scholarly journals Physicochemical characteristics of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) soils in Colombia: Are they adequate to improve productivity?

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-38
Author(s):  
Clara Esperanza León-Moreno ◽  
Jairo Rojas-Molina ◽  
Carlos E. Castilla-Campos

In Colombia, cacao farms are located mainly in areas with edaphoclimatic limitations. The predominant soil fertility characteristics from small cacao farms in 13 provinces were evaluated. A total of 635 soil samples (0-20 cm) were taken between 2011 and 2013 from the main cacao producer regions in Colombia. The number of samples was assigned based on the regional cacao production. The resulting data were analyzed with a linear regression model using pH as the dependent variable and soil chemical and physical parameters as the independent variables. Soil texture ranged between 14 and 40% clay, and 31 and 65% sand. Bulk density ranged between 1.07 and 1.28 Mg m-3 with a calculated porosity between 48.8 and 55.0%. There was no evidence of soil compaction. The national pH ranged between 3.9 and 7.9 and was negatively correlated with Al+3 content (R2 = 0.68) and Al saturation (R2 = 0.80) and redicts Al saturation in the range of available Al up to pH >5.2- 5.5. In this range, available P (as P2O5) was lower than 12 mg kg-1 and was accepted as a minimum value for a sustainable production. With 4.0 cmolc kg-1 of Ca and 60% saturation of the effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC). A minimum ECEC is proposed at 6.0 cmolc kg-1. A reference table for soils in Colombia is proposed as a guide for the establishment and management of productive and sustainable plantations.

SOIL ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Czarnecki ◽  
R.-A. Düring

Abstract. Essential and non-essential metals occur in soils as a result of weathering, industrial processes, fertilization, and atmospheric deposition. Badly adapted cultivation of agricultural soils (declining pH value, application of unsuitable fertilizers) can enhance the mobility of metals and thereby increase their concentrations in agricultural products. As the enrichment of metals in soils occurs over long time periods, monitoring of the long-term impact of fertilization is necessary to assess metal accumulation in agricultural soils. The main objective of this study was to test the effects of different mineral fertilizer variations on soil properties (pH, Corg, and cation exchange capacity (CEC)) and pseudo-total and mobile metal contents of soils after 14 years of fertilizer application and to determine residual effects of the fertilization 8 years after cessation of fertilizer treatment. Soil samples were taken from a field experiment which was carried out at four different locations (210, 260, 360, and 620 m above sea level) in Hesse, Germany. During the study, a significant decrease in soil pH and an evident increase in soil carbon content and cation exchange capacity with fertilization were determined. The CEC of the soils was closely related to their organic C contents. Moreover, pseudo- and mobile metal (Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Zn) contents in the soils increased due to application of 14 years of mineral fertilizer treatments (N, P, NP, and NPK) when compared to control plots. Eight years after termination of the fertilization in the soil samples taken from soil profiles of the fertilized plots (NPK) for monitoring the residual effects of the fertilizer application, a decrease of 82.6, 54.2, 48.5, 74.4, and 56.9% in pseudo-total Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn contents, respectively, was determined.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-163
Author(s):  
Alejandro Saborío-Montero ◽  
Osvaldo Marín-Taylor ◽  
Randall Arguedas-Sánchez ◽  
Sinaí Ramírez-Fallas

The aim of this research was to determine the fertility of soils of dairy farms at four zones of the Guanacaste volcanic mountain range. The study was conducted during a two-year period (2009-2010) in farms of Guayabo (Bagaces) and Nubes, San Ramón and Florida (Quebrada Grande, Tilarán). A total of 40 soil samples were collected, each one was composed by 20 sub- samples. The results revealed that soil pH in Guayabo tended to be lower (p=0.0539) than in Nubes, San Ramón and Florida. Guayabo soils showed higher concentrations (p<0.01) of magnesium (Mg), cupper (Cu), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) than the soils of the three zones of Tilarán. The soils of Guayabo and San Ramón showed higher values of effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) (p<0.01) than Nubes and Florida soils. According to the general critical levels for the extracting solution used, none of the soils of the analyzed zones reach a pH higher than 5.5, the Tilarán and Guayabo soils were deficient in Mg and P respectively and no zone was deficient in Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn. These results revealed that the soils of all the zones had some mineral deficiency and low values of pH, therefore fertilizers and amendments should be applied according to nutritional needs of each farm. Adequate soil nutrition could improve productivity of forage and allowed a higher animal charge capacity per unit of area.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-131
Author(s):  
Reshma Akter ◽  
Md Jamal Uddin ◽  
Md Faruque Hossain ◽  
Zakia Parveen

