Carbon footprint of beef cattle production in integrated systems of the Brazilian Cerrado

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Useful for validating process-based models for tropical systems and quantifying trade-offs between production and emissions.

🏢実務担当者:Demonstrates that integrated systems can achieve negative emission intensity; relevant for sustainability certifications and carbon credit projects.

🏛政策担当者:Highlights the potential of ICLF systems to contribute to national GHG reduction targets; supports inclusion in low-carbon agriculture policies.

Prediction of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, tree carbon stocks, enteric emissions, and beef production is essential for evaluating low-carbon livestock systems. However, there is still limited information regarding the use of mechanistic models capable of simultaneously integrating these components under tropical integrated production systems. This study evaluated the performance of the Manure-DeNitrification-DeComposition (Manure-DNDC) model to simulate SOC stocks and estimate the emission intensity of beef production in integrated crop-livestock-forest (ICLF) systems of the Brazilian Cerrado. Methods: Experimental data collected from 2008 to 2016 at the Embrapa Beef Cattle experimental site in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, were used to evaluate native vegetation (NV), integrated crop-livestock (ICL), and integrated crop-livestock-forest systems (ICLF14 and ICLF22). The Manure-DNDC model was applied to simulate SOC dynamics, beef production, and enteric emissions, and model estimates were compared with measured field data. Results: The model showed good agreement between simulated and measured SOC stocks, beef production, and enteric emissions across the evaluated systems. Annual additional SOC stocks were estimated at -0.025 Mg CO2e ha −1 year-1 for NV, +1.06 Mg CO 2 e ha −1 year −1 for ICL, +0.83 Mg CO 2 e ha −1 year −1 for ICLF22, and +0.30 Mg CO 2 e ha −1 year −1 for ICLF14. Emission intensity was estimated at 7.7 kg CO 2 e kg −1 live weight gain (LWG) for ICL, whereas negative net values were observed for ICLF22 (-31.5 kg CO2 2 kg −1 LWG) and ICLF14 (-69.5 kg CO 2 e kg −1 LWG).Discussion: The Manure-DNDC model satisfactorily represented greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon sequestration under Brazilian Cerrado conditions. The findings highlight the potential of ICLF systems to mitigate GHG emissions and reduce the carbon footprint of beef production.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2026.1805833first seen 2026-06-23 05:36:52