONG THE PROFILE

Resumo

Regenerative agriculture has gained the attention of researchers due to its potential to restore agroecosystems while enhancing soil fertility. However, studies that show the extent of the long-term benefits of this agricultural approach are scarce. Our aim was to quantify the soil chemical attributes of two nearby farms in western Santa Catarina, Brazil, with different soil management approaches. The evaluated soil managements were (i) regenerative management (RM), where the soil subjected to ten years of conventional tillage was converted into no-tillage, which was applied for forty years with intense use of cover crops (black oat, fodder radish, forage pea, white lupine, and rye), without lime application in the last ten years; (ii) direct sowing in soil poorly covered and fallow in winter, with fertilizers and liming constantly added over forty years; and (iii) native forest (control). Soil samples were taken in a single point between crop rows at 0–15, 15–30, 30–45, and 45–60 cm. Total organic carbon (TOC), pH, and plant-available P were measured. The TOC mean along the profile was similar between RM and forest (3.5 and 3.4 g kg-1, respectively), both being on average 1.7 times higher than direct sowing. The two cultivated areas had about two times higher available P than the native forest. Although RM and forest created more uniform patterns along the profile (standard deviations of 3.4, 2.2, and 0.2, respectively), direct sowing caused a dramatic decline in this nutrient at depths below 15 cm. For forests and RM, soil pH rose with depth, probably as a result of surface TOC accumulation, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for direct sowing where lime was applied on the soil surface. Regenerative soil management restores natural carbon levels while improving soil fertility along the profile. These findings suggest that agronomic recommendations and agricultural policies should be planned in the long term. 

Palavras-chave

soil cover; soil health; sustainable agriculture.

Agradecimentos

Alessio's Farm (“Fazenda Banhado Verde”); University of Saskatchewan.