Abstract

SANTIAGO-MEJIA, Blanca E. et al. Spatial Variability of Physical and Chemical Soil Properties in a Lama-Bordo System in the High Mixtec Region of Oaxaca, México. agric. soc. desarro [online]. 2018, vol.15, n.2, pp.275-288. ISSN 1870-5472.

Ecosystems of the Mixtec region have been subjected to deforestation, overgrazing, and inadequate agricultural practices, and as a result soils have become deteriorated. In order to alleviate this problem, since ancestral times, the Mixtec peoples have established the lama-bordo system as a strategy to retain soil, manage superficial runoff and retain moisture. In order to have evidence of the effectiveness of the lama-bordo system, the spatial variability was analyzed, of the physical properties (texture, apparent density, field capacity and permanent wilting point) and chemical properties (pH, organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and organic carbon) of the soils retained in a system in the municipality of Teotongo, Oaxaca; this system has 8.47 ha distributed in 11 plots where soil samples were taken at a depth of 0.30 m. The physical and chemical properties of the soils show high spatial variability related to the position of the sample and the age of the terrace. The statistical analysis showed statistically significant differences (α<0.05) in the contents of organic matter, nitrogen, potassium, organic carbon, clay, capacity for water retention, and hydraulic conductivity between the right, left and central margins, and the age of construction of the plots.

Keywords : soil degradation; organic carbon and soil quality; lama-bordo; conservation construction; soil retention.

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