Soil Studies in Lajas Valley

Bonnet, J. A.; Sulsona, P. Tirado

doi:10.1097/00010694-195105000-00018

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…The ridges contain rocks of marine Cretaceous sediments such as ashy shales, massive limestone, and agglomerates. The valleys, in contrast, are partly covered with alluvial deposits of recent origin underlain by consolidated carbonate and clastic strata (sedimentary rock) of Cretaceous and Tertiary age (Bonnet andTirado Sulsona 1950, Graves 1991). These, in turn, are underlain by igneous rocks at depths of 165 to 265 m.…”

Section: Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the 1950s, both Ciénaga El Anegado (about 780 ha) and Laguna Guánica (about 450 ha) were drained as part of the Lajas Valley irrigation project; earlier observations noted at least 24 bird species in the vicinity (Beatty 1931, Bonnett andTirado 1950). In addition, the project resulted in serious deterioration of the Cartagena Lagoon.…”

Section: Boquerón Wildlife Refugementioning

confidence: 99%

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges and other nearby reserves in Southwestern Puerto Rico

Weaver¹,

Schwagerl²

2009

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The main purpose of this paper is to summarize information about the Cabo Rojo and Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuges in southwestern Puerto Rico. The Cabo Rojo (Headquarters and Salinas tracts) and Laguna Cartagena (Lagoon and Tinaja tracts) occupy 1174 ha and are part of the 10 231-ha Caribbean system of nine refuges. Their major geologic and physiographic features are Sierra Bermeja, the oldest mountain range in Puerto Rico, and the floodplains of the Lajas Valley. Together, the refuges combined contain 9 geologic features and 26 soils' types. Rainfall averages about 1000 mm/year and hurricanes occur periodically. Among the several vegetation types, including are mangroves, salt flats, littoral woodland, mesquite and semievergreen woodland, coastal shrub, deciduous woodland, and pasture. At least 644 plant species grow on the refuges. Eight of these species are considered rare and endangered, and have formal recovery plans. Refuge mammals include two species of native bats and six introduced species-two monkeys, a mongoose, two rats, and a mouse. Both the Cabo Rojo Salt Flats and Cartagena Lagoon are renowned as wintering habitat for migratory birds where >200 resident and migratory birds have been observed, including 12 island endemics. Moreover, several other species are listed as rare and endangered, or of conservation concern, or as target species for management. Among the reptiles are seven lizards, two geckos, and three turtles (one terrestrial and two marine). Five amphibians (one toad and four frogs) and 18 species of fish (fresh and brackish water) are also present. Six of the wildlife species have formal recovery plans. The major management activities on the refuges include protection against fires, habitat restoration, public education, special uses, and water management at the Cartagena Lagoon and the Salinas salt flats. Habitat recovery has been stimulated through fire control, through livestock removal, and by planting >9,000 trees of nearly 80 species. Public education encompasses nearly 20,000 visits annually to interpretative centers at the Headquarters and Salinas tracts; moreover, another 2,600 visitors frequent the refuges to observe wildlife and take nature photographs, and nearly 4,900 others participate in educational and interpretative programs. Special use permits have been issued to 174 users since 1979, mostly for administrative matters or environmental research. Finally, water management at the Cartegena Lagoon remains a problem, partly because of historical events and partly due to current difficulties. In addition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS) refuges, six other major protected areas occupy about 6800 ha along the southwestern coast: Punta Guaniquilla Natural Reserve, Boquerón Wildlife Refuge, Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo, Boquerón Forest, Parguera Natural Reserve, and Guánica Forest. An additional 23 bird species not recorded on the refuges have been observed in these protected areas. The F&WS refuges and the protected areas provide critical wildlife habitat ...

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Section: Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Boquerón Wildlife Refugementioning

confidence: 99%

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges and other nearby reserves in Southwestern Puerto Rico

Weaver¹,

Schwagerl²

2009

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“…Field and laboratory work reported previously by Bonnet (1,2) indicate that this area includes 25,000 acres of good land fit for irrigation, 5,500 acres of salty land that may be reclaimed by washing with fresh water, and 5,000 acres of high salty land that require reclamation with chemicals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Título en español.

Bonnet¹,

Sulsona²,

López³

1949

JAUPR

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There are about 5,000 acres of high salty Aguirre clay in Lajas valley, in southwestern Puerto Rico, that need reclamation to be fit for crop growth. A field experiment was carried there including four treatments: check, leached, sulphur, and gypsum. The leached treatment consisted of preliminary washings with water. The irrigation source was the same used successfully in the good adjacent sugar cane fields for many years. The crops planted were rice and then, sugar cane. Data reported here include yields of rice in terms of whole plant and seed and of sugar cane in terms of tonnage and sugar content as well as conductivity values of the cane juices. Data are also reported for the pH and the specific conductance values for soil samples taken after the cane was harvested. Chemical analyses of the water supplies are also presented. No significant results in crop yields due to treatments were obtained. Covariance statistical analyses were made to find whether the salt content of the first 9-inch soil layer, or the salts in the cane juices had significant effects on the yields of cane. Results obtained were not significant. Reclamation of salty Aguirre clay with sulphur and gypsum was not successful. It was found that the irrigation water used was high in magnesium salt. These high magnesium waters might be a cause for the negative results.

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“…Initial planning studies included geomorphological reconnaissance surveys, soil sampling, soil physical and chemical analysis, leaching tests and infiltration rates (Bonnet and Tirado-Sulsona, 1950). Since one of the main findings was that some soils were affected by salinity, a detailed field survey and soil sampling program of the Lajas Valley was conducted by Bonnet and Brenes (1958).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geostatistical analysis for mapping soil salinity in the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve, southwestern Puerto Rico

Oliveras-Berrocales¹,

Pérez-Alegría²,

Sotomayor‐Ramírez³

2021

JAUPR

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Studies were conducted in the 1950s to evaluate the degree and spatial extent of soil salinity and sodicity in the Lajas Valley in southwestern Puerto Rico. Problem areas were identified and most of these were remediated with the establishment of irrigation and drainage infrastructure, resulting in a four-fold increase in agricultural production over a 10-year period. The area is now an important agricultural region (known as the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve). But soil salinity and sodicity are important concerns among farmers. In this paper we used published data and re-created the spatial distribution of soil salinity and sodicity using geostatistical analysis with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). An Ordinary Kriging method was applied to map the spatial distribution of soil salinity and to classify soils in four classes: (i) Normal, (ii) Saline, (iii) Saline-Sodic, and (iv) Sodic. The original hand-drawn maps were digitized using the Georeferencing Tool in ArcGIS, guided by a recent aerial photo of the Lajas Valley. Salinity and sodicity isopleths were created using Surface Generation to map the spatial distribution and to compare the newly created data to the original maps. The relative error in aerial estimate between the old and new maps for Normal, Saline, Saline-Sodic, and Sodic surface soils was between 1 and 5 percent. The new maps developed with geostatistical analysis can predict soil problem areas with a 94% coincidence compared with the hand-drawn maps. The highest proportion of soils classified as Normal was found in the upper soil layers and the proportion of soils affected by salt and sodium increased with depth. The combination of geostatistical analysis and GIS is a cost-effective and trustworthy method for analyzing similar datasets that would otherwise be costly and involve lengthy time commitments.

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Soil Studies in Lajas Valley

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges and other nearby reserves in Southwestern Puerto Rico

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges and other nearby reserves in Southwestern Puerto Rico

Título en español.

Geostatistical analysis for mapping soil salinity in the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve, southwestern Puerto Rico

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