Browsing by Author "Castillo de la Guerra, Clever Gilberto"

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    Evaluación de enmiendas orgánicas, humus y bio-compost en la recuperación de las propiedades físicas y químicas del suelo en las terrazas de banco, Salache. 2026
    (Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi (UTC) Ciencias Agropecuarias y Recursos Naturales. Agropecuaria, 2026-11-12) Cadena Sánchez, Melanie Abigail; Castillo de la Guerra, Clever Gilberto
    This study was carried out on the bench terraces at the Salache Campus, Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi (Ecuador), with the aim of evaluating the effects of organic amendments earthworm humus and bio-compost at rates of 4, 8 and 12 t ha⁻¹ on the recovery of soil physical and chemical properties and the growth of bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) as an indicator plant. A completely randomized block design with a 2×3 factorial arrangement and three replicates was implemented, the soil amendments were applied fractionally at 0, 30 and 60 days of the vegetative growth cycle, and initial and final soil samples taken at 0 and 90 days respectively for physico-chemical analysis. The results showed that treatments with doses of 12 t ha⁻¹, such as H12 (humus) and C12 (bio-compost), achieved the greatest increases in nitrogen (15–16 ppm), organic matter (0.82–0.85 per cent), potassium, calcium and magnesium, as well as reducing the pH from 9.93 to values between 8.50 and 8.60. The soil texture remained silty loam, with no significant changes in the proportions of sand, silt and clay, given that the study period was four months. Bluegrass exhibited a normal growth curve and biomass was higher in the treatments with 12 t ha⁻¹, with H12 standing out as having the highest average height (51.36 cm) and fresh matter yield (3.19 kg m⁻²). The economic analysis revealed that, although the treatments with humus entailed higher costs, the bio-compost proved to be more cost-effective without compromising agronomic effectiveness. It is concluded that the application of organic amendments at a rate of 12 t ha⁻¹ is a viable and effective alternative for restoring the chemical and physical properties of degraded soils on bench terraces, thereby promoting sustainable agriculture in the Andean region.