Assessment of the effects of conservation works in forest soils of Tlaxcala, México

Abstract

Soil conservation practices are widely used in Mexico to reduce soil erosion and to promote recovering of eroded soils. These practices are particularly important in the state of Tlaxcala, which has extensive areas with different levels of soil erosion. The study was carried out in 2020 in Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, Zacapexco and San Bartolomé Matlalohcan, sites with soil conservation practices (board-ditches and trench-ditches). The objective was to assess the effects of soil conservation practices through physical, chemical and biological soil properties at each location site. At the Gustavo Díaz Ordaz site, the values of soil properties did not significantly different from the control with the conservation practices after eight years of its establishment. At Zacapexco, after five years of the establishment of board-ditches, there is a positive impact on several chemical and biological soil properties, whereas, at San Bartolomé Matlalohcan, after more than 40 years of establishment of board-ditches, there were no significant effects on biological properties of the soil. A principal components analysis allowed us to identify that organic matter content (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), calcium, pH, total N and the proportion of clay and sand, are properties that significantly influence soil quality in the study sites, therefore, monitoring these variables is greatly useful in assessing the impact of conservation practices.