1 Alfredo Scheid Lopes Agronomist, MSc, PhD, Emeritus Professor, UFLA, Lavras, MG Technical Consultant of ANDA – São Paulo, SP Alfredo Scheid Lopes Agronomist, MSc, PhD, Emeritus Professor, UFLA, Lavras, MG Technical Consultant of ANDA – São Paulo, SP POST-DEFORESTATION AND “CERRADOS”MANAGEMENT IN BRAZIL

2 THE “CERRADOS” REGION IN BRAZIL Source:: IBGE, million square km 20% of the country

3 Campo limpo Campo cerrado CerradoCerradão TYPES OF “CERRADO” VEGETATION

4  50% arable land: (2/3 adequate for crop/livestock production)  Annual rainfall: 900 to 2000 mm (mostly 1000 to 1400)  Mean annual temperature: 22 o C south – 27 o C north  Main soils: Oxisols (46%), Ultisols ( 15%) and Entisols (15%)  Texture: sandy to very clayey  Clay fraction: only low activity (caulinite, gibbsite and Fe oxides)  Altitude: 200 to 1,000 m; 73% between 300 and 700 m  Solar radiation: 475 to 900 langleys  Gentle slopes (< 3%), good soil aggregation stability, deep, well drained  favors mechanization  Low in P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, B, Cu, acid (pH mostly 4.8 to 5.1), organic matter medium to high, very low CEC, high Al saturation and high P fixation capacity  50% arable land: (2/3 adequate for crop/livestock production)  Annual rainfall: 900 to 2000 mm (mostly 1000 to 1400)  Mean annual temperature: 22 o C south – 27 o C north  Main soils: Oxisols (46%), Ultisols ( 15%) and Entisols (15%)  Texture: sandy to very clayey  Clay fraction: only low activity (caulinite, gibbsite and Fe oxides)  Altitude: 200 to 1,000 m; 73% between 300 and 700 m  Solar radiation: 475 to 900 langleys  Gentle slopes (< 3%), good soil aggregation stability, deep, well drained  favors mechanization  Low in P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, B, Cu, acid (pH mostly 4.8 to 5.1), organic matter medium to high, very low CEC, high Al saturation and high P fixation capacity “CERRADOS” – SOME CHARACTERISTICS

5 Adequate soil management ADITIONAL LIMITATIONS FOR AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION  5 to 6 months dry season (April to September)  low water holding capacity (even in the clayey soils)  limited rooting depth (Al toxicity and Ca deficiency)   dry spells of 1 to 3 weeks (rainy season) 3 per year PWP = 40 cm 1 every 7 years PWP = 120 cm

6 “CERRADOS”: LOW SOIL FERTILITY Based upon 518 topsoil samples Source: Lopes, 1975 Parameter pH in H 2 O Ca (cmol c /dm 3 ) Mg (cmol c /dm 3 ) Al (cmol c /dm 3 ) Effective CEC (cmol c /dm 3 ) Al saturation of Effective CEC (%) P (mg/ dm 3 ) K (mg/ dm 3 ) Organic matter (%) Clay (%) Median Greater % 75% % % < % < % < % < % > 40 90% < 2 70% < 31 18% < 1.5 Range 6.0% - 83%

7 a) Liming MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE “CERRADO”REGION 50 years of research-teaching-extension efforts MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE “CERRADO”REGION 50 years of research-teaching-extension efforts b) Amelioration of sub-soil activity c) “Build-up” phosphate fertilization d) “Build-up” potash fertilization e) “Build-up” micronutrient fertilization g) Maintenance fertilization f) Organic matter management

