The Cerrado of Brazil:: A success story of production on acid soils

The Brazilian Cerrado region which covers an area of 180 million ha is characterized by soils with favorable topography but very poor soil fertility, and due for that, it was considered until recently, unsuitable for agriculture. Liming for base saturation of 50%, in general, together with PKS and micronutrients correction allowed this region to become one of the most important break baskets of the world. In recent years the adoption of the no-tillage system is showing the relevant role of organic matter on soil fertility improvement. This region is now responsible for over 50% of the country soybean, corn, coffee and beef production.