ESPACIALIZAÇÃO DO CARBONO E SUAS RELAÇÕES COM A PRODUTIVIDADE DE CULTURAS EM SOLOS SOB PLANTIO DIRETO DE LONGA DURAÇÃO

Abstract

The total organic C (TOC) of the soil influences their chemical, physical and biological properties, therefore, it's important for the maintenance of soil fertility mainly of tropical soils. But, while the benefits of TOC accumulation on soil quality are well known, there is still little information about its effects on crop yields. The aims of this work were to map the compartments of the TOC on a farm managed for 30 years in no-till system, determine which soil variables that influence the spatial variation of TOC and analyze the relationships between the compartments of TOC and crop yields of soybean, corn and wheat. Deformed samples were collected in all soil classes and all landscape positions in the farm. Were analyzed the TOC, the permanganate oxidized C (POX-C) and the hot water extracted C (HWE-C) and were generated maps with the spatial variation of these variables. The effects of soil properties on the accumulation of TOC and the effect of TOC compartments on yields of soybean, corn and wheat were accessed through regressions and principal component analysis. Aiming to access the contribution of TOC to the crop yields, multiple regressions with the soil variables and yields were adjusted. The higher clay content and the largest biomass apport in Oxisols and the formation of an anaerobic environment in Inceptisols were the main factors that explained the highest contents of TOC observed in the upper thirds of the Oxisols and lower thirds of the Inceptisols. Yields of wheat and soybean showed positive correlation with TOC and total N (TN) and corn yield was positively correlated with HWE-C. The TN and TOC were the variables that contributed most to explain the variations in the wheat yield.