Abstract

ROJAS PALOMINO, Adriana; MADERO MORALES, Edgar; RAMIREZ NADER, Luis Miguel  and  ZUNIGA ESCOBAR, Orlando. Livestock productive potential in the hillside areas of Cauca Valley, Colombia. Acta Agron. [online]. 2009, vol.58, n.2, pp.85-90. ISSN 0120-2812.

The productive potential (PP) of three dairy farms with volcanic soils, located in hillside areas of Bolivar, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, was evaluated using a mixed indicator that assessed the soil's physical and chemical properties as well as its biological activity, including a new characteristic-thermal conductivity sensitive to soil quality. The effect of management on soil fertility and compaction was also assessed using two new soil indicators: compaction and fertility. A completely randomized design was used, with farms corresponding to the treatments. The replicates on each farm were carried out according to homogeneous areas of soil moisture. The results for each indicator agreed with the individual analysis of soil properties. Compaction was moderate in all cases and PP was intermediate on the three farms, although soil fertility was high in Nogales and moderate in Refugio and Horizonte. The multiple linear correlation between these parameters indicated that compaction and fertility accounted for approximately 70% of the PP.

Keywords : Soil compaction; Soil fertility; Soil productive potential.

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