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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Soil, Water & Air Resources Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #314183
Title: Soil quality impacts of current South American agricultural practices

Author
item WINGEYER, ANA - National Institute Of Agricultural Technology(INTA)
item AMADO, TELMO - Universidade Federal De Santa Maria
item BIDEGAIN, MARIO - Universidad Del La Republica
item STUDDERT, GUILLERMO - National University Of Mar Del Plata
item PERDOMO VARELA, CARLOS - Universidad Del La Republica
item GARCIA, FERNANDO - International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI)
item Karlen, Douglas

Submitted to: Sustainability
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/10/2015
Publication Date: 2/17/2015
Citation: Wingeyer, A.B., Amado, T.J., Bidegain, M.P., Studdert, G., Perdomo Varela, C.H., Garcia, F., Karlen, D.L. 2015. Soil quality impacts of current South American agricultural practices. Sustainability. 7:2213-2242.

Interpretive Summary: Global crop demand is expected to increase by 100 to 110% by 2050. This review focuses on an area of approximately 195 million hectares (482 million acres) in Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and southern Brazil where unprecedented adoption of no-tillage as well as improved soil fertility and plant genetics have significantly increased corn, rice, wheat, and soybean,crop yields. However, the use of purchased inputs, monocropping (i.e., continuous soybean), and marginal land have also increased. We found that regional economic and land tenure conditions are at odds with practices aimed at long term soil quality conservation and improvement, but there is strong evidence that farmers will embrace new and more sustainable soil and crop management practices if they understand the challenges and benefits. This work will be of interest to scientists, farmers, conservationists, and those striving to meet increasing global food, feed, fiber, and fuel needs.

Technical Abstract: Increasing global demand for oil seeds and cereals during the past 50 years has caused an expansion in the cultivated areas and resulted in major soil management and crop production changes throughout Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and southern Brazil. Unprecedented adoption of no-tillage as well as improved soil fertility and plant genetics have increased yields, but the use of purchased inputs, monocropping (i.e., continuous soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]), and marginal land have also increased. These changes have significantly altered the global food and feed supply role of these countries, but they have also resulted in various levels of soil degradation through wind and water erosion, soil compaction, soil organic matter (SOM) depletion, and nutrient losses. Sustainability is dependent upon local interactions between soil, climate, landscape characteristics, and production systems. This review examines the region’s current soil and crop conditions and summarizes several research studies designed to reduce or prevent soil degradation. Although the region has both environmental and soil resources that can sustain current agricultural production levels, increasing population, greater urbanization, and more available income will continue to increase the pressure on South American croplands. A better understanding of regional soil differences and quantifying potential consequences of current production practices on various soil resources is needed to ensure that scientific, educational, and regulatory programs result in land management recommendations that support intensification of agriculture without additional soil degradation or other unintended environmental consequences.