Soil properties, plant communities and carrying capacity relationships in saline areas (Salinas Grandes, Catamarca, Argentina)
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Abstract
Saline areas are considered marginal for the development of agriculture due to high contents of soluble salts in the soils. However, they hold species of great productive potential. In this work the region of Salinas Grandes, Catamarca (Argentina) has been studied, where several communities of peasants are settled and make use of the local natural resources. Saline areas involve zones, where adapted plants form a physical barrier against wind and water, accumulating materials transported by these agents, modifying the edaphic conditions and allowing the settlement of plant species less adapted to high salt content. The decrease of salinity and the increase of the sandy topsoil thickness in the soils of Salinas Grandes would allow the settlement of new plant populations, increasing the plant diversity of communities and their productive potential. The main objective of this paper is to establish the relationships between main soil characteristics and plant cover, plant diversity and carrying capacity. Soil and vegetation were sampled defining five homogeneous zones. Key species were identified in order to define management units. Soil parameters are adequately related with those of vegetation (R2 between 0.51 y 0.95). The decrease of electrical conductivity and pH, and the increase of sandy topsoil thickness, modify plant communities, increasing plant cover, biodiversity and carrying capacity. The latter also relates positively with biodiversity. Electrical conductivity can be used to predict carrying capacity. Biodiversity can be used as preliminary indicator for carrying capacity. The analysis of floristic composition has proven to be a good differentiator of the units of environmental management, that for the study area were three: Salinas, Plains and Highlands.
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