Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture in Brazil E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: ACSESS Books
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 747

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture in Brazil A far-reaching survey showcasing the improvements made to soil health in Brazil The maintenance of healthy soil resources provides the foundations for an array of global efforts and initiatives that affect humanity. Researchers, consultants, and farmers must be able to correctly examine and understand the complex nature of this essential, fragile resource. Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture in Brazil provides a highly readable overview of the major cropping systems and management practices adopted in Brazil to improve soil health and sustain agricultural/forest production systems. Key Features * Evolution of soil health concepts applied to modern agricultural systems in Brazil. * Overview of the major cropping systems and management practices adopted in Brazil to improve soil health (SH) and sustainability of agricultural production. * Challenges to manage soil health in new agricultural frontiers. * Presentation of SoilBio Technology: inclusion of soil enzymes as part of routine soil analyses (SoilBio Technology) and calculation of Soil Quality Indexes (SQI) * Public policies and initiatives to promote SH and carbon sequestration in Brazil. Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture in Brazil is ideal for soil scientists, agronomists, and any other researchers in both academia and industry interested in building a sustainable future.

Leseprobe

SERIES EDITOR

Douglas L. Karlen

EDITORS

Ieda Carvalho Mendes and Maurício Roberto Cherubin

CONTRIBUTORS

CHAPTER 1

Fabiane Machado Vezzani

Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Department of Soils, Porto Alegre - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Ibanor Anghinoni

Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Department of Soils, Porto Alegre - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Rio Grandense Rice Institute, Porto Alegre - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Maurício Roberto Cherubin

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Ieda Carvalho Mendes

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina – Distrito Federal, Brazil

CHAPTER 2

Robélio Leandro Marchão

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina – Distrito Federal, Brazil

Ieda Carvalho Mendes

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina – Distrito Federal, Brazil

Lourival Vilela

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina – Distrito Federal, Brazil

Roberto Guimarães Júnior

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina – Distrito Federal, Brazil

Cíntia Carla Niva

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina – Distrito Federal, Brazil

Karina Pulrolnik

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina – Distrito Federal, Brazil

Kleberson Worsley Souza

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina – Distrito Federal, Brazil

Arminda Moreira de Carvalho

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina – Distrito Federal, Brazil

CHAPTER 3

João Carlos de Moraes Sá

Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus - Ohio, USA

Telmo Jorge Carneiro Amado

Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Ademir de Oliveira Ferreira

Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife - Pernambuco, Brazil

Rattan Lal

Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus - Ohio, USA

CHAPTER 4

Victória Santos Souza

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Beatriz da Silva Vanolli

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Bruna Emanuele Schiebelbein

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Larissa de Sousa Bortolo

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Martha Lustosa Carvalho

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Ieda Carvalho Mendes

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina - Distrito Federal, Brazil

Maurício Roberto Cherubin

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

CHAPTER 5

Maurício Roberto Cherubin

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Felipe Bonini da Luz

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Federal University of Santa Maria, Frederico Westphalen - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Renato Paiva de Lima

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Sarah Tenelli

Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory / Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (LNBR/CNPEM), Campinas - São Paulo, Brazil.

Ricardo Oliveira Bordonal

Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory / Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (LNBR/CNPEM), Campinas - São Paulo, Brazil.

Bruna Gonçalves de Oliveira

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Leandro Carolino Gonzaga

Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory / Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (LNBR/CNPEM), Campinas - São Paulo, Brazil.

Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

João Luís Nunes Carvalho

Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory / Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (LNBR/CNPEM), Campinas - São Paulo, Brazil.

