EFFECTS OF AN AGROECOLOGICAL TRANSITION MANAGEMENT ON SOIL QUALITY IN THE WEST OF BUENOS AIRES PROVINCE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64132/cds.v43i1.877Keywords:
visual evaluation of soil, multi-species pastures, Visual soil evaluation; multi-species grass leys; organic matter indexAbstract
In the Pampas region, losses of 26 to 34% of organic matter have been recorded compared to pristine soils. One of the strategies that would reverse the impact of organic matter loss is the transition from the so-called industrial agriculture to an agroecological management. Visual assessment methods are viable tools that can provide rapid semi-quantitative information on soil condition. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of an agroecological transition on soil condition through visual evaluation and to analyze how this methodology reflects differences among systems in soil physical and biological parameters and correlates with other edaphic properties. The study was carried out in an agricultural establishment near the town of 30 de Agosto (Buenos Aires province) with 710 hectares under an agroecological transition for four years. Three soil management systems were determined in the average altimetry zone of the establishment: Agroecological Agricultural management (AA), Conventional Agricultural management (AC), and Multispecies Pasture (PA). Soils under AA management presented a lower bulk density value and higher organic matter content than under CA in 0-10 cm. The Organic Matter Index (IMO) detected an influence of management practices on soil quality. AA and PA presented IMO values greater than 4.5, indicating a good soil condition, while the IMO value was significantly lower under AC. Through visual assessment of soil quality, it was also possible to differentiate AA and PA from AC. The visual indicators that best differentiated treatments were structure, porosity, color and compaction. No significant differences were observed between AA management and PA intended for livestock using either visual evaluation or other indicators such as the IMO, from which it could be concluded that both systems contribute to sustainable soil management in a similar way.
References
Altieri, M. A., y Toledo, V. M. (2011). The agroecological revolution in Latin America: rescuing nature, ensuring food sovereignty and empowering peasants. Journal of Peasant Studies, 38(3), 587–612. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2011.582947
Aparicio, V. C., Zamora, M., Barbera, A., Castro-Franco, M., Domenech, M., De Gerónimo, E., y Costa, J. L. (2018). Industrial agriculture and agroecological transition systems: A comparative analysis of productivity results, organic matter and glyphosate in soil. Agricultural Systems, 167(November 2017), 103–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2018.09.005
Bedano, J. C., Vaquero, F., Domínguez, A., Rodríguez, M. P., Wall, L., y Lavelle, P. (2019). Earthworms contribute to ecosystem process in no-till systems with high crop rotation intensity in Argentina. Acta Oecologica, 98, 14–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2019.05.003
Bezner Kerr, R., Madsen, S., Stüber, M., Liebert, J., Enloe, S., Borghino, N., Parros, P., Mutyambai, D. M., Prudhon, M., y Wezel, A. (2021). Can agroecology improve food security and nutrition? A review. Global Food Security, 29, 100540. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100540
Bünemann, E. K., Bongiorno, G., Bai, Z., Creamer, R. E., De Deyn, G., de Goede, R., Fleskens, L., Geissen, V., Kuyper, T. W., Mäder, P., Pulleman, M., Sukkel, W., van Groenigen, J. W., y Brussaard, L. (2018). Soil quality – A critical review. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 120, 105–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SOILBIO.2018.01.030
Costanza, R., Arge, R., Groot, R. De, Farberk, S., Grasso, M., Hannon, B., Limburg, K., Naeem, S., Neill, R. V. O., Paruelo, J., Raskin, R. G., y Suttonkk, P. (1997). The value of the world’ s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature, 387(May), 253–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(98)00020-2
Di Rienzo, J. A. A., Casanoves, F., Balzarini, M. G. G., González, L., Tablada, M., Robledo, C. W. W., Gonzalez, L., Tablada, M., y Robledo, C. W. W. (2020). Grupo InfoStat. FCA, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina.
Domínguez, A., Escudero, H. J., Rodríguez, M. P., Ortiz, C. E., Arolfo, R. V., y Bedano, J. C. (2024). Agroecology and organic farming foster soil health by promoting soil fauna. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26, 22061–22084. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02885-4
Domínguez, A., Jiménez, J. J., Ortíz, C. E., y Bedano, J. C. (2018). Soil macrofauna diversity as a key element for building sustainable agriculture in Argentine Pampas. Acta Oecologica, 92, 102–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2018.08.012
Endale, T., Diels, J., Tsegaye, D., Kasaye, A., Gulie, G., Leta, G., Olivier, D., Belayneh, L., y Verdoodt, A. (2024). Applicability of visual and analytical soil quality indicators in environmentally diverse catchments of the Ethiopian Rift. Soil and Tillage Research, 240, 106072. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2024.106072
Escudero, H. J., Domínguez, A., y Bedano, J. C. (2023). Large-scale ecologically-based farming systems foster earthworm communities and their contribution to ecosystem processes. Applied Soil Ecology, 185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104800
Fernández, R., Belmonte, V., Quiroga, A., Lobartini, C., y Noellemeyer, E. (2021). Land-use change affects soil hydro-physical properties in Mollisols of semiarid Central Argentina. Geoderma Regional, 25, e00394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2021.e00394
Fernández, R., Ezequiel Furch, N., Bissolino, M., Frasier, I., Scherger, E. D., y Quiroga, A. R. (2020). Effect of perennial pastures in physical and biological fertility in mollisols of the semiarid Pampas region. Ciencia del Suelo (Argentina), 38(1), 133–148.
