Radiation balance in a soybean ecosystem in the Amazon

Abstract

The continuous advance of the agricultural border in the Amazon has been worrying the scientific community due to the possible environmental impacts caused by this change in land use. The present work evaluated the behavior of the radiation balance components over the soybean crop (Glycine Max (L.) Merryl) in an Amazon area of continuous advance of the agricultural border. The radiation components were continuously monitored during the soybean cycle in 2006 and 2007 in an area of 200 ha. The soybean cultivation in the Amazon presented an abrupt change in the radiation balance components, with the consequent reduction in the energy available to the environment due to the increase in the surface reflection. There was a significant contribution of the diffuse radiation component in the soybean interception during cloudy conditions, even under incomplete canopy covering. Moreover, after the canopy closure, a similar interaction between soybean and solar radiation occurs, regardless of the cloud condition.