Carbon accumulation in coffee cultivation under different management systems

Abstract

Coffee production faces increasing challenges due to climate change, requiring production systems capable of reconciling productivity and carbon (C) sequestration. This thesis aimed to evaluate the influence of different coffee cropping and management systems on carbon accumulation, soil physicochemical properties, and plant physiological parameters. The study was structured into three scientific articles conducted in the municipalities of Santo Antônio do Amparo and São Sebastião do Paraíso, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In the first article, carbon stocks were quantified in agroforestry systems (AFS), demonstrating that the consortium with African mahogany promoted greater carbon accumulation in coffee biomass (25.94 t C ha⁻¹ in the plant), while Acrocarpus enhanced subsurface soil carbon sequestration (54.4 t C ha⁻¹ in the soil). In the second article, weed management strategies were evaluated, showing that the no-weeding system promoted greater carbon stabilization in the soil profile compared to residual herbicide use. The third article integrated soil analyses with photosynthetic parameters, revealing that agroforestry systems and conservation management practices preserved soil microporosity, resulting in higher quantum efficiency and CO₂ fixation rates. Overall, the results demonstrate that plant diversification, whether through tree integration or maintenance of spontaneous vegetation cover, can make coffee production systems more efficient in carbon sequestration and increase agroecosystem resilience. The integration of ecophysiology and soil carbon dynamics highlights the importance of soil conservation as a key factor for productive sustainability and enhanced carbon storage in tropical agricultural systems.