Evaluation of the chemical fertility of the soil in an initial productive Theobroma cacao system of the “Hermanos Briones” farm, Portoviejo - Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction. Soil is the most important natural resource and most of life on earth depends on it, its chemical composition is constantly changing, resulting in countless soils. The use of N, P, K, Ca and Mg fertilizers has become essential in most soils in order to obtain high yields and a good quality in the product, being essential to constantly monitor the soil where the crops are grown. The yields in cacao production depend on the soil and certain environmental factors such as light, temperature and humidity. Flattering yields cannot be achieved when, despite the adequate environment, the services provided by the soil are not adequate (Pinargote, 2010). Objective. To evaluate the chemical fertility of the soil in initial productive system of Theobroma cacao, in the “Hermanos Briones” farm in the Portoviejo canton. Methodology. The research work was carried out in an agricultural batch of an initial 2-year cacao crop of 2.4 ha, the cacao plantation used corresponds to the CCN-51 clone, the soil samplings were carried out at random in a systematic way (zig-zag ), obtaining a composite sample, to carry out the chemical analyzes in the laboratory, given analyzes were carried out prior to planting and 2 years after cultivation. Results. The comparison of the nutritional content of the soil is observed, with respect to organic matter there is an increase as the plantation grows, the development of organic matter is greater. The macronutrients Nitrogen and Potassium show a slight decrease, contrary to Phosphorus, the mesonutrients Calcium, Magnesium and Sulfur are in smaller quantities, the micronutrients Zinc and Copper show an increase, different from Iron and Boron, which after 2 years of seedlings have decreased the concentrations of these elements in the soil, with respect to Manganese the concentration has not changed. Conclusions. According to the results of the sampling, the initial productive system presents nutritional imbalances and deficiencies in nutrient content for its development, which is why fertilization plans are required to guarantee adequate sustainability of the system.