314-5 Evaluating Brazilian Sugarcane Expansion Effects on Soil Structure Using Vess.

Poster Number 1207

See more from this Division: SSSA Division: Soil & Water Management & Conservation
See more from this Session: Soil & Water Management & Conservation: III

Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Minneapolis Convention Center, Exhibit Hall BC

Mauricio Roberto Cherubin, Department of Soil Science, University of Sao Paulo – Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture – USP/ESALQ, Ames, IA, Douglas L. Karlen, USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, Ames, IA, Andre L.C Franco, Department of Biology & School of Global Environmental Sustainability, University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, CO, BRAZIL, Rachel M.L Guimaraes, Agronomy Department, Federal University of Technology - Paraná, Pato Braco, Brazil, Cassio Antonio Tormena, Department of Agronomy, State University of Maringa, Maringa, Parana, BRAZIL, Carlos E. P. Cerri, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, Piracicaba, Brazil and Carlos C Cerri, Divisao de Funcionamento de Ecossistemas Tropicais, University of Sao Paulo - Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, Piracicaba, Brazil
Abstract:
Increasing global demand for biofuel has accelerated land-use change (LUC) in Brazil, primarily by replacing degraded pasture with sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum). The intensive mechanization associated with this LUC has increased concerns regarding soil structural quality (SSQ). Through decades of research focused on identifying sensitive indicators of soil degradation due to land use and management, the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) protocol has emerged as a simple, cheap, fast, reliable and accurate semi-quantitative approach for assessing SSQ. VESS integrates soil properties related to size, strength and porosity of aggregates, root characteristics and soil color into a single score (Sq - structural quality) that ranges from 1 (good structural quality) to 5 (poor structural quality).  Our objective was to evaluate SSQ changes associated with a LUC sequence (native vegetation – pasture – sugarcane) at three sites across south-central Brazil using the VESS. Soil physical properties, previously identified as potential indicators of SSQ, were also quantified and correlated with the VESS scores. Our results showed increasing SSQ degradation due to this LUC within the largest sugarcane producing region of the world. Average Sq ratings were 2.0, 2.7, and 3.1 for native vegetation (Cerrado), pasture, and sugarcane, respectively. Sq scores were strongly correlated (p<0.01; n= 72) with several soil physical properties including bulk density (r= 0.35), macroporosity (r= -0.63), total porosity (r= -0.33), water-filled pore space (r= 0.46), soil resistance to penetration (r= 0.68), water hydraulic conductivity (r= -0.47) and a structural stability index (r= -0.40). We conclude that VESS scores provide an efficient method to identify SSQ degradation due to LUC, and recommend that VESS evaluations be incorporated into monitoring protocols for evaluating soil quality/health in areas of sugarcane expansion in Brazil.

See more from this Division: SSSA Division: Soil & Water Management & Conservation
See more from this Session: Soil & Water Management & Conservation: III