Evaluation of physical and chemical soil properties under different management types in the south-western Colombian Andes
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Daniel A. Molina-Cuaichar [1] ; Angélica S. Moreno-Muñoz [2] ; Ivan F. Benavides-Martinez [2] ; Jorge F. Navia-Estrada [3] ; Jairo H. Mosquera-Guerrero [3]
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[1] Universidad de Chile
Universidad de Chile
Santiago, Chile
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[2] Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Colombia
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[3] Universidad de Nariño
Universidad de Nariño
Colombia
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- Localización: Forest systems, ISSN 2171-5068, ISSN-e 2171-9845, Vol. 30, Nº. 2, 2021, 9 págs.
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
Aim of study: Evaluating the variability of physical and chemical soil properties under different soil uses in an experimental farmland of the southwestern Colombian Andes.
Area of study: This research was conducted at the Botana Experimental Farm in the mountainous area of Nariño, at the south-western Colombia.
Material and methods: nine soil variables were measured under six soil uses which included traditional agriculture, agroforestry systems, and a 67-year-old secondary forest that was used as a reference for comparisons with other soil uses. Data was analyzed through Principal Component Analysis and Duncan’s tests.
Main results: organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, clay contents and base saturation were the variables with higher variability among soil uses. The secondary forest and an agroforestry system with alley-cropped wax laurel showed the best soil conditions, whilst pastures and monoculture potato crop plots showed the least desirable conditions for all variables.
Research highlights: We found that soils under alley-crop with wax laurel presented the characteristics most similar to the secondary forest. Conversely, soils under alley-crop with alder resembled the soils under intensive management (pasture and potato monocrop); which is related to the inadequate management of this agroforestry systems, provoking that the woody component does not accomplish its goal when implemented