CHAPTER 6

Carla Eloize Carducci

Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados – Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Geraldo César de Oliveira

Federal University of Lavras, Lavras – Minas Gerais, Brazil

Samara Martins Barbosa

Federal University of Lavras, Lavras – Minas Gerais, Brazil

Yuri Lopes Zinn

Federal University of Lavras, Lavras – Minas Gerais, Brazil

Daiane Pereira de Souza

Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados - Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Clandio Favarini Ruviaro

Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados - Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Joyce Cristina Costa

Agricultural Research Center of Piumhi, Piumhi - Minas Gerais, Brazil

Eduardo Costa Severiano

Goiás Federal Institute, Rio Verde – Goiás, Brazil

CHAPTER 7

Jucinei José Comin

Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis - Santa Catarina, Brazil

Fabiane Machado Vezzani

Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Monique Souza

Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis - Santa Catarina, Brazil

Claudinei Kurtz

Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Company of Santa Catarina (EPAGRI), Ituporanga – Santa Catarina, Brazil

Álvaro Luiz Mafra

Santa Catarina State University, Lages - Santa Catarina, Brazil

Paulo Emilio Lovato

Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis - Santa Catarina, Brazil

Cledimar Rogério Lourenzi

Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis - Santa Catarina, Brazil

Arcângelo Loss

Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis - Santa Catarina, Brazil

CHAPTER 8

Falberni de Souza Costa

EMBRAPA Acre, Rio Branco - Acre, Brazil

Claudenor Pinho de Sá

EMBRAPA Acre, Rio Branco - Acre, Brazil

Deborah Pinheiro Dick

Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Ieda Carvalho Mendes

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina – Distrito Federal, Brazil

CHAPTER 9

Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira Cardoso

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

José Leonardo de Moraes Gonçalves

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Victor Lucas Vieira Prudêncio de Araújo

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Antônio Marcos Miranda Silva

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Ademir Sérgio Ferreira de Araújo

Federal University of Piauí, Teresina - Piauí, Brazil

Arthur Prudêncio de Araújo Pereira

Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza - Ceará, Brazil

CHAPTER 10

Ieda Carvalho Mendes

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina - Distrito Federal, Brazil

Guilherme Montandon Chaer

EMBRAPA Agrobiologia, Seropédica - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Fábio Bueno dos Reis Junior

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina - Distrito Federal, Brazil

Ozanival Dario Dantas

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina - Distrito Federal, Brazil

Juaci Vitoria Malaquias

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina - Distrito Federal, Brazil

Maria Inês Lopes de Oliveira

EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina - Distrito Federal, Brazil

Marco Antônio Nogueira

EMBRAPA Soja, Londrina - Paraná, Brazil

Mariangela Hungria

EMBRAPA Soja, Londrina - Paraná, Brazil

CHAPTER 11

Rodrigo Estevam Munhoz de Almeida

EMBRAPA Pesca e Aquicultura, Palmas - Tocantis, Brazil

Henrique Antunes de Souza

EMBRAPA Meio-Norte, Teresina - Piauí, Brazil

Balbino Antonio Evangelista

EMBRAPA Pesca e Aquicultura, Palmas - Tocantis, Brazil

Alexandre Uhlmann

EMBRAPA Pesca e Aquicultura, Palmas - Tocantis, Brazil

Michele Ribeiro Ramos

State University of Tocantins, Palmas - Tocantis, Brazil

Edvaldo Sagrilo

EMBRAPA Meio-Norte, Teresina - Piauí, Brazil

Tais Souza dos Santos Dias

EMBRAPA Pesca e Aquicultura, Palmas - Tocantis, Brazil

Laura Resplandes de Sousa Paz Oliveira

EMBRAPA Pesca e Aquicultura, Palmas - Tocantis, Brazil

Nídia Raquel Costa

Agri Support, Botucatu - São Paulo, Brazil

CHAPTER 12

Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

Francisco Fujita de Castro Mello

Center for Knowledge Management and Horizontal Cooperation, Directorate of Technical Cooperation, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), San Jose - San Jose, Costa Rica

