Revised Carbon Sequestration Rates in
Tropical and Subtropical Soils under NT
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations &
Conservation Technology Information Center
Conservation Agriculture Carbon Offset Consultation
West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Telmo Amado & C. Bayer
October 28, 2008
Index
Brazil Climate
Agribusiness
Carbon sequestration under No-till
Innovate cropping system
Final remarks
Temperature Brasil x USA
°C
21.8
21.6
Brasília, DF
22
22.5
23.9
21.4
21.222.6
22.1
20.2
19.1
22.1
21.7
21.5
19.1
19.2
17.1
12.5
11.1
Champaign, IL
5.6
4.4
Jan
-4.6
Fev-2.1 Mar
Abr
Mai
Jun
Jul
Ago
Set
Out
Nov
-1.6
Dez
Rainfall Brasil x USA
mm
241
238
249
Brasília, DF
215
189
172
124
114
104
102
99
Champaign, IL
102
86
84
52
46
Jan
51
Fev Mar Abr
79
69
76
39
Mai
9
12
13
Jun
Jul
Ago
Set
Out Nov Dez
Soil Carbon Stock
0-30 cm
C stocks - kg C m-²
1.5 - 2
2 - 2.5
2.5 - 3
3 - 3.5
3.5 - 4
4 - 4.5
4.5 - 5
5-6
6-7
7 - 10
10 - 45
0
900
36,4 ± 3,4 Pg C
10% world Soil C
N
1800 Kilometers
1 Pg =1015 g =
1 Bi. toneladas
Fire...
Brazilian agribusiness Future
Soybean
Present area
22,1 Millions
Ha
Potential area
70 Millions Ha
BRAZIL: Next decade projections
CROPS
ÁREA
ÁREA
HECTARES
HECTARES
VARIATION
(%)
YEAR
2006/2007
2014/2015
2015/2007
GRAIN *
45.837.100
59.479.305
29.8%
COFFEE
2.309.741
2.656.202
15.0%
SUGAR CANE
6.188.600
9.282.900
50.0%
VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
12.200.000
15.250.000
25.0%
TOTAL UTILIZADO
66.535.441
86.668.408
30.3%
ÁREA AGRICULTÁVEL DISPONÍVEL
388.000.000
388.000.000
PASTURE
220.000.000
220.000.000
0.0%
COMERCIAL FOREST
6.000.000
12.000.000
100.0%
CROPS
66.535.441
86.668.408
30.3%
TOTAL AVAILABLE
95.464.559
69.331.592
* INCLUSO ALGODÃO CAROÇO
Elaboração e Projeções: Carlos Cogo Consultoria Agroeconômica
Main agricultural products exported.
7
Average 1991-1993
1991-1993
Medium
Average2001-2003
2002-2003
Medium
.
6
US$ Billion
5
4
3
2
1
0
ol
h
o
oy
s
su
r/
a
g
c
al
c
n
ke
c
hi
co
e
ffe
bo
ne
vi
m
ea
t
o
ng
ra
e
e
ic
ju
o
to
cc
a
b
g
pi
ea
m
t
r
co
n
a
sh
rk
n
to
t
o
c
Source: Ministry of the development, industry and external trade. MDIC, 2003.
