Effect of deforestation and subsequent land-use management on soil carbon stocks in the South American Chaco
The sub-humid Chaco region of Argentina, originally covered by dry sclerophyll forest, has been subjected to clearing since the end of the '70 and replacement of the forest by no till farming. Land use changes produced a decrease in aboveground carbon stored in forests, but little is known about the impact on soil organic C stocks. The aim of this study was to evaluate soil C stocks and C fractions up to 1 m depth in soils under different land use: < 10 yr continuous cropping; > 20 yr continuous cropping, warm season grass pasture and native forest in 32 sites distributed over the Chaco region.