Summary: Carbon stored in soils depends on the type of vegetation and management applied. Native vegetation removed for the installation of pastures and grassland affects carbon stocks in the soil.Argisols are one the most used type of soils in agriculture, due its excellent physical and chemical characteristics. Asses carbon stored in these soils under different land uses and understand the dynamics of the C element in ecosystems is important. In this study we examined four types of vegetation cover in three sites on interior of Pernambuco state in Brazil. Trenches of 0.7 x 0.7 m with 0.4 m deep were open and soil samples were collected at 0-10, 10-20, 20-30 and 30-40 cm layers to determine carbon content and soil density. Carbon concentrations were determined by dry combustion using a CHN elemental analyzer (CN TruSpec LECO® 2006, St. Joseph, USA). Land use change altered carbon stocks in soil, dense caatinga presented higher stocks than open caatinga, grassland and agriculture. In the 0-10 cm layer expressed biggest difference in C stocks in different vegetation cover.

Publication year: 2014

Types of publication: Paper in annals and proceedings

Unit: Embrapa Semi-arid Region