Tag: Soil Health
Cognitive Maps Across Multiple Social Sectors: Shared and Unique Perceptions on the Quality of Agricultural Soils in Mexico
Incorporating the views and perceptions of local farmers and other actors with stakes in agricultural production is critical for better-informed decision making and tackling pressing issues, such as soil degradation. We conducted a study that sought to integrate and analyze perceptions regarding the quality and degradation of agricultural soils across different social sectors in Mexico, including producers of two annual crops (maize and beans) and two perennial crops (coffee and avocado), members
Optimal irrigation management for avocado (cv. 'Hass') trees by monitoring soil water content and plant water status
Irrigation scheduling based on soil water content (Ɵw) sensors requires that Ɵw be maintained within a range (management lines) that is optimal for plant growth. The lower limit or “breaking point” is determined following the soil water content dynamics on the transition of a rapid rate of depletion to a slower, under similar reference evapotranspiration. Although this criterion is practical, its implementation should be validated with plant water status measurement that contemplate weather
Improving Soil Oxygenation with Hydrogen Peroxide Injection into Heavy Clay Loam Soil: Effect on Plant Water Status, CO2 Assimilation and Biomass of Avocado Trees
Commercial avocado production in Chile has expanded to areas with poorly drained soils presenting low oxygenation over significant periods of time throughout the year. In many of these areas, irrigation management is difficult because plantations are often placed on slopes of hills. Poorly aerated soils combined with irrigation design and management problems can limit avocado fruit production and quality, particularly if hypoxia stress occurs between spring and the beginning of summer. It is well
Crop Yield Response to Water: Section 4.1 (Fruit Trees)
Avocado (Persea americana Mill) is a tree that has been known for centuries in areas of Central and South America, but only recently has become a commercial crop. In 2009, there were over 430 000 ha of commercial plantings with a world average yield of 8.8 tonne/ha, with Mexico (100 000 ha), Chile and the United States as the main producing countries. Other countries with significant exports are South Africa, Spain, and Israel (FAO, 2011). Figure 1 presents the production trends of the main producing
Soil air content effects on the water status of avocado trees
Avocado trees evolved in Andisoils, which are considered the optimum type of soils for tree growth due to their physical properties; mainly low bulk density (0.5 - 0.8 g cm(-3)) and high macro porosity (similar to 46%). In Chile, avocado orchards are mostly located in fine textured soils, with bulk densities between 1.3 and 1.5 g cm(-3) and macro porosities close to 15%. Due to this fact, there are severe problems of poor root aeration which, in part, are responsible for the low production levels
Effects of converting forest to avocado orchards on topsoil properties in the trans-Mexican volcanic system, Mexico
In the present work, land cover and land use changes between 2003 and 2008 were assessed in the Cupatitzio River sub-basin located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic System and Balsas Depression in Mexico. The effects of land cover conversion from temperate forest to avocado orchards on soil properties were determined. Land cover and land use databases were built for the years 1975, 2003, and 2008 using available cartographic information and interpretation of panchromatic SPOT images for the year 2008.