Chemical Recovery of Degraded Soil and Consequence in the Cost of Corn Production

Abstract Improper management degrades the soil, decreases corn productivity and is reflected in the cost of production. The objective of this research was to evaluate the soil recovery in non-conservationist treatments after the change of management and cultivation to the conservation condition direct sowing, and compare these systems to consolidated direct seeding; This evaluation was based on the soil responsiveness to crop production and water erosion control, and based on the financial cost of soil recovery and corn production when soil management was converted from non-conservationist (tillage rotation - RT, minimum tillage - MT, conventional tillage - CT and bare soil - BS) to no-tillage (NT) condition, in a Humic Cambisol. The transition from managements to no-tillage occurred in 2015 year, after 27 years of conducting the preexisting managements. The chemical recovery was carried out with the application of limestone, phosphorus, and potassium. At the end of the research the yield of the corn crop, the cost of recovering the soil fertility and the cost of crop production were evaluated. Previous soil management influenced the cost of soil chemical recovery. The cost of production showed a financial loss for the previous treatments CT and BS, on the average of the three corn crops.

Suelos del entorno del balneario / Soils in the thermal environment of "Villa de Olmedo" (Valladolid)

El conocimiento del suelo es imprescindible para comprender el riesgo de la posible afectación de las aguas subterráneas, especialmente en áreas sometidas a una fuerte presión de actividad agrícola. Se presenta el estudio de tres suelos localizados en los alrededores del Balneario "Villa de Olmedo", provincia de Valladolid. Se han desarrollado a partir de arcosas, situados en topografía llana, con una altitud entorno a los 750 m y bajo clima Mediterráneo templado. Se analizaron las propiedades morfológicas, físicas, químicas y mineralógicas de los suelos. En general, son suelos poco evolucionados, con textura gruesa, pH próximos a la neutralidad y horizontes superficiales con características ántricas

Soil characteristics are decisive in groundwater quality. The impact of human activities, especially in areas subject to agricultural pressure, involves potential risks which may be critical to the viability of the water resource. This work gathers together the study of three representative soils located in the thermal environment of "Villa Olmedo", Valladolid. All of them have developed from arkoses and found around 750 m elevation in a zone of flat topography. Morphological, physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of these soils were analyzed. They are poorly developed, coarse textured, with pH close to neutrality and antric features in the surface horizons