Physicochemical soil quality in areas under different management systems in the Cerrado

This study aimed to quantify the physical and chemical properties of the soil, as well as carbon stocks, under different management systems. A completely randomized design was adopted, evaluating four systems: (1) Agroforestry System (AFS), (2) Sugarcane cultivation (sugarcane), (3) Pasture, and (4) Native Forest, with five replicates each. Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected during the rainy season at depths of 0.0- 0.10, 0.10-0.20, 0.20-0.30, and 0.30-0.40 m to assess chemical attributes, total organic carbon (TOC), soil bulk density (Bd), and carbon stock (Cstock). A sensitivity index (SI) was also calculated for selected attributes. The AFS and native forest areas showed the best chemical soil quality, with higher values of soil organic matter, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in the surface layers, as well as higher TOC values at the 0.0-0.10 m depth (12.70 and 47.90 g kg-1) and greater Cstock at the 0.20-0.30 m depth (48.67 and 139.16 g kg-1), respectively. The AFS, established only five years ago, provided higher nutrient contents P (14.47 mg dm-3), K (1.12 mmolc dm-3), Ca (23.07 mmolc dm-3), and Mg (6.47 mmolc dm-3) at the 0.0-0.10 m depth, as well as higher TOC and Cstock at all depths, compared to the sugarcane and pasture systems. The high Bd observed in the Sugarcane area indicates soil compaction and restrictions to normal root development. The SI values for TOC and Cstock indicate that all production systems have led to a decline in soil quality due to their conversion to agricultural use.