Soil organic matter in oxisols of the Brazilian cerrados

Little is known about the sustainability of cultivation systems in the Brazilian savannas, also known as the Cerrados, despite its increasing significance for that country`s agriculture. To characterize management effects and follow alterations of organic compounds in different fractions, we studied...

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Main Authors: Neufeldt, Henry, Resck, DVS, Ayarza, Miguel Angel, Zech, W.
Format: Book Chapter
Language:Inglés
Published: International Center for Tropical Agriculture 1999
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/55130
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author Neufeldt, Henry
Resck, DVS
Ayarza, Miguel Angel
Zech, W.
author_browse Ayarza, Miguel Angel
Neufeldt, Henry
Resck, DVS
Zech, W.
author_facet Neufeldt, Henry
Resck, DVS
Ayarza, Miguel Angel
Zech, W.
author_sort Neufeldt, Henry
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Little is known about the sustainability of cultivation systems in the Brazilian savannas, also known as the Cerrados, despite its increasing significance for that country`s agriculture. To characterize management effects and follow alterations of organic compounds in different fractions, we studied whole-soil samples and particle-size separates from clayey and loamy Oxisols under crops, pastures, reforested sites, and savanna. We assessed soil organic carbon (SOC), polysaccharides, and CuO oxidation products (VSC-lignin). Few changes were found in SOC contents of topsoil (0-12 cm) under different land uses after 10-20 years. But organic carbon clearly diminished under continuous cropping on the loamy soil and under reforestation with pine on the clayey soil. Management effects on SOC were more apparent in sand fractions, suggesting that particulate organic matter (POM) was affected most. In the clay fraction, only minor effects were noted. Carbon-normalized polysaccharide contents were enriched under pastures and depleted under pine, but generally followed a similar distribution to that of SOC. Overall, both polysaccharides and VSC-lignin were closely related to soil porosity. Plant-derived polysaccharides and lignin contents were probably regulated by water availability to soil microbes, so that decomposition was usually more advanced in the clayey soils. Ten years of continuous cropping lowered litter inputs, thus reducing POM, whereas humified organic matter (OM) was unaffected. Planting eucalyptus or well-managed pastures, which produce high amounts of POM, would thus rapidly reverse soil degradation. Continuous cropping does eventually reduce the humified fraction and results in a substantial loss of soil fertility, which is only slowly reversible.
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spelling CGSpace551302024-01-09T09:49:01Z Soil organic matter in oxisols of the Brazilian cerrados Neufeldt, Henry Resck, DVS Ayarza, Miguel Angel Zech, W. savannas particle size polysaccharides soil organic matter lignins sabanas oxisoles tamaño de la partícula estructura del suelo polisacáridos materia orgánica del suelo ligninas Little is known about the sustainability of cultivation systems in the Brazilian savannas, also known as the Cerrados, despite its increasing significance for that country`s agriculture. To characterize management effects and follow alterations of organic compounds in different fractions, we studied whole-soil samples and particle-size separates from clayey and loamy Oxisols under crops, pastures, reforested sites, and savanna. We assessed soil organic carbon (SOC), polysaccharides, and CuO oxidation products (VSC-lignin). Few changes were found in SOC contents of topsoil (0-12 cm) under different land uses after 10-20 years. But organic carbon clearly diminished under continuous cropping on the loamy soil and under reforestation with pine on the clayey soil. Management effects on SOC were more apparent in sand fractions, suggesting that particulate organic matter (POM) was affected most. In the clay fraction, only minor effects were noted. Carbon-normalized polysaccharide contents were enriched under pastures and depleted under pine, but generally followed a similar distribution to that of SOC. Overall, both polysaccharides and VSC-lignin were closely related to soil porosity. Plant-derived polysaccharides and lignin contents were probably regulated by water availability to soil microbes, so that decomposition was usually more advanced in the clayey soils. Ten years of continuous cropping lowered litter inputs, thus reducing POM, whereas humified organic matter (OM) was unaffected. Planting eucalyptus or well-managed pastures, which produce high amounts of POM, would thus rapidly reverse soil degradation. Continuous cropping does eventually reduce the humified fraction and results in a substantial loss of soil fertility, which is only slowly reversible. 1999 2015-01-28T14:17:27Z 2015-01-28T14:17:27Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/55130 en Open Access International Center for Tropical Agriculture Neufeldt, Henry; Resck, Dimas Vital Siqueira; Ayarza, Miguel Angel; Zech, Wolfgang. 1999. Soil organic matter in oxisols of the Brazilian cerrados. In: Thomas, Richard J.; Ayarza, Miguel Angel (eds.). Sustainable land management for the oxisols of the Latin American savannas: Dynamics of soil organic matter and indicators of soil quality. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, CO. p. 89-109. (CIAT publication no. 312)
spellingShingle savannas
particle size
polysaccharides
soil organic matter
lignins
sabanas
oxisoles
tamaño de la partícula
estructura del suelo
polisacáridos
materia orgánica del suelo
ligninas
Neufeldt, Henry
Resck, DVS
Ayarza, Miguel Angel
Zech, W.
Soil organic matter in oxisols of the Brazilian cerrados
title Soil organic matter in oxisols of the Brazilian cerrados
title_full Soil organic matter in oxisols of the Brazilian cerrados
title_fullStr Soil organic matter in oxisols of the Brazilian cerrados
title_full_unstemmed Soil organic matter in oxisols of the Brazilian cerrados
title_short Soil organic matter in oxisols of the Brazilian cerrados
title_sort soil organic matter in oxisols of the brazilian cerrados
topic savannas
particle size
polysaccharides
soil organic matter
lignins
sabanas
oxisoles
tamaño de la partícula
estructura del suelo
polisacáridos
materia orgánica del suelo
ligninas
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/55130
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