Frasier, I., Noellemeyer, E., Gili, A., Florencia Gómez, M., Uhaldegaray, M., Quiroga, A., Fernandez, R., y Alvarez, L. (2022). Soil type affects biological phosphorus cycling more than soil management. Geoderma, 426, 116092. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GEODERMA.2022.116092
Frasier, I., Quiroga, A., Fernández, R., Álvarez, C., Gómez, F., Scherger, E., Gili, A., y Noellemeyer, E. (2019). Soil type, land-use and -management as drivers of root-C inputs and soil C storage in the semiarid pampa region, Argentina. Soil and Tillage Research, 192, 134–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.STILL.2019.05.010
Frasier, I., Noellemeyer, E., Figuerola, E., Erijman, L., Permingeat, H., y Quiroga, A. (2016). High quality residues from cover crops favor changes in microbial community and enhance C and N sequestration. Global Ecology and Conservation, 6, 242–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2016.03.009
INTA, Instituto de Suelos, CIRN. (2023). Cartas de Suelos República Argentina - Provincia de Buenos Aires (2.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7837681
Iturralde, R. S. (2020). ¿Del agronegocio a la agroecología? Un estudio de caso en la ciudad de Trenque Lauquen, provincia de Buenos Aires, sobre la implementación de una ordenanza municipal de regulación general de agroquímicos [Tesis Doctoral]. Universidad de Buenos Aires.
Lavelle, P., Spain, A., Fonte, S., Bedano, J. C., Blanchart, E., Galindo, V., Grimaldi, M., Jimenez, J. J., Velasquez, E., y Zangerlé, A. (2020). Soil aggregation, ecosystem engineers and the C cycle. Acta Oecologica, 105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2020.103561
Malone, L. C., Ruark, M. D., Kucharik, C. J., Whitman, T., y Conley, S. P. (2023). Linking soil health indicators to management history and soybean yield. Field Crops Research, 297, 108951. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2023.108951
Mao, H.-R., Cotrufo, M. F., Hart, S. C., Sullivan, B. W., Zhu, X., Zhang, J., Liang, C., y Zhu, M. (2024). Dual role of silt and clay in the formation and accrual of stabilized soil organic carbon. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 192, 109390. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109390
Mueller, L., Shepherd, G., Schindler, U., Ball, B. C., Munkholm, L. J., Hennings, V., Smolentseva, E., Rukhovic, O., Lukin, S., y Hu, C. (2013). Evaluation of soil structure in the framework of an overall soil quality rating. Soil and Tillage Research, 127, 74–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2012.03.002
Mueller, L., Kay, B. D., Hu, C., Li, Y., Schindler, U., Behrendt, A., Shepherd, T. G., y Ball, B. C. (2009). Visual assessment of soil structure: Evaluation of methodologies on sites in Canada, China and Germany. Part I: Comparing visual methods and linking them with soil physical data and grain yield of cereals. Soil and Tillage Research, 103(1), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2008.12.015
Mutuku, E. A., Vanlauwe, B., Roobroeck, D., Boeckx, P., y Cornelis, W. M. (2021). Visual soil examination and evaluation in the sub-humid and semi-arid regions of Kenya. Soil and Tillage Research, 213, 105135. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2021.105135
Noellemeyer, E., Álvarez, L., Álvarez, C., Dillchneider, A., Farrell, M., Fernández, R., Buss, E. F., Frasier, I., Gaggioli, C., Gili, A., Gómez, F., Lara, G., Leizica, E., Lorda, M., Quiroga, A., y Rainhart, L. (2024). From science to practice: The AGSUS protocol for monitoring and certification of sustainable soil management and carbon sequestration. Soil and Tillage Research, 241, 106102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2024.106102
Noellemeyer, E., Álvarez, L., Leizica, E., Gómez, F., Fernández, R., Frasier, I., Álvarez, C., y Quiroga, A. (2021). Guía para la evaluación visual de la calidad del suelo. EdUNLPam.
Ortiz, J., Faggioli, V., Zamora, M., Boccolini, M., Lorenzon, C., Pegoraro, V., y Gabbarini, L. (2023). Crop diversity improves carbon, nitrogen and soil biological functions in an agroecological system. Ciencia del Suelo, 41(2), 144-156.
Quiroga, A., Funaro, D., Noellemeyer, E., y Peinemann, N. (2006). Barley yield response to soil organic matter and texture in the Pampas of Argentina. Soil and Tillage Research, 90(1–2), 63–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2005.08.019
Robinson, D. A., Hockley, N., Cooper, D. M., Emmett, B. a., Keith, a. M., Lebron, I., Reynolds, B., Tipping, E., Tye, a. M., Watts, C. W., Whalley, W. R., Black, H. I. J., Warren, G. P., y Robinson, J. S. (2012). Natural capital and ecosystem services, developing an appropriate soils framework as a basis for valuation. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 57(September), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.09.008
Sainz Rozas, H., Eyherabide, M., Larrea, G., Martínez Cuesta, N., Angelini, H., Reussi Calvo, N y Wyngaard, N. (2019). Relevamiento y determinación de propiedades químicas en suelos de aptitud agrícola de la región pampeana. En: F. O. García (ed.) Simposio Fertilidad 2019. Fertilizar, Rosario.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Lucila Álvarez, María Florencia Gómez, , Josefina Neira Herrera, Facundo Fritz, Elke Johanna Noellemeyer
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
