SOIL FERTILITY EVALUATION OF COFFEE (Coffea spp.) PRODUCTION SYSTEMS AND MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BARAHONA PROVINCE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

ABSTRACT Reported yields in most coffee farms of the Barahona province in the Dominican Republic are relatively low (< 290 kg ha -1 parchment coffee). In general, coffee producers do not use diagnostic techniques such as soil testing. This fact prevents them from identifying the limiting factors (especially nutrients), complicates the work of coffee cultural management practices, and potentially reduces productivity and coffee quality. This study was designed to diagnose the fertility level of soils in coffee farms in the area of Barahona in 96 farms within an area of 637 hectares and design a nutrient management strategy. Soils from each farm were sampled and analyzed for soil fertility parameters. A survey was provided to farmers that permitted the collection of information regarding yields, management practices, and landscape features. Soils in the area were predominantly clayey. Soil pH varied between 4.61 and 7.69 and soil organic matter ranged between 3.29 and 10.9%. Exchangeable potassium levels were classified as deficient in all areas. The clustering of results identified two main components, which accounted for 76% of the variability of the data and the grouping into five communities by similarity of features. The results show that soil testing of this coffee coffee-growing region can be used as a tool to diagnose the soil fertility status and guide them in implementing management and fertilization recommendations

Impact of Coffee Management Practices on Earthworm Populations in Puerto Rico

The conditions under which coffee is grown may affect its long-term sustainability through effects on soil fauna, including earthworms, which have a profound effect on abiotic and biotic properties and processes in natural and agricultural ecosystems. We examined differences in earthworm populations among sun (SUN) and shade (SHD) coffee and secondary forest (FOR) ecosystems, as well as soil order (Oxisols, Ultisols, Inceptisols) in western-central Puerto Rico. Ecosystem type significantly affected earthworm population density (individuals/m2), which followed the order SUN (281) \u3e SHD (125) = FOR (37). Earthworm biomass (g fresh weight/m2) was also significantly affected by ecosystem type, following the order: SUN (71) \u3e SHD (34) = FOR (12). In general, neither earthworm biomass nor abundance was significantly related to litter quantity, litter composition or soil properties for any of the ecosystems studied. The absence of significant differences between SHD and FOR ecosystems suggests similarity in those environmental variables that constrain earthworm populations. The larger earthworm populations in coffee cultivated under sunlight may indicate that earthworms play a more important role in organic matter translocation and decomposition, nutrient cycling, and soil physical structure than in shade coffee or forest ecosystems. Copyright © 2012 College of Arts and Sciences