HIGHLIGHTS:
Soil organic carbon creates organic pores.
Sugarcane presents higher soil carbon stock than coffee.
Organic pores promote microporosity in fine-textured soils.
ABSTRACT
Soil quality is important for providing adequate conduction for the production of food, fiber, and energy without significant alterations in the environment. Fragile soil indexes have been presented as soil quality indicators (i.e., soil porosity and carbon stocks) due to the easy modification by soil management and crop cultivation systems. The objective of this study was to determine and discuss how carbon operates in the distribution of macro- and micropores in fine-textured soils in tropical conditions using sugarcane and coffee production. The experiments were conducted in the region of Triângulo Mineiro, Minas Gerais, Brazil, using sugarcane cultivation (Saccharum officinarum) and coffee (Coffea sp.) in the conditions of the Brazilian Cerrado. It was verified that the distribution of micropores in fine-textured soils was higher than macropores due to the natural increment of clay in the soil. Organic carbon produced organic pores that positively impacted microporosity.
Key words:
soil quality; macroporosity; microporosity; crop residues
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*Bars followed by different letters indicate significant differences at p < 0.05 according to the F-test.Horizontal bars represent the mean of layer (n = 60)
*Bars followed by different letters indicate significant differences at p ≤ 0.05 according to the F-test. Horizontal Horizontal bars represent the mean of layer (n = 60)
*Bars followed by different letters indicate significant differences at p ≤ 0.05 according to the F-test. Horizontal bars represent the mean of layer (n = 60)
* Significant at p ≤ 0.01 by t test (n=60)