Natália Braga Renteria

MOMBAK, São Paulo - São Paulo, Brazil

Maurício Roberto Cherubin

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba - São Paulo, Brazil

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE

American Society of Agronomy

Crop Science Society of America

Soil Science Society of America

5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711-58011, USA

SOCIETY PRESIDENTS

Kristen Sloan Veum (ASA)

Kimberly A. Garland-Campbell (CSSA)

Michael L. Thompson (SSSA)

SOCIETY EDITORS IN CHIEF

Kathleen M. Yeater (ASA)

Bingru Huang (CSSA)

Craig Rasmussen (SSSA)

BOOK AND MULTIMEDIA PUBLISH COMMITTEE

Girisha K. Ganjegunte (Chair)

Sangamesh V. Angadi

Xuejun Dong

Fugen Dou

Limei Liu

Shuyu Liu

Gurpal S. Toor

Sara Eve Vero

BOOKS STAFF

Matt Wascavage (Director of Publications)

Richard J. Easby (Program Manager, Content Strategy)

Robert Gagnon (Copyeditor)

Soil Health Series: Volume 3 Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture in Brazil

Edited by

Ieda Carvalho Mendes and Maurício Roberto Cherubin

Copyright 2024 © Soil Science Society of America, Inc. All rights reserved.Copublication by © Soil Science Society of America, Inc. and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted by law. Advice on how to reuse material from this title is available at http://wiley.com/go/permissions.

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Paperback: 9780891187431

Cover Design: WileyCover Image: Courtesy of Fabiano Bastos, Maurício Cherubin, Lourival Vilela and Julio Salton

Our Journey Continues

Douglas L. Karlen, Series Editor

The publication of Soil Health in Brazil by two outstanding Brazilian leaders for the soil health transition of the culture of agriculture brings me great joy. First as the third volume in the SSSA’s (Soil Science Society of America) Soil Health series, and because Drs. Mendes and Cherubin have assembled an outstanding collection of chapters focused on multiple aspects of Brazilian agriculture. My pride stems not only from the fact that I see the next generation of soil and ecological scientists and engineers coming together to focus on sustaining our fragile soil resources, but also knowing that in less than 55 years, Brazil has been transformed from a food insecure country into one of the most important food producers and exporters in the world. Contributors to this volume recognized the advancements and transitions in agriculture led by Dr. Landers and others within my generation but were not afraid to say “we can do even better” by focusing on soil health.

Development and adoption of conservation tillage systems, an improved understanding of phosphorus chemistry in Oxisols, vast improvements in plant genetics and tolerance to various abiotic stresses, better nitrogen management, and unparalleled advancements in weed, insect, and disease control chemicals provided the backbone for productivity increases that transformed Brazil from being food dependent to being a global leader in the provision of soybean and other crops to people in countries around the world. Those were outstanding soil physical and chemical advancements, but this new generation now asks, “what about soil biology?” Thus, their focus on soil health which seeks to identify and improve the collective soil biological, chemical, and physical properties, processes, and their interactions to create an even more productive, economically efficient, and ecologically sustainable culture for 21st century agriculture.

This book is also a very important step for the SSSA because it is the first internationally focused volume for the Soil Health series. It not only establishes the role of soil health in modern Brazilian agriculture, but also links the concept to the tremendous advancements that have been made in no-tillage cropping systems and integrated (row crops, forages, and animals) agriculture within the country. Contributors then focus specifically on how soil health is useful for guiding vegetable, sugarcane, coffee, forestry, agroforestry, and family farming systems in Brazil. Finally, the editors and their team members look to the future through tools such as SoilBio, challenges in the new Brazilian agriculture, frontiers, and the public policies and initiatives that will use principles of soil health to promote carbon sequestration and help mitigate environmental and ecological effects of changing global weather patterns.

Having concluded Volumes 1 and 2 with “An Ode to Soil Health”, I accepted the Editor’s request to present a short sequel for which I have added the wisdom of Dr. Landers and Plato to emphasize the never-ending importance of soil health to the survival and prosperity of humanity.

