Assessment of Soil Parameters Related With Soil Quality in Agricultural Systems

Abstract

The native vegetation in the central highlands of México is being increasingly replaced by agricultural crops; with conventional agricultural practices consisting of intensive tillage, and monocultures, with the subsequent removal of crop residues which have led to soil deterioration and loss of its natural fertility. Studies dealing with soil transformations followed by different land use practices are crucial for the selection of adequate management practices in order to rehabilitate soil efficiency and to maintain sustainability of the system. The aim of this study is the characterization of different soils (cultivated, forest, and reforested) aiming to identify key indicators of soil quality for Andosols in order to elaborate an index of soil quality. The study was conducted in Calimaya area, central Mexico, using five soils under different vegetation: maize (Zea mays L.), oat (Avena sativa L.), potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), a forest soil (Alnus acuminata) with minimal human disturbance and reforested site (Cupressus lusitanica). A series of physical, chemical and biological properties of the soils were analyzed: water holding capacity (WHC), texture, bulk density (BD), pH, organic matter (OM) content, total nitrogen (TN), electrical conductivity (EC), nitrogen mineralization (Nm), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), basal respiration (CO2) and enzymatic activities (catalase, urease and acid phosphatase). The results suggested a soil index based on the parameters: TN, OM and acid phosphatase, which showed comparatively large weight in the factorial analysis including all the parameters analyzed.