Influence of the addition of organic residues on carbohydrate content and structural stability of some highland soils in Ethiopia

Abstract. When over exploited and coupled with climatic conditions, tropical soils are subject to increased erosion and a loss of soil organic matter. Countermeasures include the incorporation of organic materials such as crop and animal residues. We studied the effect of adding crop residues and manure to soil, at five sites in Ethiopia, on carbohydrate properties, aggregate stability and the C and N distribution within water-stable aggregates. The effects of organic amendments varied between sites. The largest content of carbohydrates was obtained in the control treatment at Holeta, Ginchi (90 kg ha^–1 mustard meal), Jimma (5 t ha^–1 cow dung + 9 t ha^–1 coffee husk), Awassa (forested soil), and Sirinka (soil alley-cropped with Leuceanae ). The aggregate stability of these soils was highly correlated with the OM content but not with carbohydrates. The smaller aggregates (<1.00 mm) accumulated more carbohydrates than the larger (>1.00 mm), thereby suggesting a protecting effect within the finer soil fractions. A protecting role played by humified OM components was also indicated by the C and N distribution as well as the C:N ratios which showed preferential accumulation in small rather than in large aggregates. The isotopic ¹³C-OC values of carbohydrate extracts were generally low, suggesting that OM was from plants with C3 photosynthetic pathways. Soil treatments with maize alone or combined with coffee husks at Jimma decreased the δ¹³C‰ values slightly, revealing that maize contributed a share of the labile OM. Despite the improvement in the soil OM content, neither the carbohydrate content nor the aggregate stability were increased to the level of the forested sites, suggesting that the additions of crop residues and manure were not alone sufficient to restore the soil physical quality.     

Changes in particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon with land use in contrasting soils

Soil organic carbon(SOC) is the largest terrestrial carbon(C) stock, and the capacity of soils to preserve organic C(OC) varies with many factors,including land use, soil type, and soil depth. We investigated the effect of land use change on soil particulate organic matter(POM) and mineral-associated organic matter(MOM). Surface(0–10 cm) and subsurface(60–70 cm) samples were collected from paired sites(native and cropped) of four contrasting soils.Bulk soils were separated into POM and MOM fract...     

Comparing the thermal conductivity of three artificial soils under differing moisture and density conditions for use in green infrastructure

Soil-based green infrastructure has the potential to improve building thermal performance and contribute to sustainable buildings. This study compares thermal conductivity response to soil moisture of three peat-free artificial soils to evaluate their potential use within green roofs and living walls. Thermal conductivity was measured with changing soil moisture and density. All soils showed higher thermal conductivity measures with increases in soil moisture. The ‘Biochar-coconut coir compost’ had the lowest thermal conductivity measures which displayed negligible response to density changes and exhibited the highest water holding capacity. When uncompacted, ‘FabSoil’ had low thermal conductivity measures, but when compacted, its measures were considerably higher. Results show the role of density on thermal performance will be soil type dependent. Overall, findings highlight the importance of considering substrate composition, density and suggest that peat-free artificial soil substrates that contain biochar, have a higher percentage organic matter content and a finer particle texture are likely to result in lower thermal conductivity and higher soil water holding capacity. The results also showed that ThetaProbe measures (volumetric) had a high equivalence to actual soil moisture content (gravimetric), across different soil types and soil bulk densities. This finding supports the use of ThetaProbe measures as an effective method for monitoring soil moisture; with the potential for integration into irrigation control systems for green infrastructure. The findings of this paper offer the potential to improve building thermal performance by informing soil substrate choice, irrigation control and load bearing requirements in the design of green infrastructure.     

