Publication of the article “Short-term carbon stabilization in earthworm casts under tropical agricultural system”

Members of the Soil Health & Management Research Group (SOHMA) contributed to the publication of the article “Short-term carbon stabilization in earthworm casts under tropical agricultural system,” recently published in the scientific journal Applied Soil Ecology. The study brings together researchers from the “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture (ESALQ/USP) and the Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture (CCARBON).

The study investigated the role of earthworms in the dynamics and stabilization of organic carbon in tropical agricultural soils, with particular attention to the structures formed by these organisms, known as earthworm casts. The research was conducted in a field experiment located in Gurupi, Tocantins, Brazil, in an area managed under a no-tillage system with soybean and forage crop rotation.

The findings contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between soil fauna, organic matter, and the mechanisms involved in carbon stabilization in tropical soils. The study highlights that earthworm activity may promote short-term carbon accumulation while also driving changes in the composition of organic matter and its interactions with soil minerals.