Role of soil carbon in the landscape functioning of the Alto São Bartolomeu watershed in the Cerrado region, Brazil

Abstract

-The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of soil carbon on landscape functioning of the Oxisols covering the plateaus of the Alto São Bartolomeu watershed, in the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) region of Central Brazil. Soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration, carbon stocks, and some soil physical and chemical characteristics were determined at the 0-0.20-m depth on native and anthropogenic areas. Soils from cerrado stricto sensu patches were similar both physically and chemically, being affected by exchangeable Al 3+ and by SOC concentrations, while anthropogenic matrices were affected by soil bulk density, pH, extractable P, and exchangeable Ca 2+ and Mg 2+. The estimate of spatial distribution of soil carbon better fitted had an adjusted R 2 of 64.49% using soil C stock and 66.50% using SOC concentration from native and anthropic areas. Estimating SOC concentration from soil and landscape types, using geotechnologies to analyze vegetation indices, is a potential tool to evaluate the productivity of different agroecosystems, besides contributing to make management strategies more suitable on large scales.Index terms: Brazilian savanna, no-tillage, Oxisol, pasture, pedotransfer function, vegetation indices. Papel do carbono no solo no funcionamento da paisagem na bacia do Alto São Bartolomeu, na região do CerradoResumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do carbono no solo no funcionamento da paisagem em Latossolos sobre chapadas da bacia hidrográfica do Alto São Bartolomeu, na região do Cerrado do Brasil Central. A concentração de carbono orgânico no solo (COS), os estoques de carbono no solo, e algumas características físicas e químicas do solo foram determinadas a 0-0,20 m de profundidade, em áreas nativas e antrópicas. Os solos de fragmentos de cerrado sentido restrito foram semelhantes física e quimicamente, tendo sido influenciados por Al 3+ trocável e concentrações de COS, enquanto as matrizes antrópicas foram influenciadas por densidade do solo, pH, P disponível, e Ca 2+ e Mg 2+ trocáveis. A estimativa da distribuição espacial do COS para áreas nativas e antrópicas apresentou R 2 ajustado de 64,49%, com uso de estoques de carbono, e de 66,50%, com as concentrações de COS das áreas nativas e antrópicas. Estimar a concentração de COS a partir do solo e de feições da paisagem, por meio do uso de geotecnologias aplicadas aos índices de vegetação, é uma ferramenta potencial para avaliar a produtividade dos agroecossistemas, além de contribuir para estratégias de gestão mais adequadas em grandes escalas.Termos para indexação: Cerrado brasileiro, plantio direto, Latossolo, pastagem, função de pedotransferência, índices de vegetação.

Understanding the effect of an agroforestry system with high litter input on topsoil permeability

“…Therefore, this is an agroforestry system with high species diversity. This agroforestry system has been the subject of previous investigation of soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics (Alves et al, 2016), together with the use of nitrogen fertilizers and carbon credit quantification (Sampaio et al, 2014), as well as the benefits of mechanization in agroforestry implantation (Moura & Hoffmann, 2009). We established from land managers that no fertilizer is used in this agroforestry system.…”

Soil carbon and nitrogen under different land-use and landscape loca-tions in central Brazil

“…Well-managed pastures may maintain (Alves et al, 2016;Cecagno et al, 2018) or increase the C stock in the soil (D'Andrea et al, 2004) in relation to a native area, explained by the management difference for each pasture (Marinho Junior et al, 2020). However, our results show a reduction in C and N stocks in the pasture at the summit of the plateau.…”

“…The differences due to LUC can occur through the increase or reduction of C and N stocks (Guareschi et al, 2014), which vary with the intensity of the changes and the management provided to each area (Cecagno et al, 2018;Marinho Junior et al, 2020). In soil research, C stable isotope ratios (δ 13 C) and N stable isotope ratios (δ 15 N) can integrate soil organic matter dynamics over decades (Alves et al, 2016;Guareschi et al, 2014).…”

“…The insertion of crops and pastures modify an area's microclimatic conditions, which may lead to differences in decomposition rates and chemical reactions in the soil, leading to different levels of organic soil C (Babu et al, 2020;Soares et al, 2019) affecting C stocks (Alves et al, 2016;Marinho Junior et al 2020). In the Cerrado, the C stock (Gmach et al, 2018) and N stock (Oliveira et al, 2016) decreases with the transformation of the native area into pasture and plantation areas in surface soils.…”

Spectral and Soil Quality Index for Monitoring Environmental Rehabilitation and Soil Carbon Stock in an Amazonian Sandstone Mine

“…In addition, it can estimate important indicators of soil quality in a cost-effective and rapid manner when compared with repeated field surveys and laboratory measurements in large areas with difficult access [7,8]. One example is the correlation between spectral indices (i.e., normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and bare soil index (BSI)) and soil properties such as organic carbon, nutrients, and texture [8][9][10][11].…”