An Ode to Brazilian Soil Health

Soil resources of Brazil are a tremendous wealth,

When there is a focus on soil health!

Some nay-sayers may ask why soil is important to us,

Isn’t it dirt, about which only a scientist would fuss?

Past civilizations and history can advise,

Taking care of the soil is very wise.

As Plato asked more than 2,500 years ago,

Where did the forests and rich, water-filled soils go?

Like the skeleton of a sick man,

From the bare land, the rainfall and nutrients ran.

So, instead of running streams, springs, and glorious cedar trees,

His once abundant pastures now provide few plants for goats and bees.

Around the world, humankind has broken down the soil,

Using ploughs and heavy tractors, to lessen human physical toil.

The soil now says, I’ll do my part,

If you care for me with science and a wise heart.

it’s the fungi and bacteria that we can’t see,

SoilBio elegantly shows their importance to thee.

Responding to temperature and drought,

Carbon sequestration these organisms bring about.

Although to the end of this ode, we have come,

Your journey through Volume 3 has just begun!

Foreword

In April 2022, we were thrilled to receive an invitation from Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) to show the world how Brazilian farmers and soil scientists are approaching soil health. As a result, the third volume of the Soil Health Book Series published by ASA/CSSA/SSSA is about soil health in Brazil.

In the next decades, soil scientists and agronomists from all over the world will be increasingly pressured to resolve critical issues associated with climate change and food security. By 2050, the world population is expected to reach 10 billion. This means an increase of 2 billion people within the next two decades, an amount that took almost two millennia for humankind to reach. To produce healthy food sustainably, in a sufficient amount to feed the world population, under limited resources and inputs, and despite worsening weather extremes and climate change is a tremendous challenge. Global agriculture will have to produce more with less.

In this context, Brazil stands out as one of the main players within the agricultural sector. Science-based research has enabled Brazil to evolve from a food-insecure country in early 1970s to one of the most important food producers and exporters in the world. Over the last decades, significant yield increases have been reached, establishing new records of production almost every year. Brazil is the largest country in terms of arable land, a top-five producer of 34 agricultural commodities, and the largest agricultural net exporter (Valdes, 2022).

The numbers are impressive: From 1975 to 2023, grain production increased from 38.1 million tons to 315.8 million tons (equivalent to an increase of 8.28 times), whereas in the same period the cultivated area doubled from 38 to 78.1 million ha (Conab, 2023). Crop yield increases achieved over the years have supported a land-saving effect of 274 million ha (i.e., equivalent to 11.4 times the São Paulo state area).

Meat production followed the same path, increasing from 2.9 million tons to 29 million tons from 1975 to 2020, an increase of 10 times (Aragão & Contini, 2022). The forest sector increased its productivity by more than 150%, with emphasis onEucalyptus and Pinus species. Coffee has increased productivity by more than four times in the last 25 years (Embrapa 2020). Milk production increased significantly, from just over 14 billion liters in the early 1990s to almost 35 billion liters in 2019 (IBGE, 2020). The progress of Brazilian agriculture made it possible to regularly supply the domestic market, with about a 40% drop in the cost of the basic food basket (December 2019 compared with December 1975 in the city of São Paulo) (DIEESE, 2020), and boosted exports, rising from US$20.6 billion in 2000 to US$159 billion in 2022 (Ministerio da Agricultura e Pecuaria, 2023).

The main drivers of this profound transformation in Brazilian agriculture include the hard work and resilience of the farmers; tremendous advances in terms of research, development, and innovation; favorable environmental conditions; land availability; and increased global demand for food and animal feed, particularly over the last decade. Most importantly, Brazil’s ability to harvest two to three crops a year in the same plot of land makes it unique compared with other grain- and soybean-producing countries. To put these facts into context, the Cerrado region was the first place in the world where large-scale agriculture was developed in acidic soils with low natural fertility in a region with a 6-month rainy season.

