Effect of different management systems on soil carbon content and aggregate stability

Soil aggregate stability is an important indicator of soil health. Different management strategies can alter aggregate organization and soil carbon content along the soil profile. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of conservation management systems (traditional wheat/soybean management) and regenerative systems (diversification and intensification of cropping) on soil aggregate stability and soil carbon content in an experiment conducted in Imbituva, Paraná State, Brazil. Treatments were evaluated under two management systems, with soil samples collected from the 0.00 - 0.10, 0.10 - 0.20, and 0.20 - 0.30 m layers. The weighted mean diameter (WMD), soil carbon content, clay content, and bulk density were determined. In the 0.10 - 0.20 m layer, a 92% increase in WMD was observed. The soil showed higher bulk density in the 0.10 - 0.20 m layer. Soil carbon content increased by 55% in the 0.00 - 0.10 m layer compared to the 0.20 - 0.30 m layer. There was an interaction between management systems and depth for clay content: the regenerative treatment showed higher values in the surface layers (0.00 - 0.10 m and 0.10 - 0.20 m), whereas in the deeper layer (0.20 - 0.30 m) the conservation treatment showed the highest clay content. We conclude that the adoption of regenerative management is strategic for improving surface soil quality, while conservation management plays an important role in maintaining the structural integrity of the soil profile as a whole.