Abstract

BARROS, Carlos Eduardo  and  SILVEIRA FRANCO, Fernando. Contributions of Pfeiffer Circular Chromatography for Analysis of Soil Health. Cuad. Geogr. Rev. Colomb. Geogr. [online]. 2022, vol.31, n.2, pp.395-413.  Epub Nov 17, 2022. ISSN 0121-215X.  https://doi.org/10.15446/rcdg.v31n2.90067.

Soil degradation is a process resulting from the management adopted by the industrial agriculture, that configures an ecological and social crisis. In this context, agroecology as a movement, science, and practice, values diversification of food production respecting the edaphoclimatic conditions of the ecosystems. The agroecological practices demand methods that help farmers assess the health of their soils. Pfeiffer Chromatography is a simple and low-cost diagnostic tool. This article aimed to understand the soil health status in four land uses (agroforestry system, banana with green manure, fallow area, and forest fragment) in a certified biodynamic farm, located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The results obtained, in a qualitative and quantitative way, allow us to affirm that the soils of forest fragment area and agroforestry system were the healthiest. The chromatography was an efficient method for analyzing the health of tropical soils, with potential for use by family farmers.

Keywords : family agriculture; agroecology; soil conservation; agroforestry system; tropical soils.

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