The evolution of Brazilian agriculture is closely linked with the adoption of best management practices that improve soil health (SH) and consequently crop growth and yield. In the 1970s, the No Tillage System (NTS) started in Paraná state, southern Brazil. Since then, it has spread across the country as the most important conservation practice, covering about 36.8 million ha. In 2022, Brazil celebrated 50 years since the adoption of the NTS and recently instituted the No Tillage National Day (October 23). The large-scale adoption of the NTS was an important milestone to soil and crop management, and since 2000 a new breakthrough encompassing the integration of crop, livestock, and forestry systems has become a viable option adopted successfully on 17.5 million ha throughout the country (https://redeilpf.org.br/ilpf-em-numeros/). Planting deep-rooted grasses into soybean/corn fields, either as a cover crop or pasture for cattle during the dry/winter season, increases plant residue input (i.e., carbon), provides soil protection during the dry season, and contributes to a more biologically active edaphic environment.

In this book, we present in 12 chapters, an overview of the major cropping systems and management practices that have been adopted in Brazil to improve SH and the sustainability of agricultural/forest production systems. The chapters also discuss the challenges to manage SH in the new agricultural frontiers and present the SoilBio Technology, a Brazilian pioneering initiative to evaluate and monitor SH at farm scale, based on the inclusion of soil enzymes β-glucosidase and arylsulfatase, as part of routine soil analyses. Finally, public policies and national initiatives to promote soil carbon sequestration and enhance SH are presented.

In a scenario with growing global demands for food, feed, fiber, and fuels, the intensification of Brazilian agriculture is inevitable. Soil and other natural resources will be exploited more and more. But, as the readers will be able to verify throughout this book, Brazil is working hard to be a SH ambassador worldwide through the massive adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and systems across the country. Undoubtedly, as Douglas Karlen has taught us over the past 30 years, this is a win-win situation for producers, society, and the planet!

We want to express our deepest gratitude to all the 68 authors, from 25 institutions, who joyfully embraced the challenge to show to an international audience “Soil Health in Brazil”. Our special thanks go to the SSSA for this incredible opportunity and to Richard Easby for his support throughout this process.

Finally, we want to thank Douglas Karlen. Since the 1990s, his studies and passion for SH have inspired soil scientists all over the world. In 2015, we had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with him and other US colleagues at the USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment at Ames, IA. Maurício did part of his doctorate studies at the USDA, and Ieda spent a week visiting Doug. One year later, in 2016, we hosted Doug in Brazil when he presented the talk “Soil quality: Lessons learned and to be learned” at our Fertbio Meeting in Goiania, Goiás. Getting to know him personally provided us with the wonderful experience of finding not only a remarkable soil scientist but also an amazing human being. In his journey for SH, Doug has become a person specialized in building bridges among soil scientists worldwide. Not surprisingly, under his mentorship, SSSA invited us to edit this book. Like Doug, our wish is that as the importance of healthy soil environments becomes clear to producers, powerful transformations will take place, making reality his famous mantra: “Healthy soils, healthy landscapes, vibrant economies!!” And we agree with him, as he wrote at the end of An Ode to Soil Health: our quest for soil health has just begun!

Happy reading!Sincerely,

Ieda Carvalho Mendes

Maurício Roberto Cherubin

References

Aragão, A. & Contini, E. (2022).

O agro no Brasil e no mundo um panorama de 2000 a 2021

. Embrapa.

https://www.embrapa.br/documents/10180/62618376/O+AGRO+NO+BRASIL+E+NO+MUNDO.pdf/

Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (Conab). (2023).

Produção agrícola—Safra: Série histórica dos grãos

. Conab.

www.conab.gov.br/infoagro/safras/graos

Departamento Intersindical de Estatística e Estudos Socioeconômicos (DIEESE). (2020).

