Soil microstructure alterations induced by land use change for sugarcane expansion in Brazil

Land use change (LUC) alters soil structure and, consequently, the functions and services provided by these soils. Conversion from extensive pasture to sugarcane is one of the largest land transitions in Brazil as a result of the growth of the domestic and global demands of bioenergy. However, the impacts of sugarcane expansion on the soil structure under extensive pasture remains unclear, especially when considering changes at the microscale. We investigated whether LUC for sugarcane cultivation impacted soil microstructure quality. Undisturbed soil samples were taken from two soil layers (0–10 and 10–20 cm) under three contrasting land uses (native vegetation—NV, pasture—PA and sugarcane—SC) in three different locations in the central-southern Brazil. Oriented thin sections (30 μm) were used for micromorphological analysis. The total area of pores decreased following the LUC in the following order: NV > PA > SC in both soil layers. The area of large complex packing pores (>0.01 mm²) also decreased with the LUC sequence: NV>PA>SC. Qualitative and semi-quantitative micromorphological analysis confirmed porosity reduction was driven by the decrease in complex packing pores and that biological features decreased in the same LUC sequence as the quantitative parameters. Therefore, LUC for sugarcane expansion reduced microscale soil porosity, irrespectively of soil type and site-specific conditions, indicating that the adoption of more sustainable management practices is imperative to preserve soil structure and sustain soil functions in Brazilian sugarcane fields.