A study was carried out to evaluate the effects of brick manufacturing on phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) concentrations in soil and plant collected from different distances of brick kilns in four AEZs of Bangladesh. Forty eight composite soil samples (0 - 15 cm depth) were collected from 48 points in 12 different sites at 0 m, 300 m, 800 m and 1500 m from brick kilns, where most (site 2, site 3, site 5, site 6, site 7, site 9 and site 10) of the brick kilns used coal for brick burning purposes. Plant samples (rice straw and different vegetables) were also collected from the respective fields except 0 m distances. Significantly (p ? 0.05) lower organic matter, cation exchange capacity, clay content and soil pH were found at 0 m distances compared to other distances. Highest concentration of total P in soil were recorded at 0 m distances and these concentrations decreased with increasing distances from the brick kilns in most of the sites; whereas available P is significantly lower at 0 m distances than that of other distances. Total and available concentration of S in soil followed the trend 0 m>300 m>800 m>1500 m. Maximum accumulation of P (69.15 mg kg-1) and S (0.14%) in plant was found at 800 m away from the brick kiln.Bangladesh J. Sci. Res. 29(2): 123-131, December-2016


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia A. Coles ◽  
Joseph A. Arisi ◽  
Marion Organ ◽  
Geoff I. Veinott

Concentrations of Cu, Cr, and As in soils surrounding 26 Douglas Fir Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) treated utility poles and in rainwater runoff from a new CCA treated utility pole segment (log) suspended outside in a cylinder were studied. The age of the utility poles, distances from the poles, rainfall amounts, and characteristics of soil samples including cation exchange capacity (CEC), pH, and total organic carbon (TOC) were considered. Heavier rainfall, damp conditions, and more weathered poles contributed to the greatest leaching of Cu, Cr, and As. The maximum measured soil concentrations of Cu, Cr, and As were 37.5, 65.5, and 38.9 mmol/kg and maximum Cu, Cr, and As concentrations in rainwater run-off were 14, 77.7 and 55.8 μmol/L. Metal concentrations decreased with distance from the poles and, except at one utility pole location, Cu was the most leached of the three elements. The As appeared to have greater mobility in the soil than the Cr. Along the transmission line nearest the coast and from which the greatest amount of samples was collected, soil CEC and TOC values were the highest and the CEC and TOC were directly and strongly correlated.


1994 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wietse L. Meyer ◽  
Paul A. Arp

Concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, Na, Al, Fe, Mn, and Si extractable with 1 N ammonium chloride (NH4Cl, pH 4.5) and 1 N ammonium acetate (NH4OAc, pH 4.5) were determined for forest soil samples as follows: (1) before drying, and (2) at several time intervals after air-drying (1, 5, 11 and 14 wk). Values for CEC were obtained for the same samples by determining (1) the sum of cations (Al3+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, Fe3+, and Mn2+) in the extracts [denoted [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]], and (2) the amount of ammonium retained by the soil samples against water washing [denoted CEC(NH4OAc) and CEC (NH4Cl)]. The soils used in this investigation were taken from four New Brunswick upland forest sites (two sugar maple sites, one mixed wood site, and one spruce site). It was round that (1) extractable Mg, K, Na, and Mn levels were generally not affected by drying, storing, and type of extradant; (2) extractable Al and Fe levels increased immediately after drying; (3) NH4OAc-extracted Al, Fe, and Si exceeded NH4Cl-extracted Al, Fe, and Si; (4) extracted Al and Fe levels tended to drop after 11 wk of storage; (5) small drying effects were also noticed for NH4Cl-extracted Ca; (6) CEC(NH4OAc) and CEC(NH4Cl) values decreased with increasing time of storage; this effect was noticed most for soil samples with high levels of organic matter (Ah, Ahe, Bm, Bf, and Bfh), and was noticed least for sod samples taken from leached horizons (Ae) and subsoil horizons (BC and C); (7) in some cases, storage time increased CEC(NH4OAc) in subsoils; (8) values for [Formula: see text] remained fairly independent or increased slightly with storage time and were closely related with CEC(NH4Cl) values obtained with non-dried samples; (9) values for [Formula: see text] did not relate well with CEC(NH4OAc) and CEC(NH4Cl). Differences for extractable Al were likely due to Al complexation by acetate ions. Drying effects on extractable Al and Fe (and possibly Ca) were likely due to drying-induced fragmentation of soil organic matter. Drying and storage effects on CEC(NH4OAc) and CEC(NH4Cl) were likely due to (1) water-washing and related loss of organic matter, and (2) sensitivity of subsoil minerals to air exposure. Apparent drying and storage effects on CEC were most noted with [Formula: see text] and were least noted with [Formula: see text]. Key words: Cation exchange capacity, ion exchange, drying, storage, ammonium acetate, ammonium chloride extractions


2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zigomar Menezes de Souza ◽  
José Marques Júnior ◽  
Gener Tadeu Pereira ◽  
Diogo Mazza Barbieri

