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An important strategy for the sustainable management of Cerrado soils is no-till (NT) systems, which may improve soil properties, particularly aggregation. Soil aggregates can be categorized according to their formation pathways into physicogenic (Phy) and biogenic (Bio). This study aimed (i) to quantify the relative proportion of physicogenic and biogenic aggregates and (ii) evaluate the levels of total organic carbon and their respective humic and physical fractions in the aggregates' formation pathways. The following managed and unmanaged sites were evaluated: a 6-year no-till site (6NT), an 18-year no-till site (18NT), a conventional tillage site (CT), and a reference Cerrado site (RS). Retained aggregates were analyzed morphologically, separated into Phy and Bio, and quantified. Subsequently, aggregates were subjected to total organic carbon (TOC) determination, fulvic acid carbon, humic acid carbon, humin carbon, particulate organic carbon (POC), mineral-associated organic carbon, and free light fraction carbon (FLFC). The proportion of Bio aggregates increased with decreasing management intensity. When TOC and humic acid carbon levels were compared between sites, it was found that Bio aggregates from 18NT and 6NT contained higher carbon content than Bio aggregates from CT. Particulate organic carbon and FLFC differed between aggregate types, with higher POC values observed in Bio aggregates from CT and 18NT and higher FLFC values in Bio aggregates from CT, 6NT, and 18NT. The practices adopted in the conservation management system favored biogenic aggregation in the Cerrado region, which can be proven through the study of the fractions of soil organic matter contained in these aggregates. The biogenic aggregation changed the SOM dynamics. Principal component analysis showed a clear distinction between conventional and conservationist management systems.

The soil particles can be gathered through physical and/or chemical processes in association with the biological activity, leading to the formation of aggregates. Soil aggregates has several functions in the soil, increasing macroporosity and water circulation -consequently reducing soil erosion and mechanical resistance to root growth, contributing to greater fixation of plants to the soil and absorption of water and nutrients, and protection of intra-aggregate organic matter. The aggregates were initially classified morphologically and in terms of their stability. In recent years, another way of evaluating aggregates, regarding their formation or origin pathway, has gained prominence in the studies conducted in Brazil. As for their origin, the aggregates can be classified morphologically as physicogenic, biogenic, or intermediate. This manuscript presents the techniques used to sample aggregates, the morphological patterns for their distinction observed in different soil classes and management types, and the chemical and physical properties. Additionally, we present analyses that are not commonly used to evaluate aggregates but which have the potential to be used as tools for a better understanding of their origin and to evaluate their modifications when subject to different types of management. In practical terms, identifying the aggregate origin and determining the related attributes allows recognizing the effect of vegetation/soil/management on soil aggregate forming agents, mainly roots and soil fauna, which reflects soil quality. For future studies, and especially to determine the importance of biogenic aggregation in improving edaphic properties, we suggest the use of micromorphology, near-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray computed tomography, clay dispersion analyses in addition with chemical, physical, and biological analysis. This approach can contribute to the identification of other patterns related to pedogenesis and the pathways of aggregate formation.

