Evaluación agronómica con técnicas de agricultura de precision en parcelas de café (coffea arabica) en la cuenca del rio Castan. Estado Trujillo

Abstract

Nowadays, widespread and uniform crop fi eld management practices across an area under cultivation are being discussed. Sometimes, those procedures have not proved the most effi cient and the most favorable use of inputs to the environment and man. The following approach suggests alternatives for effective coffee crop cultural practices, in the central zone of the Castan River Basin, Municipality of Trujillo, and Trujillo State. Using tools of geographic information system (GIS) and techniques of precision agriculture (PA), there were defi ned sites (micro plots) with site-specifi c management (SSM) within cultivated plots. Spatial variability of some soil properties was taken as a factor to defi ne these management sites. This means that micro plots are treated as specifi c units which will receive inputs and management practices according to the particular needs of these sites. Two 1.5-Ha coffee crop plots were chosen. Within each plot, a grid with 123 sampling points was defi ned. Soil samples were collected up to 15 cm deep. Each sampling point was referenced in a rectangular coordinate system or UTM coordinates. Soil parameters: pH, EC, MO, N, P, K, Ca, Mg and texture data were processed with the VARIOWIN and the Surfer 8 Softwares. Omnidirectional semivariogramas and contour maps were created for each parameter. Relevant results show extremely acidic soils because most of the minerals have been leached out of these mountain soils, low organic matter content, and signifi cant presence of soluble aluminum. Therefore, liming was defi ned as the fi rst treatment to apply according to the requirements for each site. This cultural practice seeks to decrease aluminum effects and increase absorption of other nutrients which would improve soil conditions and consequently crop productivity.