Organic carbon and aggregation in a oxisol in mechanized harvesting of sugarcane

Abstract

The intensive use of land for the cultivation of sugarcane significantly modifies the physical properties
of the soil. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the effect of sugarcane management with mechanized harvesting on
the aggregation of a typical Oxisol with a clay-like texture located in Guariba, São Paulo. With the sugarcane harvested
mechanically and without prior burning, four different situations (cycles) were selected: plant cane, and first, second
and third-cutting ratoon cane. Layers at a depth of 0 to 0.1, 0.1 to 0.2 and 0.2 to 0.3 m were evaluated for weighted
mean diameter of the aggregates (WMD), and levels and stocks of organic carbon in the soil. Management of cane sugar
with mechanized harvesting influences the soil WMD, whose values a re greater for the plant cane and go down over the
years. With the increase in soil depth, carbon stocks are more related to soil bulk density than to the carbon content.