Recovery of soil fertility in degraded cattle areas

Resumen

A detailed analysis of the results obtained in the maps of Cuban soils is performed, at scale 1:250 000 and 1:25 000. There was a growing trend to the decline in the phosphorus and potassium contents in the dynamics of cattle soil fertility between 1977 and 2000, and the low contents of organic matter and potassium were extremely acute, as well as the low natural fertility in forage areas, seeds, and intensive grazing. Among the most serious problems faced by Cuba cattle rearing, there are the degradation of the soils and the careless attention to the process provoking it. This affects seriously the future of this economic activity. When the agricultural systems include the plant cover, the multiple mixtures of legumes, the silvopastoral systems, and the contribution of organic and mineral fertilizers, the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the degraded soil are recovered. The soil properties that showed higher degree of sensibility to man?s management are organic matter, available phosphorus, structural stability, stable aggregates, the factor of structure, and water-air ratio. The measures that should be taken at short term are recommended to recover the degraded soils.
Key words: cattle production, soils, degradation, technologies.