Ruiz-Lugo, William
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Publication Parámetros de fertilidad, calidad y potencial agrícola de los suelos de Vieques.(2020-05-29) Ruiz-Lugo, William; Muñoz, Miguel A.; College of Agricultural Sciences; O'Hallorans-Castillo, Julia M.; Flores-Mangual, Mario L.; Vargas Ayala, Roberto; Department of Crops and Agro-Environmental Sciences; Curbelo-Ruiz, Aury M.Soil fertility is the capacity of the soil to provide the necessary nutrients for plant growth. Soil quality is the ability of a specific soil to function within the limits of a natural ecosystem or treated to sustain the productivity of plants and animals, improve the quality of water and air, and maintain human life. Soil quality cannot be measured directly, but a series of indicators sensitive to changes are used. The project was established on the municipality of Vieques, responding to a petition from Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture to assess the fertility and agricultural potential of the soils. A total of nineteen (19) sites were sampled at a depth of 0-15 cm, and aggregate stability, texture, pH, available phosphorus, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable cations, organic matter content and enzymatic activity were evaluated. Three soil series were identified among the 19 sites, Vieques (Inceptisol), Coamo (Mollisol) and Descalabrado (Mollisol). The majority of the soils had a sandy loam texture. The pH ranged from 6.3 to 7.5. The organic matter fluctuated from 0.6 to 3.7 percent and in many instances values lower than 1.0 percent were observed. Indiscriminate use of machinery in the cleaning of the farms is a main factor causing low organic matter content in Vieques soils. The available Bray II - P content ranged from 0.8 to 22.3 mg kg-1 and the cation exchange capacity from 4.5 to 27 cmolc kg-1. The enzymatic activity of dehydrogenase showed values less than 1 µg INTF g-1 h-1 indicating its poor activity. The acid phosphatase had values from 4 to 12 µg PNP g-1 h-1 and the basic phosphatase presented values from 2.10 to 18.2 µg PNP g-1 h-1 among eight farms. Coamo and Descalabrado series seem to be the best series for agricultural production. Vieques series is a shallow soil and is better suited for pastureland and wildlife. The low organic matter content and low available P levels in most soils, demands the implementation of conservation practices and an intensive fertilization program for optimum production. However, the greatest limitation for agricultural production in Vieques is the availability of water, thus it is a priority to look for alternatives for efficient use of water resources.