菜地土壤有机碳分级以及总量变化的动态特征研究

Fertilisers significantly affect crop production and crop biomass inputs to soil organic carbon（SOC）. However, the long-term effects of fertilisers on C associated with aggregates are not yet fully understood. Based on soil aggregate and SOC fractionation analysis, this study investigated the long-term effects of organic manure and inorganic fertilisers on the accumulation and change in SOC and its fractions, including the C concentrations of free light fraction, intra-aggregate particulate organic matter（POM） and intra-aggregate mineral-associated organic matter（MOM）. Long-term manure applications improved SOC and increased the concentrations of some C fractions. Manure also accelerated the decomposition of coarse POM（cPOM） into fine POM（fPOM） and facilitated the transformation of fPOM encrustation into intra-microaggregate POM within macroaggregates. However, the application of inorganic fertilisers was detrimental to the formation of fPOM and to the subsequent encrustation of fPOM with clay particles, thus inhibiting the formation of stable microaggregates within macroaggregates. No significant differences were observed among the inorganic fertiliser treatments in terms of C concentrations of MOM, intra-microaggregate MOM within macroaggregate（imMMOM） and intra-microaggregate MOM（imMOM）. However, the long-term application of manure resulted in large increases in C concentrations of MOM（36.35%）, imMMOM（456.31%） and imMOM（19.33%） compared with control treatment.     

茶渣生物质炭对茶园土壤团聚体及其有机碳分布的影响

将茶生产过程中产生的茶渣在500℃下制成生物质炭,针对雅安名山区3种典型茶园土壤(紫色土、水稻土和黄壤)进行112 d的室内培养试验,包括CK、0.5%、1%、2%和4%5种炭土比,共计15个处理,采用湿筛法分析不同生物质炭添加比例下3种茶园土壤水稳性团聚体组成、稳定性和有机碳分布的影响。研究表明:生物质炭输入后3种土壤>0.25 mm粒径水稳性大团聚体的数量有所增加,且生物质炭添加比例越高提升越大,其中紫色土中>2 mm粒径含量增幅最大,最高提升了12.71%;水稻土和黄壤则是0.25～2 mm粒径增幅最大,最高分别提升了8.25%和8.19%。3种土壤的MWD、GMD和R0.25值均有所增加,土壤水稳性团聚体稳定性增加,表现为高添加量下作用更显著,且对黄壤的提升效果最佳。3种土壤各粒径团聚体有机碳的含量大幅提升,且随添加比例的增加而增加,各处理间差异显著(P<0.05),紫色土中<0.053 mm粒径的增幅高达96.35%,水稻土中0.053～0.25 mm粒径有机碳含量增幅高达74.22%,黄壤中>2 mm粒径有机碳含量增幅最高达到334.79%。3...     

Soil organic matter quantity and quality in mountain soils of the Alay Range, Kyrgyzia, affected by land use change

 Changes in soil management practices influence the amount, quality and turnover of soil organic matter (SOM). Our objective was to study the effects of deforestation followed by pasture establishment on SOM quantity, quality and turnover in mountain soils of the Sui Checti valley in the Alay Range, Kyrgyzia. This objective was approached by analysis of total organic C (TOC), N, lignin-derived phenols, and neutral sugars in soil samples and primary particle-size soil fractions. Pasture installation led to a loss of about 30% TOC compared with the native Juniperus turkestanica forests. The pasture soils accumulated about 20% N, due to inputs via animal excrement. A change in land use from forest to pasture mainly affected the SOM bound to the silt fraction; there was more microbial decomposition in the pasture than in the forest silt fraction, as indicated by lower yields of lignin and carbohydrates, and also by a more advanced oxidative lignin side-chain oxidation and higher values of plant : microbial sugar ratios. The ratio of arabinose : xylose was indicative of the removal of carbohydrates when the original forest was replaced by pasture, and we conclude that this can be used as an indicator of deforestation. The accumulation of lignin and its low humification within the forest floor could be due to the extremely cold winter and dry summer climate. Received: 10 March 1999     

Carbon Mineralization and Water-Extractable Organic Carbon and Nitrogen as Predictors of Soil Health and Nitrogen Mineralization Potential

