Dados do Trabalho

Título

SOIL CARBON STORAGE IN BRAZILIAN DRYLANDS: STATUS, OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Resumo

Integrated agricultural systems have great potential to increase soil organic matter, directly influencing the carbon and nitrogen content of the soil. However, information on the influence of these systems on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock in the Brazilian drylands is still scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study is to perform a meta-analysis to recognize the current state, opportunities, and challenges for carbon storage in agricultural systems in the Brazilian semi-arid region. Carbon stock data were extracted from about 53 articles considering the use of cultivated plants and pasture areas, 28 articles in areas of native Caatinga, and 9 articles in integrated agricultural systems of the Brazilian drylands. In the three types of land use, soil organic carbon stock data were evaluated up to 0.3 meters in depth. Differences in soil carbon stock indicate that integrated agricultural systems have an average of 65 Mg ha-1, followed by native Caatinga with 50 Mg ha-1, and agriculture (including pastures and monoculture) with 27 Mg ha-1. Therefore, the greatest difference observed in soil carbon stock was 38 Mg ha-1 between integrated agricultural systems compared to pasture and monoculture areas. The smallest difference observed in carbon stock was 23 Mg ha-1 between native Caatinga compared to pasture and monoculture areas. In this way, the adoption of integrated agricultural systems can be considered an opportunity to increase the stock of carbon in the soil. However, several challenges must be considered due to the level of aridity and water availability in the region. In conclusion, the demand for more research to assess the potential of different agricultural systems to store carbon up to one meter deep in the Brazilian semi-arid region is remarkable.

Palavras-chave

agricultural management; carbon stock; Caatinga; integrated agricultural systems.

Instituição financiadora

FEALQ, FAPESP, CAPES, SHELL

Agradecimentos

Sohma research group, ESALQ-USP, FEALQ, FAPESP, CAPES, SHELL