Cesta básica de alimentos: banco de dados

.

https://www.dieese.org.br/cesta/

Embrapa. (2020).

VII Plano Diretor da Embrapa: 2020–2030

. Embrapa.

IBGE. (2020).

SIDRA: banco de tabelas estatísticas: Índice nacional de preços ao consumidos amplo – Setembro 2020

.

https://sidra.ibge.gov.br/home/ipca/brasil

Ministerio da Agricultura e Pecuaria. (2023).

Exportações do agronegócio fecham 2022 com US$ 159 bilhões em vendas

.

https://www.gov.br/agricultura/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/exportacoes-do-agronegocio-fecham-2022-com-us-159-bilhoes-em-vendas

Valdes, C. (2022).

Brazil

’

s momentum as a global agricultural supplier faces headwinds

. USDA.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2022/september/brazil-s-momentum-as-a-global-agricultural-supplier-faces-headwinds/

Preface

John N. Landers1

“Soil health” (SH) is a popular term, turned scientific. It is so complex that it justifies a whole book on its multiple facets. This book demonstrates how Brazil leads the world in tropical and subtropical agriculture and in agricultural research and does justice to the world-shattering discoveries of Johanna Döbereiner (deceased) in demonstrating biological nitrogen fixation in Gramineae. Her professional example inspired the following generations of Brazilian agricultural scientists, much as the co-editors of this edition will inspire generations to come with the unveiling of key biological processes that are essential for a healthy, productive, and profitable soil. And, just as the zero-tillage revolution has inspired Brazilian farmers, researchers, and professionals in technical assistance to hone the technology to its various efficient present forms, approaching true sustainability, it goes without saying that the bedrock of all this is “plantio direto” (direct drilling, or zero tillage), now incorporated into conservation or regenerative agriculture and practiced by a band of organic pioneers. The label is unimportant; the regenerative effect on all soil processes is the reason why my poem “Throw your plough through the window” is now seen as ecological.

The perspicacious editors have assembled an impressive array of authors, all leaders in their field. They discourse on the SH context in Brazil, involving the umbrellas of SH and zero tillage for sustainability. Coupled with this are the important benefits of integrated crop–livestock and agro-forestry systems; how organic carbon levels are key to SH restoration; the multiple benefits of cover crops, especially when mixed; soil requirements for top yields of sugarcane and Arabica coffee (Cerrado region); SH in zero-tillage vegetable production; the special soil needs of forestry; the challenges in soil management in the new frontiers; and last, but not least, the overarching breakthrough of implanting soil enzyme bio-analysis (SoilBio) in 20 Brazilian commercial soil laboratories, a first in the world.

Finally, I congratulate all the authors for freely giving their time and knowledge to promulgate Brazil’s leadership in the area of SH and in divulging such important technical information, principally for zero-tillage practitioners, be they farmers, private or public extensionists, at home or abroad, and in continuing to conquer new aspects of SH under zero tillage in conservation, regenerative, and organic agriculture.

Note

1

First zero tillage, 1976, in São Paulo; first zero tillage in the Cerrado, 1982; founder of the Farmers Association for Zero Tillage in the Cerrado 1992.

1Soil Health and Modern Brazilian Agriculture

Fabiane Machado Vezzani, Ibanor Anghinoni, Maurício Roberto Cherubin, and Ieda Carvalho Mendes

Chapter Overview

The relationship between the development of soil management practices and the promotion of soil health (SH) in agricultural systems of Brazil is addressed in this chapter. Agriculture in Brazil, which dates back 4000 years, underwent many changes during the 1960s. Intensive mechanization, amendments to correct soil pH (decrease acidity), increased use of fertilizers and agrochemicals, and government policies that facilitated and financed agriculture resulted in greater production of commodities (soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], wheat [Triticum aestivum L.], cotton [Gossypium hirsutum L.], and corn [Zea mays L.]) in the southern states and then later in the midwestern region (Cerrado biome). In the 1970s and 1980s, several research programs proposed the adoption of conservation soil management aimed at reducing or eliminating soil tillage, planting of cover crops, rotating crops in both time and space, and appropriately managing residual plant biomass.