ABSTRACT

The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) launched a national “Soil health initiative” in 2012; as a part of that effort, a soil health index (SHI) has been developed. The SHI is calculated using results of three soil tests: 24-h carbon mineralization following rewetting of air-dried soil (C_min, by the “Solvita” proprietary method) and water-extractable organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). These tests are being promoted both as the inputs into the SHI calculation and as predictors of soil N mineralization potential. Soil was collected from 35 California fields in annual crop rotations; 20 fields were under certified organic management and the other 15 under conventional management, to provide a range of soil properties and management effects. Carbon mineralization was determined by the Solvita method, and by a comparison method utilizing head space carbon dioxide (CO₂) monitoring by infrared gas analyzer (IRGA); additionally, two soil wetting protocols were compared, capillary wetting (the Solvita method) and wetting to 50% water-filled pore space (WFPS). Both water-extractable C (WEOC) and N (WEON) were determined using NRCS-recommended protocols. Net N mineralization (N_min) was also determined after a 28-day aerobic incubation at 25°C. Solvita C_min was highly correlated with the IRGA method using capillary wetting (R² = 0.81). However, capillary soil wetting resulted in high gravimetric water content that significantly suppressed C_min compared to the 50% WFPS method. N_min was correlated with Solvita C_min (r = 0.54) and with WEOC and WEON (r = 0.62 for each comparison); combining these three measurements into the SHI slightly improved the correlation with N_min. The organically managed soils scored higher than the conventional soils on the SHI, with a minority of organic soils and the majority of conventional soils scoring below the NRCS target threshold. SHI and soil organic matter were correlated, suggesting an inherent bias that would complicate the application of a national SHI standard.     

荒漠地区土地开垦对土壤团聚体稳定性及碳固定的影响

[目的]研究土地开垦前后土地利用方式对该地区土壤团聚体稳定性及有机碳的响应机制,为艾比湖湿地保护区的荒地开垦和植被恢复及农业生产提供科学理论依据。[方法]选取新疆艾比湖流域未开垦的天然林地(CK)和开垦后人工种植的枸杞地、葡萄地、棉花地、苜蓿地共5种不同土地利用类型下,探究荒漠生态系统土地开垦后的土壤结构和有机碳含量的变化规律。[结果]荒漠地区土地开垦对土壤团聚体稳定性及碳固定有显著的影响。土地开垦后,人工种植地块大团聚体(>0.25 mm)含量和团聚体稳定性均显著高于CK,其中棉花地力稳性大团聚体含量最高(>87%);枸杞地水稳性大团聚体含量最高(>79.7%),不同人工耕作模式均增加了大团聚体含量。0—30 cm土层人工种植地块不同团聚体粒级有机碳含量分别为5.91～15.46,5.50～10.70,8.12～16.11,6.90～13.67 g/kg,均显著高于CK(3.91～8.73 g/kg),主要分布在0.25～0.5 mm粒级,各人工土地利用方式下土壤团聚体有机碳含量均显著增加,且枸杞地有机碳含量增加最显著。[结论]该区域土地开垦后种植枸杞的耕作模式更有...     

Soil penetrating quality in cultivated and forested coastal plain sands of Southern Nigeria

Conversion of natural forest to intensive cultivation makes to soil susceptible to flooding, declining fertility and loss of organic matter (OM) and reduced water movement into and within the soil. We studied infiltration rates and related soil penetrating indicators of forested and cultivated soils in humid tropical coastal plain sands in Southern Nigeria. Results showed that mean-weight diameter (MWD) and water stability of aggregates were higher in forested than cultivated soils. Stable aggregates > 1.00 mm were 16.5% and 31.1% respectively, for cultivated and forested soils at 0–15 cm depth, indicating formation of more macro-aggregates in forested soil. Soil disturbance through cultivation decreased hydraulic conductivity and increased bulk density of the soil. Infiltration rate attained after 2 hours was higher in forested soil. Temporary infiltration rate of 178 mm hr^?1 at initial time in cultivated soil was followed by very low infiltration rate of 7 mm hr^?1 after 2 hours. Soil organic matter (SOM), saturated hydraulic conductivity, MWD and total sand correlated positively with infiltration rates are r = 0.76, 0.61, 0.57 and 0.51 respectively. Changes in these parameters are dependent on surface soil disturbance by cultivation. Cultivation of forest decreased infiltration rates and water transmission properties of the soil.     