8 0.4 mg P/dm 3 (Mehlich 1) 60% clay

9 ORGANIC MATTER MANAGEMENT

10  Crop rotation  Crop rotation  Cover crops  Crop sequences  No-till  Minimum tillage  Integration: grain crops/cattle  Green manure  Weed management  Mulching (small farmers)  Manure (small farmers)  Mineral fertilizers  Crop rotation  Crop rotation  Cover crops  Crop sequences  No-till  Minimum tillage  Integration: grain crops/cattle  Green manure  Weed management  Mulching (small farmers)  Manure (small farmers)  Mineral fertilizers ORGANIC MATTER MANAGEMENT: SOME TECHNOLOGIES

11 Niger Oats Millet Upland-rice

12 Sorghum Several legumes cover crops Wheat

13 Soybeans (2 years) Corn (1 year) Ü Ü Paspalum: 4 to 5 years INTEGRATION GRAIN CROPS – CATTLE

14 EXPANSION OF NO TILL IN BRAZIL AND IN THE “CERRADO”REGION 75/7685/8695/9600/0180/8190/9103/04 (e) Agricultural year Million ha “Cerrados” Brazil Source: FEBRAPDP,

15 No Till 2nd major “revolution” in 2nd major “revolution” in Brazilian agriculture!!! Challenge: straw, straw, straw; rotation, rotation, rotation; profile, profile, profile; and for sandy soils: knee, knee, knee!!! John N. Landers A.S. Lopes

16 RESULTS AND POTENTIAL RESULTS AND POTENTIAL

17 AVERAGE YIELD 2002 GOOD FARMERS – BRAZIL – MOSTLY IN THE “CERRADOS Rice : 6 t/ha (upland) Arroz: t/ha (irrigated) Common beans : 3.5 t/ha (irrigated) Corn: t/ha Soybeans: 4 t/ha Corn: t/ha (after soybeans in the same year) Cotton: 5.3 t/ha Coffee: 1.8 and 3.0 t/ha without and with irrigation

18 PARTICIPATION OF THE “CERRADO”REGION IN THE BRAZILIAN MEAT AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION – 2OO6 Cotton: 89% Cotton: 89% Sorghum: 69% Sorghum: 69% Beef cattle 55% Beef cattle 55% Soybeans: 53% Soybeans: 53% Coffee: 48% Coffee: 48% Rice: 37% Rice: 37% Corn: 30% Corn: 30% Common beans: 25% Common beans: 25% Sugar cane: 13% Sugar cane: 13% 5.6 million tons grains in 1970; 44 in million tons grains in 1970; 44 in 2003 Growth rate of 6,4% per annum in the period Growth rate of 6,4% per annum in the period Fonte: Roberto Teixeira Alves, Embrapa-Cerrados, 2006

19 SCENERY FOR FOOD PRODUCTION IN THE TOTAL “CERRADO” REGION USING TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE IN 1990 Assumptions:: a) 1/3 of the area (71 million ha) for environmental preservation; b) water availability to irrigate 10 million ha; c) increase in productivity compatible to available technologies in 1990; Source: Macedo,1995 ACTIVITY AREA PRODUCTIVITY PRODUCTION (Million ha) (t/ha/year) (Million t) ANNUAL CROPS UPLAND IRRIGATED BEEF CATTLE PERENNIAL CROPS TOTAL

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21 80 million ha

22 Foto: Rivian Ferreira Dias

23 “The more food we take from the land, the less land we will take from mother nature”. AEASP THANK YOU !!!

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25 40 cm 50 cm 65 cm 90 cm 110 cm 3/year2/year1/year2/7 years1/7 years Days of dry-spells Frequency at Brasília Soil depth that reach Permanent Wilting Point PROBABILITY OF OCCURRENCE OF DRY SPELLS DURING THE RAINY SEASON AND EFFECTS ON SOIL HUMIDITY – BRASÍLIA Source: Adapted from Wolf, 1975

26 BASIC FOOD PRICES INDEX September 1975 a July ,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1 1,2 D-/94 S-75 M-77 S-78 M-80 S-81 M-83 S-84 M-86 S-87 M-89 S-90 M-92 S-93 D-95 J-97 D-98 J-00 Source: Portugal, 2002.