Soils with small variations in relief and under the same management system present differentiated spatial variabilities of their attributes. This variability is a function of soil position in the landscape, even if the relief has little expression. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of relief shape and depth on spatial variability of soil chemical attributes in a Typic Hapludox cultivated with sugar cane at two landscape compartments. Soil samples were collected in the intercrossing points of a grid, in the traffic line, at 0-0.2 m and 0.6-0.8 m depths, comprising a set of 100 georeferenced points. The spatial variabilities of pH, P, K, Ca, Mg, cation exchange capacity and base saturation were quantified. Small relief shape variations lead to differentiated variability in soil chemical attributes as indicated by the dependence on pedoform found for chemical attributes at both 0-0.2 m and 0.6-0.8 m depths. Because of the higher variability, it is advisable to collect large number of samples in areas with concave and convex shapes. Combining relief shapes and geostatistics allows the determination of areas with different spatial variability for soil chemical attributes.


Author(s):  
Z. Abdulhamid ◽  
E.B. Agbaji ◽  
C.E. Gimba ◽  
A.S. Agbaji

Physico-chemical properties and heavy metals content of soils were determined from seven farms in Minna, central Nigeria. Conventional analytical methods were employed to determine the physico-chemical properties and the heavy metals were analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry. The result showed that pH values ranged from 6.64 - 7.70 indicating slight acidity to slight alkalinity of the soils. The total organic carbon values ranged from 0.95-2.25 % resulting in the presence of organic matter (1.63-3.87). The electrical conductivity values ranged from 17-37 μS/cm. The cation exchange capacity of the soil samples ranged from 3.68-5.15 cmol/kg. The heavy metals levels were in the following range: Cd (0.00018-0.00134 mg/g), Cu (0.0069-0.0476 mg/g), Fe (1.942-2.2059 mg/g), Mn (0.1825-0.3696 mg/g), Ni (0.0065-0.0069 mg/g) and Zn (0.0157-0.2252 mg/g). The concentration of the metals in the soil samples varied according to the following trend: Fe>Mn>Zn> Cu>Ni>Cd. The average concentration of all the metals in each farm also gave the trend Farm B>Farm G>Farm E>Farm C>Farm F>Farm D>Farm A. The findings indicate the presence of heavy metals in all the farms but only Fe was above the FAO/WHO standards.


Soil Research ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 433 ◽  
Author(s):  
CA Campbell ◽  
RJK Myers ◽  
VR Catchpoole ◽  
I Vallis ◽  
KL Weier

Recovery, movement and transformations of urea-15N applied to three cultivated Queensland soils were measured as the soil dried out from two initial moisture contents. The soils were a Prairie Soil, a Grey Clay and a Red Earth, providing a range of pH (6.6-8.1) and cation exchange capacity (7-42 C/g). Urea was applied by banding and mixing into the top 2.5 cm layer of soil. Ammonium sulfateJ5N was applied to a second set of soil samples. The soil was incubated at 35�C for 21 days. Recovery of urea-15N was 93-103% of the amount applied in the Prairie Soil, 72-92% in the Grey Clay, and 55-83% in the Red Earth. The larger recoveries were for banding urea into dry soil and the smaller for mixing it into moist soil. Some 15N moved into the 2.5 to 5.0 cm layer of soil, the amounts averaged 21%, 18% and 12% of the amount of 15N recovered in the Red Earth, Grey Clay and Prairie Soil respectively. Transformations of urea-N into ammonium-N approached completion after 3 days when urea was mixed into moist soil, but only 55% of completion after 21 days when it was banded into dry soil. The sequential losses of 15N and changes in the ammonium-N content in the soil demonstrated a strong affinity for ammonia by the Prairie Soil, a moderate affinity by the Grey Clay and a weak affinity by the Red Earth. Special precautions needed in the field to achieve efficient use of urea fertilizer therefore increase in importance from the Prairie Soil to the Grey Clay to the Red Earth.


1981 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 703-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
NEVILLE ARNOLD ◽  
CALVIN CHONG ◽  
MICHAEL BINNS

The macro- and micro-elemental composition of flue-cured tobacco (Nicotianum tabacum L. ’Delhi 76’) was compared in leaf and soil samples associated with non-grey (normal) plants and plants affected with the grey-tobacco disorder. Samples were collected from 15 different locations in Quebec. Chemical analyses (mean of 15 locations) indicated significantly less N, P, K, Ca, and B but more Fe and Al in grey tobacco leaves. Soils producing grey tobacco had significantly less N, Ca, organic matter, and cation exchange capacity but more Cl. The brown spotting and bronze cast symptoms on the leaves of Quebec grey tobacco plants seemed to resemble most closely symptoms of Fe toxicity. Principal component analyses showed that the mineral nutrient profiles of grey and non-grey tobacco leaf samples were clearly distinguishable, but corresponding profiles for soil samples were not.


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