青海省东部山区旱作农田土壤团聚体特征研究

比较了青海省东部山区垂直梯度分布的三种旱作农田土壤(黑钙土、栗钙土、灰钙土),在0~60 cm土层的不同粒级土壤风干团聚体和水稳性团聚体含量间的差异,并结合其它土壤质量指标(有机质、粘粒)对不同土壤结构和抗侵蚀能力进行了综合评价。结果表明,>0.25mm风干团聚体、>0.25mm水稳性团聚体含量和土壤有机质含量与土壤类型间有密切关系。均表现为黑钙土>栗钙土>灰钙土。黑钙土和栗钙土的土壤有机质含量与>0.25mm水稳性团聚体间存在显著正相关关系(P<0.05),灰钙土则无明显相关性;三种土壤粘粒含量与>0.25mm风干团聚体和0.25mm水稳性团聚体含量间无明显相关性。各项指标综合比较,三种土壤抗侵蚀能力大小为:黑钙土>栗钙土>灰钙土。     

Application of a visual soil examination and evaluation technique at site and farm level

Visual soil examination and evaluation (VSEE) techniques are semi‐quantitative methods that provide rapid and cost‐effective information on soil quality. These are mostly applied at site or field level, but there is an increased need for soil quality indicators at farm level to allow integration with other sustainability indicators. The objectives of this study were to develop and apply a protocol for application of a VSEE technique at site level, to assess the VSEE observations against standardized laboratory analyses and to aggregate VSEE observations to farm level using an appropriate sampling design. The study was conducted at ten dairy farms in a reclaimed polder in the Netherlands with clay and organic soils. A stratified random sampling design was used to account for spatial variability in land use and soil series. VSEE was carried out using the Visual Soil Assessment approach. Results show that 81% of sites were assessed as good and the remainder as moderate to poor. For the clay soils, field observations of soil structure were significantly correlated with pH, bulk density, soil organic matter (SOM) and mean weight diameter of aggregates, whereas for organic soils, soil structure significantly correlated with pH, bulk density, organic C and SOM. The range in overall scores calculated at farm level was smaller than at site level, and most farms were assessed as good.     

耕作对土壤有机物和土壤团聚体稳定性的影响

Agricultural sustainability relates directly to maintaining or enhancing soil quality. Soil quality studies in Canada during the 1980‘s showed that loss of soil organic matter (SOM) and soil aggregate stability was standard features of non-sustainable land management in agroecosystems. In this study total soil organic carbon (SOC), particulate organic matter (POM), POM-C as a percentage of total SOC, and aggregate stability were determined for three cultivated fields and three adjacent grassland fields to assess the impact of conventional agricultural management on soil quality. POM was investigated using solid-state ^13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to determine any qualitative differences that may be attributed to cultivation. Results show a highly significant loss in total SOC, POM and aggregate stability in the cultivated fields as compared to the grassland fields and a significant loss of POM-C as a percentage of total SOC.Integrated results of the NMR spectra of the POM show a loss in carbohydrate-C and an increase in aromatic-C in the cultivated fields, which translates to a loss of biological lability in the organic matter. Conventional cultivation decreased the quantity and quality of SOM and caused a loss in aggregate stability resulting in an overall decline in soil quality.     

Factors affecting the molecular structure and mean residence time of occluded organics in a lithosequence of soils under ponderosa pine

Occluded, or intra-aggregate, soil organic matter (SOM) comprises a significant portion of the total C pool in forest soils and often has very long mean residence times (MRTs). However, occluded C characteristics vary widely among soils and the genesis and composition of the occluded organic matter pool are not well understood. This work sought to define the major controls on the composition and MRT of occluded SOM in western U.S. conifer forest soils with specific focus on the influence of soil mineral assemblage and aggregate stability. We sampled soils from a lithosequence of four parent materials (rhyolite, granite, basalt, and dolostone) under Pinus ponderosa. Three pedons were excavated to the depth of refusal at each site and sampled by genetic horizon. After density separation at 1.8 g cm⁻³ into free/light, occluded and mineral fractions, the chemical nature and mean residence time of organics in each fraction were compared. SOM chemistry was explored through the use of stable isotope analyses, ¹³C NMR, and pyrolysis GC/MS. Soil charcoal content estimates were based on ¹³C NMR analyses. Estimates of SOM MRT were based on steady-state modeling of SOM radiocarbon abundance measurements. Across all soils, the occluded fraction was 0.5–5 times enriched in charcoal in comparison to the bulk soil and had a substantially longer MRT than either the mineral fraction or the free/light fraction. These results suggest that charcoal from periodic burning is the primary source of occluded organics in these soils, and that the structural properties of charcoal promote its aggregation and long-term preservation. Surprisingly, aggregate stability, as measured through ultrasonic dispersion, was not correlated with occluded SOM abundance or MRT, perhaps raising questions of how well laboratory measurements of aggregate stability capture the dynamics of aggregate turnover under field conditions. Examination of the molecular characteristics of the occluded fraction was more conclusive. Occluded fraction composition did not change substantially with soil mineral assemblage, but was increasingly enriched in charcoal with depth relative to bulk SOM. Enrichment levels of ¹³C and ¹⁵N suggested a similar degree of microbial processing for the free/light and occluded fractions, and molecular structure of occluded and free/light fractions were also similar aside from charcoal enrichment in the occluded fraction. Results highlight the importance of both fire and aggregate formation to the long-term preservation of organics in western U.S. conifer forests which experience periodic burning, and suggest that the composition of occluded SOM in these soils is dependent on fire and the selective occlusion of charcoal.     

