Contribution of sequential crop systems to environmental sustainability, economic performance and energy transition

As globally significant commodities, soybeans and corn play a pivotal role in Brazil´s agricultural production and export economy. Increasingly, these feedstocks are used for industrial value chains, driving the expansion of biofuels (such as biodiesel and corn-ethanol), biobased chemicals, and industrial materials. Consequently, ensuring the long-term sustainability and resource-use efficiency of these producing cropping systems is crucial, particularly within the context of the global transition toward a decarbonized economy. This study reports the results of a 15-year field experiment (2008–2023) in Mato Grosso, Brazil, comparing the agronomic and economic performance of five soybean-based cropping systems: single soybean under no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT), and soybean integrated sequentially with corn, b rachiaria , or millet. We quantified and compared the stability of crop yields during the analyzed period, fertilizer costs per unit of production, and the overall system profitability. The findings demonstrate a clear and consistent superiority of sequential cropping systems over continuous monoculture. Integrated systems, particularly Soybean-Corn (65.89 ± 4.01 bags per ha) and Soybean– Brachiaria (66.47 ± 3.58 bags per ha), consistently achieved higher average yields and greater yield stability than monocultures (e.g., Soybean NT: 52.15 ± 5.34 bags per ha). This resilience enhances the system´s capacity to buffer interannual climatic variability. Economically, soybeans in sequential cropping systems exhibited superior fertilizer-use efficiency and greater resilience, considering that for the same fertilizer rate, soybeans in sequential systems presented higher yields. The Soybean-Corn system emerged as the most profitable overall, primarily driven by the commercial market value of corn. Crucially, these diversified systems optimize the delivery of high-quality biomass feedstock essential for sustainable biofuel production. In conclusion, sequential cropping strategies offer superior agronomic and economic performance compared to monoculture. This confirms that system diversification is a highly effective method for maximizing yield, profitability, and environmental performance, while simultaneously increasing feedstock availability for sustainable biofuel production.