Spatial distribution of three tropical pasture species in Cuba from the analysis of soil indicators and of the present and future climate

Resumen

The thesis analyzes the variation of the spatial distribution of the pasture species Megathyrsus maximus cv. Likoni, Pennisetum purpureum cv. Cuba CT-115 and Cynodon nlemfuensis cv. Jamaican for the reference period and for the projections of climatic change for Cuba and the hydrographic basins Mayabeque and Cauto. A general analysis methodology was designed combining the information on temperature and annual rainfall means and the type of soil, pH and drainage integrated into a Geographical Information System for examining the expected impacts on the potential spatial distribution for the growth and development of the selected pastures
during the temporal horizons 2011 – 2040, 2041 – 2070 and 2071 – 2099 for the scenarios A2 and B2. It is confirmed that there is a marked differentiation in the edaphoclimatic vocation of the territory for the growth
and development of each one of the species under study reflected in its present and future spatial distribution. The main scientific contribution of the investigation lies in being the first study realized with pasture of extensive distribution presently in Cuba and that its performance is undertaken linked to edaphoclimatic elements and its spatial distribution in the future from the projections of climatic change for Cuba.