Sequestration of soil organic carbon in grasslands in the province of El Oro, Ecuador

  • Salomon Barrezueta-Unda Universidad Técnica de Machala http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4147-9284
  • Kelvin Velepucha-Cuenca Universidad Técnica de Machala
  • Mayra Solano Universidad Técnica de Machala
  • Luis Hurtado-Flores Universidad Técnica de Machala
Keywords: Brachiaria, soil properties, net production of biomass, colony forming units

Abstract

The soil is the natural resource most vulnerable to climate change, because it represents the largest carbon pool and its productive potential is at risk from the intensification of agricultural and livestock. The capacity to store soil organic carbon (SOC) by grasslands should be studied, as they occupy the largest area on the planet. The objective of this research was to characterize two soils cultivated with pasture of Brachearía sp. (signalgrass) describing some general properties of the soil and the net biomass production (NBP) at root level; in addition, the storage of SOC at different depths in grasslands in the province of El Oro (Ecuador) was analyzed. Plots of 3.0 ha were established in Santa Inés (SI) and Cune (CN), where soil and root biomass samples were taken. The sample depth was 0-0.10 m (C1), 0.10-0.20 m (C2) and 0.20-0.30 m (C3). Differences were shown in soil pH (alkalinity for SI; acidity for CN), and clay percentages (<157.11 g kg-1 in CN). A higher number of colony-forming units was determined in bacteria and NBP in CN, as well as the greater accumulation of SOC (C3=35.01 Mg ha-1; C2=33.44 Mg ha-1), while in SI the higher value was 18.43 Mg ha-1 in C1. In general, the results suggest that an adequate knowledge of geology is needed to better limit the evolution of the stored SOC.

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Author Biography

Salomon Barrezueta-Unda, Universidad Técnica de Machala
Ingeniero Agronomo, Master en Gerencia de Empresas Agropecuarias, graduado en la Universidad Técnica de Machala. Candidato a Doctor en Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales por la Universidade da Coruña (España). Profesor de Economia Ambiental, proyectos agropecuarios y entomologia

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Published
2020-01-09
How to Cite
Barrezueta-Unda, S., Velepucha-Cuenca, K., Solano, M., & Hurtado-Flores, L. (2020). Sequestration of soil organic carbon in grasslands in the province of El Oro, Ecuador. Science Magazine Unemi, 13(32), 14-26. https://doi.org/10.29076/issn.2528-7737vol13iss32.2020pp14-26p
Section
Artículos Científicos