Biodiverse Agroforestry Systems

Potential for Carbon kidnapping

Abstract

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions, the use of Biodiverse Agroforestry Systems (SAFs) contributes to the carbon sequestration, since it reduces the pressure on natural forests. The objective of this research was to quantify the carbon stock in the vegetal biomass of a SAFs. Plots were established in each arrangement, corresponding to the tree species lines. In the evaluation the diameter at the height of the soil and the height of all individuals were obtained. To obtain the carbon values in the biomass, the allometric equation proposed by Higuchi 1998 was applied, obtaining the fresh weight value in kg tree-¹. After using the equation, the conversion factor was adopted to estimate the carbon value. According to the equation, the total of the set carbon corresponds to 48% of the dry weight. To estimate the carbon stock in the SAF, the values were grouped and later converted into t ha^-1. According to the floristic survey, 393 individuals were inventoried in 16 families belonging to 38 species. The values of C ind-¹ in each arrangement were grouped, and the carbon stored in arrangement 2 and 4 ware higher than the others. These most representative values are due to the tree species present and the density of each one. The SAFs presented a considerable total carbon stock (2.11 tons). The adoption of SAF arrangements by farmers will contribute to the production of environmental services and, among them, carbon storage in plant biomass, reducing the emission of CO₂ into the atmosphere.