Regresar

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Salinity Levels and Macronutrients of Soils After the Construction of Dams on Tropical Dry Forest

Abstract:

The excess of salinity in soils affects a number of environments, such as soils, where excess of salts damages its structure, it repels water, and it affects also crop production. In order to study such phenomenon, while trying to counteract such problems, we have chosen to study a variety of soil profiles between the Simbocal dam and the Chone Multiple Purpose Project (PPMCH) in western Ec-uador. Therefore, the main objective of the current study has been to evaluate the quality of soils, where we measured the quantitative and quantitative salinity as well as the concentration of macronutrients in the soil at the surface and depth levels. Hereby, 27 out of 29 soil samples, appeared to have been non-saline soils with low levels of RASaj, while the two residual profiles were characterized as saline and saline-sodium soils, with high and very high RASaj. We encountered low concentrations of nutrients, which may also be accumulated due to the prob-lems of salinity and sodicity derived from the presence of the nearby Simbocal dam. Within the probabilistic geostatistical analysis where we elaborated maps of spatial distribution it lacked to be the most suitable option, as these two saline samples had a regular correlation. Nonetheless, spatial distribution maps had to be elaborated applying the deterministic geostatistics, allowing an insight of fu-ture development of such soils.