Soil Loss From Erosion in the Next 50 years in Karst Regions of Mayabeque Province, Cuba

Abstract

To date, neither the method nor diagnostic indices employed in Cuba to evaluate erosion of Red Ferralitic or Ferrasol Rhodic soil in karstic regions has taken into consideration morphogenesis in such geo‐ecosystems or their relationship with erosion, which has led to sequential degradation of the most productive soils in Cuba. We explore the case for considering A + B horizon depth as one of the basic indices for evaluating the severity of erosion. There is no methodology available for estimating the volume of soil lost through karstic absorption forms (dolines). This article forecasts loss of soil cover using a model which estimates losses of 268·52 to 450·52 mm y−1 for future scenarios (periods of 25 and 50 years). A mean loss rate of 1·07 mm y−1 was found in areas cultivated as pastureland during the period from 1986 to 2009, which exceeds the tolerance thresholds proposed by the Universal Soil Loss Equation and the soil formation rates estimated for limestone in Cuba and it is likely there is with a marked tendency for this to increase. These results should be interpreted as a first estimate for setting loss tolerances as there is no similar experience with own data for a more precise definition of the erosion of soil in karstic regions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Resilience of Red Ferralitic soils in the karst regions of Mayabeque Province, Cuba

“…Application of Equation takes the results of studies done by Febles González et al () as its reference to simulate the time that Red Ferralitic soils would take to reach steady state in this subregion. …”

“…In attempting to describe the situation of Red Ferralitic soils in a spatial-temporal context, any review must go through the states of its physical, chemical, and biological attributes, which could favor, limit, or inhibit its capacity for resilience, especially in such unique environments as karsts. Application of Equation (2) takes the results of studies done by Febles González et al (2012) as its reference to simulate the time that…”

Taxonomic identification and diversity of effective soil microorganisms: towards a better understanding of this microbiome

“…Agricultural soils in Cuba are currently in unfavorable conditions due to intensive cultivation and inadequate management (Febles-González et al, 2014). Most of the agricultural soils in this overexploited condition are located in the central region of the country that is a major producer of sugarcane (ONEI, 2020).…”

Nutrient and Stoichiometric Characteristics of Underground Fissures Soil in Karst Rocky Desertification Regions

“…The southwestern China karst area centred on Guizhou Province is the world's largest continuous karst area (Li et al, 2017b;Peng et al, 2017) .and the special ecological geological characteristics make this area a typical fragile ecological environment (Wang et al,2004b). With the intensi cation of stone deserti cation, soil erosion in karst areas is becoming increasingly serious ((Febles-González et al, 2014), and the ability to support plant growth is severely weakened, leading to vegetation degradation, which in turn leads to the destruction of the basic structure of karst soils, soil infertile, water-holding capacity reduced, and plants subjected to frequent deteriorating environmental stress, leading to the inability of vegetation to grow normally or eventually to die, increasing the risk of karst stone deserti cation and further leading to the collapse of karst ecosystems, all of which directly or indirectly cause serious challenges to the productivity and sustainability of karst soil resources (Smith et al, 2013) .And the special surface-subsurface dichotomy of the Tongkat region leads to soil erosion in two directions. During the runoff-driven downward loss of soil through the ssure system, part of the soil is temporarily stored in the shallow karst ssures, forming the ssure soil system.…”