Resumo

GOMEZ-BALANTA, Francy Zorayda  e  RAMIREZ-NADER, Luis Miguel. Carbon and nitrogen content of the soil in a high Andean agroecosystem of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. rev.udcaactual.divulg.cient. [online]. 2022, vol.25, n.2, e2057.  Epub 13-Dez-2022. ISSN 0123-4226.  https://doi.org/10.31910/rudca.v25.n2.2022.2057.

High Andean or high-mountain ecosystems are characterized by providing essential ecosystem services, many of them related to the soil. However, it is known that agricultural and livestock activities have led to progressive changes in the physical and chemical parameters of the soil and depletion of organic carbon and nitrogen, contributing to the loss of edaphic quality and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. This study evaluated the influence of three kinds of plant covers: native forest, Pennisetum clandestinum naturalized grassland, and Allium fistulosum monoculture, on some soil properties in a high Andean ecosystem of Valle del Cauca (Colombia). The edaphic properties measured were: bulk density, soil organic matter, C and N contents, and storage. It was found that the agricultural practices associated with monoculture significantly influenced the evaluated edaphic properties, generating changes at a physical and chemical level, which could increase the vulnerability of the soil to degradation. It was observed that the grasslands of P. clandestinus (C4), with extensive grazing management, and a low stocking rate, presented the greater potential to accumulate C, recycle N and mitigate the trampling effect, as long as optimal management is guaranteed in terms of environmentally sustainable stocking load. The kind of vegetation cover and the associated management practices, promoted physical and chemical changes, in the first centimeters of the soil, affecting the soil’s capacity to store C and N, which could affect the provision of Ecosystem Services.

Palavras-chave : Animal load; Pennisetum clandestinum; Ecosystem services; Grassland; Monoculture.

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