Carbon management and sequestration for sustainable agriculture and environment

This chapter describes the role of agriculture on the soil carbon cycle through conservation improvements and beneficial management sequestration practices. The main transformation processes of soil carbon, including the transition from the organic to inorganic form, are considered in order to explain the terms and dynamics of carbon balance. The effects of climatic and pedological conditions that characterize cultivation systems (including pH, soil texture, temperature, moisture, solar radiation) are included in the analysis. Agricultural practices, such as tillage, fertilization, residue management, crop rotation, irrigation, and cover crops, are analyzed with the objective of delineating sustainable agricultural systems. Impacts of climate change on mid- to long-term soil carbon dynamics are also reported.