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The southeast region of Brazil, in the Atlantic Forest biome, has been impacted for a long time, observing today small agricultural areas inserted in a matrix of pastures and forest fragments, the soils being highly modified due to the different forms of use they were submitted. The objective of this study was to evaluate the organic carbon content in the humic fractions on soil organic matter (SOM), the distribution of aggregates in size classes and the porosity and aggregates density variables by means of computed tomography in secondary forest, pasture and agriculture areas in Pinheiral (RJ). Three areas composed of secondary forests with different succession stages and three managed areas were evaluated: Secondary Forest (SF) Initial Stage (SFIS), Medium Stage (SFMS), Advanced Stage (SFAS), mixed managed pasture (MMP), and perennial and annual agriculture (PA and AA, respectively). Three types of samples were collected in different layers: i) deformed samples to quantify carbon in the SOM humic fractions; ii) clods for quantifying the mass of aggregates and later assessing the distribution by diameter classes; and iii) undisturbed samples collected with the aid of an acrylic cylinder to perform computed tomography (CT). Humic substances and aggregate classes below 2.0 mm were the attributes most influenced by the forms of use and/or vegetation cover. The CT technique proved to be efficient in the measurement of the edaphic attribute’s porosity and density of the aggregates, helping in the characterization and separation of the different environments.

Study aimed to (i) assess the impact of analog agroforestry (agrofor) on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein (EE-GRSP), soil organic matter (SOM), and aggregate stability compared with a pasture system and (ii) investigate the chemical, physical and OM properties that explain the differences in soil microbiology between sites. The study was conducted in an agrofor and pasture area. Soil samples were collected in the dry season. A total of 12 AMF taxa were identified. Mean richness was positively correlated with soil pH, Mg2+, sum of bases (SB) and moisture. Mean richness and diversity were higher in the analog agroforestry site. Pasture soil had higher EE-GRSP content and spore abundance, variables that were found to be positively correlated with soil temperature, P, K+, and H + Al. EE-GRSP also showed a positive correlation with total organic carbon. Aggregate stability was greater in soil under analog agroforest than pasture. SOM properties did not differ between sites. It is concluded that agrofor changes the evaluated soil physical and microbiological attributes, and the microbiological attributes are influenced by the pH, Mg+2, K+, SB, P, H+Al, soil moisture and TOC. © 2021 Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco. All rights reserved. Made available in DSpace on 2021-11-10T02:10:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rbuscular-mycorrhizal-fungal-communities-and-soil-organic-matte.pdf: 10629274 bytes, checksum: 08a9639a0aef44280c9c2b9c648fbfa0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021 Título em Português: Fungos micorrízicos arbusculares e matéria orgânica do solo em sistema agroflorestal regenerativo análogo e pastagem.

Histosols provide several ecosystem services, related mainly to their reserves of carbon and nitrogen. Management practices in these soils can increase the mineralization of organic matter and contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases. This study aimed to investigate the effect of tillage with plowing and drainage on Histosol properties in three land use systems located in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Three areas subjected to different land use systems over the last twenty years were chosen: Area 1, secondary forest with natural regeneration; Area 2, conventional tillage of cassava with plowing; and Area 3, intercropped coconut + cassava with an artificial drainage system. The chemical characterization, von Post scale of organic matter decomposition, percentage of rubbed fiber, organic matter, percentage of mineral material, bulk density, electrical conductivity, soluble phosphate, total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (NT), organic carbon fractions, and C and N stocks were analyzed. Our results showed the critical, nearly irreversible effects of agricultural practices comprising drainage and plowing of the soil. Over twenty years, in Area 2, the TOC and NT values decreased by 33 and 20 %, respectively in the histic horizon, and by about 17 and 8 %, respectively in the gley horizon. In Area 3, the TOC and NT values decreased by 31 and 18 %, respectively, in the histic horizon, and by 27 and 21 % in the gley horizon. Our findings also showed that the loss of C is related to the labile organic carbon, which is more sensitive to environmental changes, even at deeper depths. The plowing of the soil decreases the organic matter content due to the accelerated oxidation of organic matter, increasing the bulk density. Drainage, besides the loss of organic matter by subsidence, promotes the sulfidization of the soil with a high content of SO42-, due to the oxidation of soil materials containing sulfides.

Ethanol is recognized worldwide as a clean and renewable energy source. In tropical and subtropical countries, it is produced from sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum). In this study, we investigated the effects of sugarcane management systems: a) burning of sugarcane for harvest for 37 years (SCB37); b) burning of sugarcane for 3 years after 5 years of fallow (SCB3); c) sugarcane field without burning for harvest for 3 years (SCWB), and d) burning for harvest with the application of vinasse for 3 years (SCV), on soil fertility and accumulation of organic and inorganic fractions of phosphorus (P) in sugarcane crops for bioenergy production in south-east Brazil. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0–5, 5–10, 10–20, and 20–40 cm between planting rows in each management system and submitted for evaluation of soil fertility and accumulation of P fractions via sequential fractionation. We observed that application of vinasse reduced the pH (3.7–4.2) and the availability of Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+ on the surface, associated with the increase in Al3+ content and potential acidity. However, its use increased the availability of K+ and inorganic P content of higher lability (extracted with NaHCO3) in the subsurface. The maintenance of straw on the surface promoted reductions in pH values and an increase in the potential acidity and was inefficient in the accumulation of organic and inorganic fractions of P, compared to the system with the application of vinasse. Overall, we observed that the moderately labile fraction (organic and inorganic) represented on average 60 % (higher participation) of the total P content of soil in the experimental areas and was more significant in the soil under vinasse application and less evident in the treatments without burning and in the 3-year burning. This fraction can represent an important reserve of P (legacy) for the crops, reducing the use of phosphate mineral fertilizers over the years. Our findings are important for the selection and implementation of efficient and sustainable sugarcane cultivation systems, with implications for the ethanol industry to meet the growing demand for renewable fuel in the world.