Soil carbon accumulation in cotton production systems in the Brazilian Cerrado

Alexandre Cunha De Barcellos Ferreira,Mellissa Ananias Soler Da Silva,Fernando Mendes Lamas,Ana Luiza Dias Coelho Borin,Julio Cesar Bogiani,Luiz Alberto Staut,Joao Luis Da Silva Filho

doi:10.4025/actasciagron.v42i1.43039

Alexandre Cunha De Barcellos Ferreira, Mellissa Ananias Soler Da Silva + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4025/actasciagron.v42i1.43039

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Abstract

Sustainable production systems, such as the no-tillage system (NTS), have a tendency to increase organic carbon in the soil. However, in Brazilian cotton production, the conventional tillage system (CTS) is predominant, and long-term studies on cotton crop under the NTS are scarce. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of soil management and crop rotation systems on the cotton fiber yield as well as on the carbon and nitrogen accumulation in the soil. This study was conducted in the Brazilian savanna over 9 years and consisted of the following four treatments with different soil management systems: the NTS and CTS with the succession or rotation of crops (cotton, soybean, maize, and Urochloa ruziziensis). The NTS increased the carbon content by 55% in the top 5 cm after 9 years and increased the carbon stock by approximately 20% at a depth of up to 40 cm. Crop rotation with soybean, maize, and cotton was insufficient to increase the carbon stock in the soil under the CTS. In addition to increasing the fiber yield, the cotton crop in a NTS rotated with soybean + U. ruziziensis and with maize + U. ruziziensis increases the carbon stock and nitrogen content in soil.

Highlights

The C content at the 0-5 cm depth was significantly higher in the no-tillage system (NTS) than in the treatments with conventional tillage system (CTS), with or without crop rotation
U. ruziziensis produced straw for soil cover and direct seeding, which resulted in a longer period of use and protection of soil
In the NTS, the C content was approximately 55% higher than that found in the CTS treatments

Summary

Introduction

Brazil is one of the world’s major producers of soybean, maize, and cotton, with estimated cultivated areas of 35, 16.4, and 1.1 million hectares, respectively. In Brazilian cotton production, the conventional tillage system (CTS) with plows and harrows is still widely used. This non-conservationist management system favors soil erosion (Srinivasarao et al, 2014; Corbeels et al, 2016) and reduces the soil organic matter content (Srinivasarao et al, 2014), a fundamental component for soil quality (Srinivasarao et al, 2014). Cotton monoculture still occurs in some areas, it has decreased due to rotation with soybean and maize

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