IIIème International course / IIIème session / Formations / Accueil - Unité de recherche Systèmes et ingénierie agronomique

Objectif : Part 1 – Understanding the soil organic matter.
Part 2 – The SOM and soil restoration by cropping system associated with conservation tillage.

Program 2008

Part 1 – Understanding the soil organic matter

1. Introduction (Monday, November 3^rd) – Morning class room

· Welcoming

· General comments

· Seminars, class discussion and course assessment

· Introduction and general overview – The evolution of the conservation tillage in the world and in Brazil

Professor: Dr João Carlos de Moraes Sá

2. Basic concepts (Monday, November 3^rd) – Afternoon class room

· Chronological evolution of the SOM study

· The Soil Organic Matter (SOM) origin

· The crop residues and animal detritus transformation to the SOM

· The global carbon pool’s

· The SOM pool’s

Professor: Dr João Carlos de Moraes Sá

3. Carbon cycle in terrestrial environment (Tuesday, November 4^th) – Class room (morning) and Field practice (afternoon)

· Soil organic carbon (SOC) pool’s – active and stable fraction – concepts and formation of the humic substances

· Characteristics and functionality of the SOC pool’s

· Microbial biomass – activity, functionality and interaction with cropping system

· Field practice in the school farm – Soil sampling practice for no-tillage and cropping system’s (disturbed and undisturbed samples – cores and aggregates and crop residues); Detailed discussion about soil sampling methods for no-tillage soils;

Professor: Dr João Carlos de Moraes Sá

4. SOM pool’s assessment (Wednesday, November 5^th) Lab and class room

· Lab practice (manipulation of the cores – determination of the bulk density; dry sieving of crop residue; preparation of soil samples to aggregates sieving and particle size fractionation; crop residue incubation for lab decay rate – (morning).

· Class room – Models of aggregates formation; Divisions and groups of the aggregates (after lunch)

Professor: Dr João Carlos de Moraes Sá

5. Associations of the SOM in the aggregates formation (Thursday, November 6^th) Lab and field practice

· Lab practice – manipulation of the crop residues for litter bag method of assessment of the decay rate; determination of carbon in the soil (morning).

· Field practice – assessment of crop residues decay by different methods in the School farm - UEPG. Discussion about the functioning of the different cover crops in the decomposition rate and the relationship with the SOM storage – (After lunch)

Professor: Dr. João Carlos de Moraes Sá

6. Biological interactions with aggregates formation (Friday, November 7^th) Class room and field practice

· The contribution of the micro and macro flora to the aggregates formation (morning);

· The mechanism of aggregates formation and the relationship with crop residues (morning);

· The contribution of the carbon from the crop residues

· “Turnover time” (morning);

· Field practice – The impact of different cover crops in the aggregates formation (After lunch).

Professor: Dr. João Carlos de Moraes Sá

7. Trip to State Park of Vila Velha – Ponta Grossa (Saturday, November 8^th) – Field trip (Morning)

· Understanding the soils

· Understanding the landscape and natural vegetation – historical review

· Lunch time in a barbecue place – Typical food of Southern Brazil

Professor: Dr. Hugo Rocha; Dr. Márcia Freire Machado Sá

8. Free day (Sunday, November 9^th) – All day long

Professor: Dr. João Carlos de Moraes Sá

9. The direct impact of conventional tillage in the carbon losses (Monday, November 10^th) –Class room and field practice

· Losses of soil organic matter due tillage and monoculture – mechanisms and process

· SOM dynamics in conservation tillage systems

· Carbon and nitrogen storage in no-tillage

Professor: Dr. João Carlos de Moraes Sá

Part 2 – The SOM and soil restoration by cropping system associated with conservation tillage

10. Discussion in group (Tuesday, November 11^th) – Class room all day long

· Lab practice – Calculations of carbon and nitrogen storage; Carbon and nitrogen balance; water stable aggregates method; discussion of carbon models

· Interpretation of the laboratory results – Indicators and interactions with soil attributes

· Calculations of the carbon stock and the interactions with the soil attributes

· Model’s of carbon turnover and the relationship with no-tillage and cropping system

Professor: Dr. João Carlos de Moraes Sá

11. Field trip to pioneers farmers in no-tillage (Wednesday, November 12^th) – All day long

· Agripastos Farm – 30 years in continuous no-tillage

· Small farm – 10 years in continuous no-tillage

Professor: Dr João Carlos de Moraes Sá

12. Stratification ratio of soil organic carbon as an indicator of soil quality and C sequestration in no-tillage soils (Thursday, November 13^rd) Class room (morning)

· The concepts of SOC stratification ratio

· Comparisons among different for different soils and crop rotations

· The methodology to assess stratification ratio

· Projects presentations by groups, evaluation (Afternoon)

Professor: Dr. João Carlos de Moraes Sá

13. Physical attributes (Friday, November 14^th)

· Soil porosity and water balance

· Soil Bulk density; Soil compaction

· lab practice – Physical attributes

Professor: Dra. Neyde Fabíola Giardola

14. Spatial variability of soil attributes (Saturday, November 15^th) – Morning (08:00-12:00 h)

· Temporal soil variability

· Horizontal and vertical soil variability

· Interpretation of soil variability

Professor: Dr Pedro Henrique W. Neto

15. (Sunday, November 16^th) Visit to Curitiba – Capital of Paraná State

16. Planters and sowing quality to no-tillage (Monday, November 17^th) – Class room (morning) and field day (after lunch)

· Planters and indicators for sowing quality

· Spraying technology quality

· Field day for different planters for no-tillage (IAPAR)

Professor: Dr. Altair Justino

17. Cropping system for tropical soils – Class room all day long (Tuesday, November 18^th)

Professor: Dr. Lucien Seguy

18. Cropping System for tropical soils – Class room all day long (Wednesday, November 19^th)

· Cover crops alternatives for cropping system

Professor: Dr. Lucien Seguy

19. Cropping System for tropical soils – Class room all day long (Thursday, November 20^th)

· Cover crops management and interactions with weed and disease control

· Cover crops and management for sustainable productivity and carbon sequestration

Professor: Dr. Lucien Seguy

20. Closing session (Thursday, November 20^th) – 17:00h

· Diplomas

· Speech’s and final comments

Director of UEPG, Soil Science Department, General coordinator and others.

21. Return trip (Friday, November 21^th) – 08:00h – Ponta Grossa to Curitiba airport