Abstract
This study had the purpose of evaluating the effects of two management types of sugarcane: harvesting of burnt cane (BCH) and mechanized harvesting of unburnt green cane (MCH), on some soil physical properties of a dystrophic Rhodic Haplustox. The data were then compared with results for the same soil type under native forest. A completely randomized design was used, with three treatments and 20 replications. The following characteristics were determined: organic matter, aggregate stability, soil bulk density, and porosity at depths of 0-0.20 m and soil penetration resistance. After 15 years of cultivation, there were some alterations in the soil under cane burnt before harvesting, evidenced by a drop in the weighted average diameter of stable aggregates in water and increased soil bulk density. Significant changes were also detected in total porosity and pore distribution under both harvesting systems. Critical values for penetration resistance were observed in the area under mechanized sugar cane harvesting, with a value of 4.5 MPa in the 40-55 cm layer. This value is considered high and could indicate compaction and restriction of root growth. Soil properties under the green cane (unburned) management system were closest to those of the soil under native forest.
Highlights
Agricultural activities can affect the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil and environment (Lal, 2000; Souza et al, 2005) and inadequate management can lead to degradation and a drop in productivity (Bronick & Lal, 2005).In the State of São Paulo, areas covered by native forest were gradually replaced by coffee plantations and later by sugarcane in monoculture over lengthy periods (Oliveira et al, 1995)
The organic matter content (5.83 g kg-1) of the burnt cane harvesting (BCH) system was lower than mechanized harvesting of unburnt green cane (MCH) (19.23 g kg-1), whereas the MCH system did not differ statistically from native forest (NF) (19.97 g kg-1)
The lowest organic matter content values obtained for the BCH system were due to burning before the harvest, which eliminates the cane trash on the soil surface
Summary
Agricultural activities can affect the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil and environment (Lal, 2000; Souza et al, 2005) and inadequate management can lead to degradation and a drop in productivity (Bronick & Lal, 2005).In the State of São Paulo, areas covered by native forest were gradually replaced by coffee plantations and later by sugarcane in monoculture over lengthy periods (Oliveira et al, 1995). The crop is usually burnt before harvesting, causing environmental problems such as emission of C monoxide (CO) and other atmospheric pollutants, ash deposits in urban areas, physical exposure of the soil and loss of chemical fertility (Allen et al, 2004; Marques et al, 2009). To mitigate these problems, a mechanized system of green cane harvesting was developed that does not require burning and deposits the cane trash to cover over the soil, protecting it from erosion loss and improving soil conservation (Souza et al, 2005; Luca et al, 2008). The system of mechanized or green cane harvesting has proved promising, both in technical and economic terms (Rodrigues & Saab, 2007)
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