ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Soil Sci.

Sec. Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Carbon Sequestration

Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsoil.2025.1524550

This article is part of the Research TopicSoil Organic Matter for Global Soil Health and DecarbonizationView all 5 articles

Organic matter: a critical soil health indicator in agrosystems within the Cerrado of Bahia, Brazil and South Florida, USA

Provisionally accepted
Flávia SantosFlávia Santos1Manoel Ricardo de Albuquerque FilhoManoel Ricardo de Albuquerque Filho2Johnny SoaresJohnny Soares3Tanjila JesminTanjila Jesmin4Noel ManirakizaNoel Manirakiza4Marcia SilveiraMarcia Silveira2Ieda MendesIeda Mendes5Maria Ines OliveiraMaria Ines Oliveira5Suraj MelkaniSuraj Melkani4ANTONIO CARLOS FREITASANTONIO CARLOS FREITAS6Juaci MalaquiasJuaci Malaquias5Jehangir BhadhaJehangir Bhadha4*
  • 1Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, EREC/UF, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, Brazil
  • 2Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, Brazil
  • 3Embrapa Rice and Beans, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, Brazil
  • 4Soil, Water & Ecosystem Sciences Department, EREC/Belle Glade, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States
  • 5Embrapa Cerrados, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, Brazil
  • 6Embrapa Cocais, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, Brazil

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Soil health (SH) indicators, such as organic matter (OM) content and enzymatic activity (EA), are critical for assessing the sustainability of mineral soils in integrated and cover cropping systems. A medium-term study (2019)(2020)(2021)(2022)(2023) in Brazil and a short-term seasonal study (2022)(2023) in the USA were conducted to evaluate SH in diverse agroecosystems. In Brazil, four agricultural systems were analyzed: Cerrado (Cer), Conventional (Conv), Integrated Crop-Livestock (ICL), and Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry (ICLF). In the USA, two cover cropping systems in South Florida were assessed: double cover cropping system (DCCS) and multiple cover cropping system (MCCS). The study objectives were: (i) to assess the relationship between OM and other SH indicators, (ii) to evaluate the evolution of SH using two models (SH indicators (SHI) scoring approach and A Modified Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health scoring system developed for Florida soils (A modified CASH method)), and (iii) present their effectiveness in Brazil and the USA. Soil samples were collected for analysis of key soil properties. Results in Brazil showed higher OM in the Cer (1.08 dag kg -1 ) and ICL (1.12 dag kg -1 ) systems, and increased enzymatic activity in 2023, particularly in ICL (AS = 33.85 mg de p-nitrofenol kg -1 soil h -1 and BG = 54.65 mg de p-nitrofenol kg -1 soil h -1 ) and ICLF (AS = 21.07 mg de p-nitrofenol kg -1 soil h -1 and BG = 48.90 mg de p-nitrofenol kg -1 soil h -1 ). Enzyme activity was more responsive to management practices than OM. Principal Component Analysis revealed stronger correlations between OM, EA, and macronutrients in more sustainable systems like ICL and ICLF. The SHI scoring approach better captured changes in Brazil. In the USA short-term cover cropping systems showed no significant changes in OM or EA, but CASH method suggested slight improvements in MCCS. This study highlights the importance of OM and EA as key indicators for assessing and improving SH and suggests that while integrated and cover cropping systems offer potential benefits, longer-term management and organic amendments are necessary to achieve sustained improvements in soil health.

Keywords: Integrated systems, Cover crops, Low carbon agriculture, Sandy soil, Enzymatic activity, soil physical-chemical indicators

Received: 07 Nov 2024; Accepted: 18 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Santos, de Albuquerque Filho, Soares, Jesmin, Manirakiza, Silveira, Mendes, Oliveira, Melkani, FREITAS, Malaquias and Bhadha. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Jehangir Bhadha, Soil, Water & Ecosystem Sciences Department, EREC/Belle Glade, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32609, Florida, United States

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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