EROSION
Fonte: Moryja, 2005
Erosion:
24 t/ha/year
Yield:
2.3 t/ha/year
1 t grain = 10 t soil
Werner Wünsche
Embrapa Trigo
NO-TILL
Brazil NT area 1972 to 2006. Source:www.febrapdp.org.br
Soybean, NT and subsidies in Brazil
Banco Central / Conab
Soybean million tons
30
25
No-till million ha
20
15
10
5
US$ billion/year
0
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
Gassen, 2007
Soybean yields – US/Brazil
3.0
US - t/ha
2.5
Brazil - t/ha
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
1961
1966
1971
1976
1981
1986
1991
1996
2001
AgriStats, NASS
Center-West Brazil
No-till seeders

No-till animal traction
Area under no-tillage
26
Million ha
24
Brazil
22
20
b= 1.74 Mi ha per year
r2= 0.98
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
b= 0.089 Mi ha per year
r2 = 0.98
4
2
0
80
82
84
86
88
90
92
94
96
98
0
2
4
6
Area under no-tillage
26
Million ha
24
Brazil
22
20
18
t 1/2 = 18 years
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
80
82
84
86
88
90
92
94
96
98
0
2
4
6
Teorical Model of Soil Carbon Storage
Some soil carbon sequestration rates
Region
Rate
Mg ha-1 yr-1
Tropical
(West-Central BR)
il
z
a
Br
Subtropical
(Southern BR)
Temperate
(USA)
GLOBAL
Range
Mean
0.04 – 0.63
0.39
Range
Mean
0.04-0.97
0.58
Range
Mean
0.1-0.5
0.34
Mean
0.57
Tropical: Corazza et al. (1999), Silva et al. (2001), Leite et al. (2001)
Subtropical: Bayer et al. (2000a,b), Lovato (2001), Amado et al. (2001), Freixo et al. (2002)
Temperate: Lal et al. (1999); West & Marland (2002)
Global: West & Post (2002)
Bayer, 2007
C accumulation in subsoil layers of mature no-till
Soil
Reference
System
C sequestration
0-20
0-100
---- Mg ha-1 ano-1 ----
No-till
Alfisol
Alfisol
Oxisol
Oxisol
Oxisol
Oxisol
Oxisol
Paper
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
0,65
1,22
0,52 *
0,20
0,82
0,83
0,21 *
1,05
1,95
0,98
0,27
1,36
2,28
0,52
Zanatta et al. (2005)
Dieckow et al. (2005)
Sisti et al. (2004)
Conceição et al. (2006)
Jantalia et al. (2007)
Corazza et al. (1999)
Jantalia et al. (ñ pub)
PC
PC
PC
Cerrado
0,91 **
0,76 **
0,43
1,14
3,23
3,13
1,92
2,53
Omonode et al. (2006)
Omonode et al. (2006)
Corazza et al. (1999)
Silva et al. (2004)
Pasture
Alfisol
Oxisol
Oxisol
Oxisol
* 0-30 cm ** 0-15 cm
SOM evolution
Agsoils
Evolução
da MOinno
RS RS
1988
Lab
Soil Samples
% Amostras
de Solo
%
80
1999
64,1
60
53,6
40,5
40
29,7
20
5,9 6,2
0
SOM
Low
Medium
High
Fonte: Rheinheimer, D.S. et al. 2000
Table 2. Revised C sequestration rates in tropical and subtropical soils from Brazil.
Bayer et al. (2006)
Revised estimative
Region
Mg C ha-1 yr-1
Subtropical
– BR
Tropical –
BR
Temperate – USA1
1
0.48
0.35
Mg C ha-1 yr-1
Traditional crop
rotations 2
0.12±0.06
Intensive crop rotations 3
0.36±0.09
Traditional crop
rotations 2
0.03±0.07
Intensive crop rotations 3
0.42±0.06
0.34 (0.24-0.40)
Mean data from Lal et al. (1999) and the range from West and Marland (2002).
Traditional crop rotations were represented by crop systems with low crop residues input derived by predominance of fallow, soybean or beans.
3 Improved crop rotations were represented by crop systems with higher crop residues input due to the inclusion of winter and summer cover crops and maize/soybean rotation.