Quantification of soil properties is essential for better understanding of the environment and better soil management. The conventional techniques of laboratory analysis are sometimes costly and detrimental to the environment. Thus, development of new techniques for soil analysis that do not generate residues, such as spectroscopy, is increasingly necessary as a viable way to estimate a wide range of soil properties. The objective of this study was to predict the levels of organic carbon (OC), clay, and extractable phosphorus (P), from the spectral responses of soil samples in the visible and near infrared (Vis-NIR), medium infrared (MIR), and Vis-NIR-MIR using different preprocessing methods combined with five prediction models. Soil samples were collected in Iconha, Espírito Santo State, Brazil, in the Ribeirão Inhaúma basin. A total of 184 samples were collected from 92 sites at two depths (0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.30 m). Physical, chemical, and spectral analyses were performed according to routine soil laboratory methods. Random selection was made of 70 % of total samples for training and 30 % for validation of the models. The coefficient of determination (R 2) and root mean square error (RMSE) were calculated in order to assess model performance. The standardized indexes of prediction error RPD and RPIQ were also calculated. For clay and OC, the best R 2 was found in the MIR spectrum, at 0.69 and 0.65, respectively, and for P, it was 0.57 in Vis-NIR. The MSC (Multiplicative Scatter Correction), CR (Continuum removal), and SNV (Standard Normal Variate) preprocesses were most efficient for predicting clay, OC, and P, respectively, while the PLSR-Partial Least Squares Regression (OC and P) and SVM-Support Vector Machine (clay) gave the best predictions and are therefore recommended for modeling these properties in the study area. The models identified in this study can be used to discriminate soils according to a critical test value for clay, OC, and P.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate i) the different cover crops contribution used in no-tillage system (NT) to biogenic aggregation; and ii) the influence of aggregate formation pathways on the compartmentalization and the soil organic carbon origin. Two areas managed under NT with different implementation times (6 and 18 years, NT06 and NT18, respectively) and cover crops were evaluated, totaling six sampling areas: NT06, millet (NT06MI); NT06, brachiaria (NT06BR); NT06, sunn hemp (NT06SH); NT18, millet (NT18MI); NT18, brachiaria (NT18BR); NT18, and sunn hemp (NT18SH). In each sampling area, five pseudo-replicates were collected in the 0.00-0.05 and 0.05-0.10 m layers. The samples were air-dried and sieved using sieves with 9.7 and 8.0 mm mesh, and the aggregates retained within this interval were selected. The percentage of each type of aggregate (physicogenic and biogenic) was quantified. Total organic carbon (TOC) and the natural abundance of δ13C (‰) were analyzed and the physical fractionations of SOM were performed: particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) and density fractionation (free light fraction carbon, FLFC). Physicogenic aggregates were quantified in greater proportion, except for the areas of NT06BR and NT18BR in the 0.00-0.05 m layer. The biogenic aggregates showed the highest contents of TOC, POC, MAOC, FLFC and more negative values of δ13C. The use of grasses, especially Brachiaria spp., as cover plants in NT after 6 and 18 years of adoption favors the formation of aggregates through the biogenic pathway and they influence the compartmentalization and origin of stored organic carbon.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the stability of aggregates, and quantify the contents and stocks of total organic carbon (TOC), and granulometric and humic fractions of soil organic matter (SOM). Four management systems were evaluated: (1) a no-tillage system (NTS) implemented 5 years ago (NTS5); (2) NTS implemented 17 years ago (NTS17); (3) conventional tillage system (CTS) implemented 20 years ago (CTS20); and (4) native Cerrado vegetation. For each system, five undeformed and five deformed soil samples were collected from the 0.00–0.05, 0.05–0.10, 0.10–0.20, and 0.20–0.40 m layers. The weighted mean diameter (WMD), TOC, stock of carbon (StockC), organic carbon particulate (OCp), organic carbon associated with minerals (OCam), stock of OCp, stock of OCam, carbon stock index, carbon management index (CMI), organic carbon in the fulvic acid fraction (FAF), humic acid fraction (HAF), and humin fraction were quantified. The WMD and CMI values increased as the soil management intensity decreased. The adoption of the NTS increased the WMD and the contents, stocks, and proportions of TOC in the more labile granulometric and humic (FAF/HAF) fractions of the SOM. The WMD, CMI, granulometric and chemical fractionation of the SOM were more efficient than the TOC and StockC in identifying the differences between the management systems. Due to the higher contents of the more labile fractions of SOM, the granulometric and chemical fractionation of SOM in the NTS5 and NTS17 systems had higher values of WMD and CMI than the CTS20 system.

O objetivo desse estudo foi determinar os teores de fósforo total (PT) e de suas formas e frações (Pt-bic, Pi-bic, Po-bic, Pt-H+ , Pi-H+ , Po-H+ , Pt-OH- , Pi-OH- e Po-OH- ), em agregados biogênicos e fisiogênicos sob diferentes sistemas de manejo agroecológico, no município de Seropédica-RJ. Foram abertas trincheiras com dimensões aproximadas de 0,25 x 0,20 m, em seguida foram coletados blocos de solos nas áreas amsotrais: sistema agroflorestal (SAF); café em pleno sol (C-SOL); café sombreado (C-SOM); cultivo em aleias de flemíngia/vagem (AL-FLE) e plantio direto com milho/ (PD) com 6 anos de cultivo; em 3 camadas (0,00-0,05; 0,05-0,10 e 0,10-0,20 m) com 4 pseudorepetições em delineamento inteiramente casualizado. Após a coleta, as amostras foram submetidas a tamisação em conjunto de peneiras de 9,7 - 8,0 mm. Foram utilizados para a identificação das vias de formação os agregados retidos neste único intervalo. Estes foram examinados sob lupa e separados manualmente e classificados em: biogênicos – aqueles que apresentaram formas arredondadas; e fisiogênicos – definidos com formas angulares. O PT foi determinado via digestão sulfúrica, e as formas e frações de P foram extraídas em sequência com NaHCO3, H2SO4 e NaOH. O PT e as suas formas e frações foram determinadas por colorimetria após a redução do complexo fosfomolibídico com ácido ascórbico. Os resultados foram submetidos à análise de variância com aplicação do teste de agrupamento de médias de Scott Knott (p<0,05). Nos agregados fisiogênicos foram verificados os maiores teores de Pt-bic, Po-bic, Pt-H+ , Pi-H+ , Po-H+ e Po-OH- em comparação aos agregados da via biogênica na maioria das áreas estudadas. As concentrações de P encontradas nos diferentes tipos de agregados evidenciaram o importante papel das vias de formação na avaliação da qualidade do solo e que todas as áreas avaliadas possuíam capacidade de se auto sustentar em relação à nutrição fosfatada.