Agronomía Colombiana (Jan 2005)
Recuperación y manejo de suelos sulfatados ácidos actuales en Boyacá (Colombia)¹
Abstract
Acid sulphate soils (ASS), having very restricted use due to their extreme acidity, have been identified within the upper Chicamocha river basin, Boyacá (Colombia). This situation has led to increasing degradation of the land, rendering around 3,000 ha of land unproductive. Production alternatives are thus being sought for recovering these flat upland areas, currently suffering from ASS, as they do have agricultural potential. Soils were initially characterised and identified in a problem area so that possible management of such ASS could then be inferred from the initial study. Increasing doses of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) (5 to 100 t. ha-1) were then evaluated and determined for neutralising extreme acid conditions in laboratory incubation assays (5-100 t. ha-1). Greenhouse and field tests (random block experimental design with 10 treatments and 4 repeats) were used for observing the response of Avena sativa as an indicator plant; just hen-dung (5-10 t. ha-1) and hen-dung mixed with lime (dry and wet matter) were also evaluated as amendment material. The experiments revealed the soils’ chemical changes and reactions following these treatments: pH, Al, ECEC, % AL, % Ca, total S, Mn, Fe and P (i.e. after statistical correlations had been made). These studies led to the soils being recognised as non-coast actual ASS and classifying them as Typic Sulfaquept. The findings indicated that Ca(OH)2 12.5 t. ha-1 mixed with 10 t. ha-1 organic matter (hen-dung) represented the best treatment for obtaining the best A. sativa performance in terms of dry matter production, reflected in positive ASS chemical changes
