ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the evaluation of the net ecosystem exchange of atmospheric Carbon dioxide CO2 over sugarcane for specific periods during its life cycle, and the soil respiration, which will help to assess how the main mechanisms affect carbon balance. Sugarcane production has been a strong component of the Brazilian economy since the early 1970s as well as an attractive alternative to mitigate greenhouse gases emission. The technique of the eddy correlation was used to measure the net ecosystem exchange over a sugarcane site in southeast Brazil collected during intensive missions within the approximate one year period from November 1996 to December 1997. In the long term, once the soil organic carbon amount is kept constant, there must a balance, that is, soil respiration plus the carbon emission resulting from the harvest burning and sugarcane products must balance the net photosynthesis.
