We evaluated the influence of intercropping maize with forage grasses of the genus Megathyrsus and Urochloa on soil properties and on yield of succeeding soybean (Glycine max) in the Cerrado of north-east Brazil. Intercropping maize with forage grasses of the genus Urochloa increased soil humic substances and carbon concentrations, whereas intercropping maize with species of the genus Megathyrsus improved the soil chemical and biological attributes. Average soybean yield was 15% higher when cultivated following maize + forage grasses, compared to monoculture maize.

Soil organic matter (SOM), carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) management is critical for successful forest restoration. Our study investigated SOM, C, and N in forest soils following the restoration of one of the world’s most industrially degraded landscapes. We found that despite immense degradation, 20-years post-restoration SOM, C, and N relationships, and how they change with soil depth, closely resembled those of unimpacted forested sites, suggesting that regardless the level of degradation restoring soil structure and function is possible.