Development of specific agricultural management practices for complex production systems not only minimized soil erosion losses but also improved soil physical properties, enhanced fertilizer use efficiency, ameliorated acidity, enhanced residual biomass, and increased soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation. Collectively these changes stimulated biological activity and positively altered the soil structure and biota functioning. Consequently, nutrient cycling efficiency increased, and conditions for C sequestration were further improved. Simultaneously, the concept of soil quality (SQ) evolved into an improved knowledge about of SH, which embodies a more comprehensive understanding of the multifunctionality of soils and how they provide vital ecosystem services. Thus, the evolution of the concept of SQ to SH in Brazilian agriculture is closely associated with the development of agricultural management practices. This can be explained by the progressive complexity of soil structures, enabling self-organization from the simplest constitution under conventional agriculture to multiple, more complex, and biodiverse arrangements that ensure soil multifunctionality in integrated and biodiverse production systems.

Introduction

In Brazil, the concept of SH, defined as SQ in the early 1990s, was based on the perspective of an integrative assessment of soil biological, physical, and chemical properties and processes resulting from conservation practices in agricultural systems. At that time, SQ was understood as one of the three pillars, together with water quality and air quality, that constitute environmental quality, which in turn underlie agricultural sustainability. Thus, SQ is one of the fundamental concepts to guide sustainable management practices of agroecosystems, as proposed by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS, 2022).

Between the 1990s and the first 10 years of the twenty-first century, there was a trend to exploit the concept SQ in studies of the soil science community of Brazil (Vezzani & Mielniczuk, 2009). Over time, efforts were focused on the search for the best SQ indicators or indices for the Brazilian edaphoclimatic conditions. A review of the papers published in the country showed that organic matter components were most frequently studied (Lopes et al., 2023). In an analysis of the studies conducted in Brazil between 2014 and the first half of 2021, Simon et al. (2022) found that more than 90% of the studies still use the terms “soil quality” or “soil health” but do not take the fundamental elements of integrative assessment and holistic interpretation embodied in the concepts into consideration.

In almost 30 years of SQ studies in Brazil, comprehension of the concept has been advanced and aligned with the international approach. Nowadays, we agree with Lehmann et al. (2020), Janzen et al. (2021), and Liptzin et al. (2022) in their understanding of the evolution of the term from “soil fertility” to “soil quality” and from there to “soil health.” Soil fertility is the capacity of the soil to supply plants with nutrients in adequate amounts and proportions necessary for their development and to maintain the absence of toxic elements, especially of Al3+ (Bissani et al., 2004; Cantarutti et al., 2007; Lopes & Guilherme, 2007; Raij, 2011; Sousa & Lobato, 2004; Tisdale et al., 1985) to achieve high productivity. Soil fertility is associated with the soil function to support field crop production (Lehmann et al., 2020).

“Soil quality” refers to “the capacity of a specific kind of soil to function, within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality, and support human health and habitation” (Doran & Parkin, 1994; Karlen et al., 1997). It encompasses soil functioning related to the productivity of a plant species or community (Pankhurst et al., 1997) as well as water and air quality (Janzen et al., 2021) and reaches the level of the ecosystem and its boundaries (Lehmann et al., 2020). The scope of SH is an advance in that it aggregates the focus of soil as a living system. Most likely, Pankhurst et al. (1997) pioneered the understanding of a distinction between SQ and SH. Those authors analyzed “soil health,” a concept coined by Doran and Safley (1997) as “the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living system, within ecosystem and land-use boundaries, to sustain biological productivity, promote the quality of air and water environments, and maintain plant, animal, and human health.” Based on this concept, Pankhurst et al. (1997) highlighted the inclusion of the time component contained in the expression “the continued capacity of,” indicating the relevance of soil functioning over time, and the soil “as a vital living system,” which relates soil functioning with the soil biota. Therefore, SH is a broader concept that recognizes the soil as an open and dynamic system in which processes are driven by life, reflected in biodiversity and in the respective functions this complex and diverse life exerts for the proper functioning of the biosphere.