土壤健康与农业绿色发展: 机遇与对策

  目的  为探明有机物料还田配合优化施氮对石灰性潮土土壤有机碳（SOC）及其活性组分、土壤团聚体的形成与稳定性的影响。  方法  依托长期定位试验,设置农民习惯施氮（CF_N）、优化施氮（OF_N）、秸秆还田 + 优化施氮（S_N）和生物炭 + 优化施氮（BC_N）四个处理开展土壤有机碳固定效果与机制的研究。  结果  四种施肥方式下,BC_N处理对土壤有机碳的提升效果最明显,达到18.68 g kg⁻¹,其次依次为S_N、CF_N和OF_N处理。与CF_N处理相比,有机物料还田配合优化施氮能够显著增加土壤微生物量碳（MBC）、可溶性有机碳（DOC）、颗粒态有机碳（POC）和易氧化有机碳（EOC）的含量,增幅分别为128.26%、96.62%、219.72%和45.42%;同时,> 0.25 mm团聚体的比例与土壤团聚体平均重量直径（MWD）显著提高,S_N与BC_N较CF_N处理> 0.25 mm团聚体的比例分别增加132.44%和91.45%,MWD值分别增加89.79%和66.87%。这主要得益于土壤交换性Ca^{2 +} 、Mg^{2 +} 、K ⁺ 和Na ⁺ ,以及铁铝氧化物含量的改善对大团聚体形成与稳定的驱动作用。OF_N处理较CF_N处理显著减少了氮肥投入量（261 vs. 480 kg N hm⁻² yr⁻¹）,但所测定的各指标均未表现出显著差异。  结论  尽管长期（12年）秸秆与秸秆生物炭等碳量还田配合优化施氮提高土壤有机碳含量、改善土壤团聚体结构的效果存在差异,但均显著优于单施氮肥处理。研究结果可为华北平原石灰性潮土农田碳氮协同调控策略促进土壤健康提供理论支撑。     

Carbon stocks in Ethiopian soils in relation to land use and soil management

The effect of soil management and land use change are of interest to the sustainable land management for improving the environment and advancing food security in developing countries. Both anthropogenic changes and natural processes affect agriculture primarily by altering soil quality. This paper reviews and synthesizes the available literatures related to the influence of soil management and land use changes on soil carbon (C) stock in Ethiopia. The review shows that topsoil C stock declines approximately 0–63%, 0–23%, and 17–83% upon land use conversion from forest to crop land, to open grazing, and to plantation, respectively. An increase of 1–3% in soil C stock was observed within 10 years of converting open grazed land to protected enclosures. However, there was a little change in soil C stock below 20 cm depth. There is a large potential of increasing SOC pool with adoption of land restorative measures. Total potential of soil C sequestration with the adoption of restoration measures ranges 0·066–2·2 Tg C y⁻¹ on rain‐fed cropland and 4·2–10·5 Tg C y⁻¹ on rangeland. Given large area and diverse ecological conditions in Ethiopia, research data available in published literature are rather scanty. Therefore, researchable priorities identified in this review are important. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Density separation of soil organic matter across three land uses in calcareous soils of Iran

