Abstract
ABSTRACT: Sugarcane covers 10.6 Mha of Brazilian agricultural land (13 % of all cropland), mainly in the south-central region. In tropical climate conditions, the physiological characteristics of sugarcane allow a wide range of management systems with contrasting soil erosion outcomes. Models can assess these differences and the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) based models are the most frequently used. The cover-management factor (C Factor) is the USLE input variable that represents the changes in soil cover and management. We collected, compared, and evaluated sugarcane C Factor values reported in technical and scientific literature to support modelers and soil scientists on the adequate choice of these values. We analyzed references reporting primary C Factor values and sources that applied these values or described them. We found 50 references, showing a wide value variation ranging from 0.0012 to 0.5800. Thirteen references were primary sources. We found seven primary sources for Brazilian sugarcane growing conditions, but only two papers were peer-reviewed. Sugarcane C Factor modelers frequently used C values based on a poor understanding and description of the methodological and geographical origin of these values and out of the context of the specific crop management systems of application. Therefore, the results may not be compatible with the study site conditions. The primary sources lack clarity in the description of the site–specific environmental and management conditions in which the C Factors were obtained, hindering the use of these specificities by the end user.
Highlights
Sugarcane is a primary crop in Brazil by the extension of cultivated areas (10.6 Mha, occupying 13 % of total cropped area), the high value of its production chain (US$ 22 billion yr–1) (IBGE, 2016; FIESP, 2020), and for its importance in energy and food production
We reported on how wrong references may be propagated by authors who do not take into account all descriptions of the primary sources of this information
As expected, because of the large variation in crop management options, there is a wide range of described C Factor values
Summary
Sugarcane is a primary crop in Brazil by the extension of cultivated areas (10.6 Mha, occupying 13 % of total cropped area), the high value of its production chain (US$ 22 billion yr–1) (IBGE, 2016; FIESP, 2020), and for its importance in energy (ethanol and electricity) and food production. Production is expected to increase by 0.8 Mha and 35 % in volume until 2029 driven by increments in energy and food consumption (FIESP, 2020) This increase is directly related to land-use changes, with pastures located in less suitable and susceptible areas to erosion being replaced by sugarcane cultivation (Sparovek et al, 2009; Spera et al, 2017). By having the distance of the mills as the main factor defining land use, sugarcane occupies a wide range of soil and slope conditions occurring near the mills. In many cases, this results in sugarcane cultivated in highly erodible soil and slope conditions. According to Medeiros et al (2016), sugarcane crops have expanded mainly to highly erodible soils and distinct climatic conditions, due to the wide range of available management options
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