Soybeans/corn index as input indicator of organic matter to the soil in argentine agriculture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14409/fa.2023.22.e0005Keywords:
sustainability, monoculture, stubble, carbonAbstract
Currently, Argentine agriculture is based on a simplified and high-productivity technological model, marked by the trend towards soybean monoculture. These systems with little contribution of carbon (C) to the soil predispose it to its degradation by affecting its physical, chemical and biological properties. In contrast, the crops in the sequence of a rotation differ in the quantity and quality of the stubble they leave in the soil. In the rotation with a higher frequency of grasses than soybeans, the C balance is positive, while in a rotation with a higher frequency of soybeans, the balances are negative. The objective of this analysis is to compare the relationship between the areas dedicated to farming soybeans and corn, as an indicator of risk in the reduction of the contribution of C of the crops and of the levels of organic matter of the agricultural soils of the Argentine Republic. The Soybean/Corn Index was calculated from data on official agricultural estimates. The harvested areas of soybean and corn crops were used in each department/municipality of the country and for all campaigns, from 1969/70 to 2020/21. The proposed Index was calculated for three administrative levels: national, provincial and departmental. At the national level, it increased to values close to 6, above the ideal of 1. Although in the last decade this index has been declining, still presents high values in some parts of the country. The analysis at the provincial and department/municipality level was carried out in the three main producing Argentine provinces.
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