Microbiological attributes of the soil under cultivation of sugar cane with and without burning straw

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of sugar cane cultivation with and without burning of residues on microbial biomass, soil basal respiration and their derived indices. The study was carried out from 2009 to 2010, at the sugar mills, Itahum district, the city of Dourados, MS, on a Hapludox soil. An adjacent area of native vegetation was included in the study as a reference the original condition of the soil. Soil samples were collected at three depths: 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 cm, with five composite samples, from five subsamples collected at intervals of ten feet between each other, along a transect. Considering the different cropping systems, the results demonstrated the system without burning (mechanized harvesting) of the sugar cane residues, favored microbial biomass and basal respiration and soil chemical properties, compared with the system with burning, especially in the upper layers of soil.