Cabeza de Vaca's land of maize: an assessment of its agriculture

Doolittle, William E.

doi:10.1016/0305-7488(84)90275-5

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Nitrogen deficiency, in fact, is so common in desert soils that its effect in limiting agricultural production is almost as great as water availability (Rommey et al, 1978;Nabhan, 1983Nabhan, , 1984Sandor and Gersper, 1988). Cultivation of crops with high nutrient requirements, such as maize, heightens this problem by depleting already low nitrogen stores (Stevenson, 1982;Doolittle, 1984;Loomis and Connor, 1992:Figure 12.1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropogenic influences on Zuni agricultural soils

Homburg

Sandor

Norton³

2005

Geoarchaeology

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Farmers in the Zuni area of the semiarid American Southwest have successfully cultivated maize and other crops for over three millennia without using artificial fertilizers. Zuni agricultural fields are among the oldest, more or less continuously cultivated areas in the United States. Traditional Zuni agriculture is based on runoff farming, a system whereby runoff and organic‐rich sediment generated in small watersheds are captured and directed onto fields for crop use. We conducted a study to compare soil properties associated with paired and unpaired cultivated, abandoned, and uncultivated fields to evaluate the long‐term effects of cultivation on soil quality. Sampling and analytical methods of this research are especially applicable to geoarchaeological studies of anthropogenic effects on soil fertility and agricultural sustainability in ancient and traditional historical farming systems. Results of the Zuni soil study indicate that cultivation has altered some soil properties, including bulk density, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and C:N ratios in paired fields, but there is no indication that agricultural soils are degraded. This assessment supports the perception of Zuni farmers that long‐term cultivation has not caused a decline in agricultural productivity. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%