The term “soil health” is becoming more popular, based on the comprehension that biological components mediate multiple processes that enable the soil to maintain full functionality in the long term (Karlen et al., 2021). From the biological perspective, soil is understood as a living and dynamic system (Pankhurst et al., 1997) and as such has to be fundamentally healthy (Liptzin et al., 2022) to promote well-being for all living beings on the planet. The path from soil fertility to SH is soil multifunctionality, where the perspective of soil functions is expanded beyond crop production to include other vital soil-related ecosystem services incorporating provision (e.g., food, feed, fiber, biofuel, water, biodiversity, raw materials), regulation (e.g., water fluxes, erosion control, climate changes), and support (e.g., biodiversity habitat, nutrient cycling) and cultural functions (e.g., aesthetic, recreation, cultural heritage, and education/research) (Guo, 2021; Janzen et al., 2021; Karlen et al., 2021; Lehmann et al., 2020; Bünemann et al., 2018). This requires more qualitative assessments and interpretations of the soil as a system and makes transdisciplinary approaches essential (Anghinoni & Vezzani, 2021; Janzen et al., 2021; Lehmann et al., 2020).

A conceptual transition of understanding about soil functioning is also taking place in Brazilian agriculture. For example, regarding revisions in the development of management practices for modern agriculture (i.e., 1960s onward) in Brazil, Anghinoni and Vezzani (2021) presented the concept of “systemic soil fertility” (SSF). This concept emphasizes that soil self-organizes into increasingly complex structures, depending on the amount of energy and organic matter deposited by plants and, along the way, awakens new system properties. Thus, SSF is the capacity of a soil to function properly, determined by the availability and stock of nutrients; fluxes of gases, water, and solutes; and biological diversity and activity. SSF is closely related to soil multifunctionality and the provision of critical ecosystem services.

The goal of this chapter is to describe the relationship between the evolution of soil management practices and promotion of SH in the agricultural systems of Brazil. To this end, we first look back on the history of Brazilian agriculture to then describe the soil conditions resulting from each management period and the SH status.

A Historical Overview of Brazilian Agriculture and Soil Management

Archeological data indicate the existence of agricultural activities in Brazil some 4000 years ago (Crestana & Sousa, 2008). At the time Brazil was discovered (1500 AC), agriculture was a common practice among native peoples. Numerous plant species were being cultivated, including cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.], common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.), and corn; native fruits such as jaboticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba (Vell.) O. Berg), cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.), caja (Spondias mombin L.), and guava (Psidium guajava L.) were being harvested; and extracts from local flora such as babassu (Ataleia spp.) and pequi (Caryocar brasiliense Cambess.) were being used for food or other purposes according to local customs. This local culture influenced the food habits of newly arrived people, although the culture of the Portuguese colonizers was stronger and more dominant (Arruda, 1981).

After the arrival of the Royal Portuguese Court in Brazil (∼1808), in a period called the Brazilian Empire, the most commonly grown crop was coffee (Coffea arabica L.), especially in the southeastern region. Other crops being cultivated during this period included sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.), tobacco, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), and cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) in the northeast and southeast and rubber [Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A. Juss.) Müll. Arg.] in the Amazon region.

During the nineteenth century, especially in the second half, due to major socioeconomic transformations, large-scale migration from Europe began, especially into less populated continents such as the Americas and Australia. As a result of government policies, Brazil was one of the countries that received a considerable portion of these emigrants, mainly from Germany and Italy. The first immigrants were the Germans (as of 1825), who mostly occupied the lowlands of the valleys