Almacenamiento de carbono en suelos bajo pasturas de sistemas productivos lecheros altoandinos

Abstract

The different agricultural practices on the soil affect its capacity to capture and store organic carbon (CO), causing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that influence climate change. The aim of this research was to evaluate carbon storage in soils of 16 livestock systems in the municipality of Guatavita, department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. Four groups were defined: 1. Systems with Modern Technology (ES: SPTM), 2. Medium Productivity Systems (ES: SPMP), 3. Traditional Systems (ES: SPT), and 4. Eco-friendly systems (ES: SPEA), according to the type of environmental supply and technologies used in the above-mentioned systems. We determined the carbon storage by calculating the percentage of organic carbon (% CO) using the Walkley & Black method; by evaluating the bulk density (ES: DA) through a paraffinized clod and the depth of the soil sample taken with a helicoidal auger. The results showed statistical differences (P > 0.05) for the variables % CO and DA between some groups, but not for carbon storage. We found that group 4 presented a storage of 179.18 tons of carbon/hectare (tC/ha), followed by group 2 with 170.48 tC/ha, group 1 with 137 tC/ha, and group 3 with 135.07 tC/ha. The DA values of all the systems ranged from medium to high despite this condition and its relationship with the CO content; it is concluded that Guatavita livestock systems are ample fixers of atmospheric carbon in soils and contribute to mitigating the harmful effects of global climate change.