Variabilidad del carbono organico en suelos de ladera del sureste de Mexico

Carbon sequestration is one of the environmental services provided by the soil. The capacity to carry out this function varies in accordance with soil type and its characteristics, previous management and environmental factors. The effect of management on soil carbon distribution has not been studied under hillside conditions. The objective of this survey was to quantify the variability of soil organic carbon (0 to 20 and 20 to 40 cm) in the slopes of three regions (Mazateca, Cuicateca, and Mixe, represented by experimental microbasins) and landuse systems (secondary forest, permanent, annual, and multiple cropping) in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, Mexico. The soil organic carbon (average of all observations) in the microbasins, the 0 to 20 and 20 to 40 cm depths and landuse systems revealed significant differences related to present soil use, previous management, and climatic conditions of each region. These results suggest that future estimations of potential soil carbon sequestration in these regions and landuses should consider these factors to calculate figures closer to actual values.