2
Siembra Directa
Convencional
Fuente: Lovato et al. 2004
N Legumes
N mineral
C crop input
C organic soil
1 N : 10 C
7
C acum/N adic (kg kg-1)
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Mineral Inverno
Inverno
+ verão
----Leguminosas----
Lovato et al. (2004)
Vieira (2006)
Inverno
Mineral + verão
Verão
----Leguminosas----
5 Mg MS ha-1
R2
*
*
R1
CT
R0
NT
FUNDACEP, Cruz Alta. 22 years Tillage and cropping
system in Oxisol
Slide: Campos, 2006
Soil Carbon
R2 NT
Steady State
R1 NT
R2 CT
R1 NT
R1 CT
RO NT
RO T
Agriculture use
Experiment
1960
1985
Time
2007
Sequestration
(Mg ha-1 year-1)
0.40
0.32
0.19
0.20
0.02
R0
R1
Till
R2
R0
R1
No-Till
R2
-0.10
Loss
0-0.30 m
Oxisol Intensive (R2)
Paustian et al. (1997)
Lovato (2001)
dC/dt (Mg ha-1 yr-1)
o
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
-0.1 0
-0.2
-0.3
-0.4
-0.5
-0.6
o
5.4 C
570 mm/year
35% clay
19.5 C
1347 mm/year
31% clay
Manually
2
NT
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
CT
3.0
9.0
17.0
Crop residues addition (Mg ha-1 yr-1)
Alfisol
Wang & Dallal, 2004
Australia Annual Temp 17.5 C
SB, SR, NO and NF
650 g kg clay 685 mm y
33 years
R6
R5,5
R5,4
R5,3
R5,2
R5,1
R4
R3
R2
R1
V12
V11
V10
V7
V5
Semeadura
0
Fluxo de CO2(g C m-2 d-1)
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
-7
15/11/06
16/12/06
01/01/07
02/02/07
01/03/07
01/04/07
South
Brazil X Nebraska
(Vermavs
et Verma
al.)
Gráfico
comparativo
Fundacep
4
NEE (g C m-2h-1)
2
0
-2
-4
-6
-8
0
20
40
Days
Fundacep NEE
Verma NEE
60
80
100
Soybean Ecosystem C Balance
Soybean
Yield
C grain
CO2 Flux
CO2 flux-C grain
------------ g m-2 ---------------------------2006/07
321.3
150,95
-158.05
-7.10
Verma et al. (2005) +/- 45 g C m-2
Conclusion: NT soybean neutral balance in Cruz Alta, RS
Escobar, 2007
Source: Escobar et al., 2008
Mechanisms of C stabilization in no-tillage soils
-Molecular recalcitrance
-Chemical protection
-Physical protection
Very important in variable
charge soils
Chemical and physical protection
Very important mechanisms in variable charge soils
Soil Quality Indicator
SOM fraction
Tillage Systems
%
 Mg ha-1
CT
NT
Particulate SOM
5.19
7.06
36
1.87
Mineral-associate SOM
25.22
30.90
23
5.68
75% of the total soil C sequestration
Bayer et al. (2003)
Innovate cropping systems
Consortium perenial pasture (Brachiaria) with Maize
90cm
90cm
1
2
B
M
B
M
45cm
45cm
45cm
45cm 45cm
3
90cm
4
5
B
90cm
90cm
Futuras linhas de algodão
6
M
7
B
45cm 45cm
90cm
8
M
45cm
90cm
9
B
Final Remarks
In South America the shift from CT to NT has been
faster than the improvement in cropping system.
In tropical environment to have competitive C
sequestration rates it will necessary return all crop
residue to soil and improve cropping system.
The soil N availability should be overcome ….
Legume cover crops
Most of the experiments are less than 30 years and
so far there is no evidence of carbon saturation.
The Oxisols due to good soil structure (physical protection) and
chemical (Fe and Al ) would present a high carbon stabilization
Thank you!!!!
New Evidence Suggests Little
Carbon Sequestration in No-till
Systems
Achim Dobermann
Dept. of Agronomy and Horticulture
Macroaggregates-SOC
Mollisol
Amount of macroaggregates
(g 100g -1 soil)
80
Vertisol
YVertisol = 1.56 SOC - 2.83
R2 = 0.1292
60
Oxisol
YMollisol = 1.48 SOC - 8.2
R2 = 0.9245
40
20
YOxisol = 0.58 SOC - 6.9
R2 = 0.3344
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
SOC (g C kg-1)
Source: Fabrizzi, 2006 KSU
Physical protection
SOM Aggregation
SOC, g C m
-2
600
Free (Inter-aggregates)
Ocluded (Intra-aggregates)
Increase
500
400
144
300
200
22
100
0
Conventional
No-Tillage
Tillage system
Bayer, 2007
Six Alfisol
et al. (1998)