A Comparison Between a Venezuelan Tropical Soil and a British Temperate Soil to Establish how Management Practices Influence Properties and Processes within the Soils.

Abstract

During the last decades there has been a growing concern over the state of soils
worldwide.
Soil degradation has become a major issue worldwide accompanied by
concerns of an ever-growing population and uncertain food supply. Several factors make
tropical regions more vulnerable to soil degradation and food insecurity. An eventual
food crisis is likely to have a heavy toll on the impoverished tropics. Tropical soils are
still poorly understood and soil science in the tropics differs widely from the temperate
region. Existing literature regarding tropical soils is considered to be confusing and based
on inference rather than science. Hence, soil and agricultural research is foremost in the
tropics.
Two investigative field studies were carried out on August 2006 and January 2007. The
first study was based on northeast Venezuela while the second was based on northwest
England. Field surveys were carried out in three different areas in both countries.
Samples were collected from three different land-use ‘systems’: arable land, pasture
fields and areas where natural vegetation was present. Soil profile features were
described and recorded along with other relevant information. Soil samples from the
three different areas were analyzed using standard laboratory methods in order to record
several key soil properties.
The results identified a number of differences between land-uses and countries, related to
climate and the management factor. Climate was found to exert a major influence on soil
properties and processes. In addition, management practices were also identified as a
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major factor affecting soil properties, particularly under arable land-use systems.
Moreover, it was also evident that management practices in the UK have a greater effect
on soil properties than those implemented in Venezuela. It was concluded that a ‘modern’
management in UK is more efficient in altering soil properties compared to more
‘traditional’ techniques implemented in Venezuela. It was also evident that soil properties
are closely inter-related and in most cases they affect each other. Therefore, management
practices that strongly influence one soil property may result in changes of others. The
investigation finally highlights the need for soil and agricultural research in the tropics
and gives suggestion for further study.