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to examine the usefulness of physical and chemical fractionation in quantifying soil organic matter (SOM) in different stabilized fraction pools. Soil samples from three land use types in Lorestan province, Southwest Iran were examined to account for the amount of organic carbon and nitrogen in different SOM fractions. Size/density separation and chemical oxidation methods were applied to separate the SOM fractions including particulate organic matter (POM), Si + C (silt and clay), DOC (dissolved organic C), rSOM (oxidation-resistant organic carbon and nitrogen) and S + SA (sand and stable aggregates). The values obtained for TOC, TN, and HWC were highest in forest lands followed by the range and agricultural lands. Among the SOM fractions, S + SA showed the highest values (5.75, 5.77 and 20.6 g kg^?1 for agriculture, range and forest lands respectively) followed by POM, Si + C, rSOM, and DOC. The concentrations of C and N in the labile fractions obtained the higher values than in the stabilized fractions. Forest lands had the highest amounts of organic C and N among all fractions whereas agricultural lands showed highest values for inorganic C content of soils in different fractions.     

Impact of agricultural land use on physicochemical properties of soils derived from sedimentary rocks in Malaysia

ABSTRACT

In Malaysia, soils derived from sedimentary rocks are extensively used for agricultural purposes with oil palm and rubber being the main dwellers. In order to understand the environmental impact of these perennial crops planting, the variability of physicochemical properties of 25 representative soils derived from sedimentary rocks under different ecosystems (agriculture land and natural forest) at six study sites spread across Malaysia was examined. Among the soil physicochemical properties, total soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and fertility level were found to be generally higher in the forest ecosystems followed by rubber plantation and finally oil palm plantations. Likewise, projection of principal component analysis showed an associative relationship between soil physicochemical properties and microhabitats. Finally, this study showed that soils from different agricultural and natural sites, but derived from similar sedimentary rocks, had distinctive weathering conditions and soil properties. Therefore, site-specific field management according to soil type, soil management techniques as well as fertilizer strategies are required to maximize crop production and to sustain ecosystem services. The output of this study will enable farmers to improve their crop yield via the selection of suitable crops cultivation based on soil characteristics.     

Structural stability of two Romanian soils as influenced by management practices

The effects of non-arable vs. arable land use as well as of wheeled traffic, crop rotation, manure applications and inorganic fertiliser application on soil stability parameters were investigated. The stability of a soil's structure was assessed by the dispersibility of clay in water, by measurement of the proportions of water-stable aggregates, and by the tensile strength of dry soil aggregates. An index of soil structural stability is defined and used. In general, there were trends towards increasing soil structural stability with non-arable agriculture, less wheeled traffic, crop rotations rather than monoculture, and fertiliser application.     

Carbon sequestration in two Brazilian Cerrado soils under no-till

A considerable proportion of the 200 million hectares of the Brazilian Cerrado is suitable for annual crops but little is known about the effects of tillage on the C dynamics of Cerrado soils. We evaluated the role of two representative Cerrado Oxisols (350 and 650 g clay kg⁻¹) as sources or sinks of atmospheric C when managed under three tillage systems (conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no-till (NT)) in 8- and 5-year long-term experiments. A literature review was also carried out and the mean C sequestration rates in no-till soils of tropical and subtropical regions of Brazil were calculated and compared with values for soils from temperate regions of the world. The original C stocks in 0–20 cm layer of soils under native Cerrado were higher in the clayey (54.0 Mg ha⁻¹) than in the sandy clay loam soil (35.4 Mg ha⁻¹), suggesting a higher physical stability of organic matter associated with variable clay minerals in the clayey Oxisol. The original C stocks of the native Cerrado soils appear not to have decreased after 23 years of conventional tillage in the sandy clay loam Oxisol, except when the soil had been subjected to erosion (15% loss of C), or after 25 years in the clayey Oxisol. Compared to conventionally tilled soil, the C stocks in no-till sandy clay loam Oxisol increased by 2.4 Mg ha⁻¹ (C sequestration rate = 0.30 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) and in the clayey Oxisol by 3.0 Mg ha⁻¹ (C sequestration rate = 0.60 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹). The mean rate of C sequestration in the no-till Brazilian tropical soils was estimated to be 0.35 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, similar to the 0.34 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ reported for soils from temperate regions but lower than the 0.48 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ estimated for southern Brazilian subtropical soils. Considering the large area (about 70 million hectares) of the Cerrado which is currently used and potentially available for cropland, the adoption of no-till systems could turn the Cerrado soils into a significant sink for atmospheric C and contribute to the mitigation of global climate change.