Due to the worldwide increase in demand for biofuels, the area cultivated with sugarcane is expected to increase. For environmental and economic reasons, an increasing proportion of the areas are being harvested without burning, leaving the residues on the soil surface. This periodical input of residues affects soil physical, chemical and biological properties, as well as plant growth and nutrition. Modeling can be a useful tool in the study of the complex interactions between the climate, residue quality, and the biological factors controlling plant growth and residue decomposition. The approach taken in this work was to parameterize the CENTURY model for the sugarcane crop, to simulate the temporal dynamics of aboveground phytomass and litter decomposition, and to validate the model through field experiment data. When studying aboveground growth, burned and unburned harvest systems were compared, as well as the effect of mineral fertilizer and organic residue applications. The simulations were performed with data from experiments with different durations, from 12 months to 60 ears, in Goiana, Timbaúba and Pradópolis, Brazil; Harwood, Mackay and Tully, Australia; and Mount Edgecombe, South Africa. The differentiation of two pools in the litter, with different decomposition rates, was found to be a relevant factor in the simulations made. Originally, the model had a basically unlimited layer of mulch directly available for decomposition, 5,000 g m -2. Through a parameter optimization process, the thickness of the mulch layer closer to the soil, more vulnerable to decomposition, was set as 110 g m -2. By changing the layer of mulch at any given time available for decomposition, the sugarcane residues decomposition simulations where close to measured values (R 2 = 0.93), contributing to making the CENTURY model a tool for the study of sugarcane litter decomposition patterns. The CENTURY model accurately simulated aboveground carbon stalk values (R 2 = 0.76), considering burned and unburned harvest systems, plots with and without nitrogen fertilizer and organic amendment applications, in different climates and soil conditions. © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009.
