I - Program: 

Part 1 – Understanding the soil organic matter

1.      Reception and welcome to the participants by Prof. JCM Sá (Sunday, November 8^th) 

2.      Introduction (Monday, November 9^th) – Morning class room

·         General comments and procedures of all training sessions

·         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

3.      Basic concepts (Monday, November 9^th) – 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

4.      Carbon cycle in terrestrial environment (Tuesday, November 10^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 with cores and samples for aggregates separation and samples of crop residues); Discussion about soil sampling methods for no-tillage soils - Precision and accuracy of sampling

Professor: Dr João Carlos de Moraes Sá

5.      SOM pool’s assessment (Wednesday, November 11^th) Lab and class room

·         Lab practice (manipulation of the cores – determination of the bulk density; dry sieving of crop residue to understand the decomposition scale; 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

6.      Associations of the SOM in the aggregates formation (Thursday, November 12^th) Lab and field practice

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

·         Field practice – Effect of different cover crops in the aggregation – root effect, microbial effect and protection of aggregates 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

7.      Biological interactions with aggregates formation (Friday, November 13^th) Class room and field practice

Class room

·          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);

Lab practice

·          Methodology to assess the impact of different cover crops in the aggregates formation (After lunch). General discussion about methodologies and feasibility.  

Professor: Dr. João Carlos de Moraes Sá

8.      Trip to State Park of Vila Velha – Ponta Grossa (Saturday, November 14^th) – Field trip (Morning)

·         Understanding the soils of Campos Gerais region

·         Understanding the landscape and natural vegetation – historical review

·         Lunch time in a place with typical food of Brazil

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

9.      Free day  or visitation of scenic places – optional (Sunday, November 15^th) – All day long

Professor: Dr. Carlos Hugo Rocha

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

10.  The direct impact of conventional tillage in the carbon losses  (Monday, November 16^th) –Class room and Lab practice

Class room

·         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 and the impact of intensive cropping systems to storage C and mitigate CO₂ emissions

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

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

Professor: Dr. João Carlos de Moraes Sá

11.  Stratification ratio of soil organic carbon as an indicator of soil quality and C sequestration in no-tillage soils and presentations of seminars (Tuesday, November 17^th) Class room all day long

Class room

·         The concepts of SOC stratification ratio

·         Comparisons among different for different soils and crop rotations

·           The methodology to assess stratification ratio

·                     Discussion in group

·      Projects presentations by groups, evaluation (Afternoon)

Professor: Dr. João Carlos de Moraes Sá

12.  Field trip to pioneers farmers in no-tillage (Wednesday, November 18^th) – All day long

·          Agripastos Farm – 33 years in continuous no-tillage

·          Small farm – 10 years in continuous no-tillage

Professor: Dr João Carlos de Moraes Sá

13.  Physical attributes (Thursday, November 19^th)  - Morning

Lab and field Practice

·         Lab and field method of Soil Quality assessment

Professor: Dra. Neyde Fabíola Giardola

15.  Planters and sowing quality to no-tillage (Thursday, November 19^th) - Afternoon

·           Planters and indicators for sowing quality

·           Spraying technology quality

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

Professor: Dr. Altair Justino

16.     Cropping system for tropical soils (Friday, November 20^th) Class room – 08:00 to 16:00h

·      Cover crops management and interactions with weed and disease control

·      Cover crops and management for sustainable productivity and carbon sequestration

Professor: Dr. Lucien Seguy and Dr. Florent Tivet

17.  Closing session Lecture (Thursday, November 20^th) – 16:00 to 17:30h.

Lecture: “Managing soils and cropping systems for Carbon sequestration and environmental sustainability”

Professor: Dr. Rattan Lal, Director of Carbon Management and Sequestration Centre - The Ohio State University, Columbus OH, USA.

·      Speech’s (Director of UEPG, Soil Science Department, General coordinator and others).and final comments

·      Diplomas

18.  Dinner with all participants at 20:30 h

19.  Return trip (Saturday, November 21^th) – 08:30h – Ponta Grossa to Curitiba for general overview of Capital of Paraná State and airport

II - Expected products:

The objective of the International Course is to provide general and specific knowledge about soil organic matter management and facilities in no-tillage systems. The program can support an advance in this subject mainly because interact the theory with the practice, and the philosophy of this course is “Learn and Doing”. All participants will have opportunity to discuss the theory, check it on the field practices and proof with lab practices and procedures.