In view of this scenario, over the last few years the possible
prohibition of sugarcane burning has been discussed. In Brazilian
legislation, article 2 ofLaw no. 11.241/2002, relating to the gradual
elimination of trash burning, sets forth a sequence of progressive
stages for reducing the practice of burning in areas of more than
150 ha, so that by 2021, the use of sugarcane trash burning will be
completely eliminated. On the other hand, in areas of mechanized
harvesting of sugarcane without burn, the accumulation of trash
on the soil’s surface can exceed 20 t ha−1 (Negrisoli et al., 2007),
creating a thick layer of organic waste.