Spatial variability of CO2 emission associated bacterial communities and soil properties in area of sugar cane

Abstract

Studies on the composition and physiology of microbial communities in soils are key in understanding how microorganisms such influence and are influenced by the environment, especially in agricultural areas. The populations of microorganisms have an essential role in recycling the chemical elements in the soil, for example by controlling the dynamic of stabilization and decomposition of carbon, and therefore, the patterns of spatial and temporal variability of soil CO2 emission to the atmosphere. In this sense, the objective of this work was: (I) estimate and compare by using molecular techniques based on metagenomic studies the diversity genetic and functional of bacteria in soil cultivated with sugar cane from systems managements harvest green cane and burned, and area of reform of the cane field (II) characterize the spatial and temporal variability of soil CO2 emission and its relation to the microbiological results and the physical and chemical properties of soil in the evaluated systems. The experiment was conducted in separate areas: sugar cane from green cane managements systems and burned cane, both adjacent to a third area with native vegetation, which was included in the study as a reference of the original soil condition. The last corresponds to an area of reform of the sugar cane field without vegetation and with conventional tillage. Being analyzed: the emission of CO2, temperature and soil moisture, as well as the attributes physico-chemical and microbiological in both areas. The diversity of bacterial communities will be analyzed by metagenomic studies. The variability of the data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and nonlinear regression. And the spatial dependence using geostatistical techniques applied to all study variables. (AU)