Soil and organic carbon losses by water erosion in coffee-growing areas in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil

Organic carbon performs essential functions in soils. Soils act as sources or sinks of atmospheric organic carbon. Agricultural management influences soil organic carbon, impacting climate change. One of the crops most vulnerable to climate change is coffee. Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer, with a predominance of management under a conventional system, with sloping terrain and the absence of conservationist practices. The absence of conservationist practices results in an increase in soil loss rates due to water management and carbon emissions, as well as a reduction in coffee production. This paper aimed to estimate soil and organic carbon losses by RUSLE in coffee farms in southern Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Data were obtained from fieldwork, laboratory analysis and cartographic products. The results indicated, exclusively for coffee crops, soil and carbon losses between 7 and 32 Mg and 87 and 460 , respectively. However, in general, the highest soil losses occurred on sloping terrains with eucalyptus plantations located downhill, and the lowest losses occurred on flat land with native forest. Organic carbon losses were linked directly to soil losses. Soil and organic carbon losses result from the land use practices, slope and agricultural management adopted in the area. These results can be used for the planning and priority definition of areas needing conservationist practices, such as green manuring, planting in contour lines and maintenance of vegetation between lines, which are already used in some parts of the study area.