Relationships between the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) and soil properties in agriculture: A meta-analysis

Barlin Orlando Olivares; Deyanira  Lobo; Juan  Carlos Rey; Andrés  Vega; María Angélica  Rueda

doi:10.17268/sci.agropecu.2023.007

Autores/as

Barlin Orlando Olivares Universidad de Córdoba (UCO) España
Deyanira Lobo Universidad Central de Venezuela, Facultad de Agronomía, Maracay.
Juan Carlos Rey Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrícolas (INIA-CENIAP), Maracay.
Andrés Vega Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba.
María Angélica Rueda Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17268/sci.agropecu.2023.007

Palabras clave:

soil structure, bulk density, total soil porosity, soil penetration resistance, random effect models, forest plot

Resumen

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) and soil properties that make its adoption widely used in agriculture. For this, 25 papers related to the VESS (2009-2022) were considered, and information on the soil property: bulk density (BD), total soil porosity (TP), soil penetration resistance (PR), macroporosity, microporosity, soil organic carbon (SOC), and mean weight diameter of stable aggregates (MWD). The sample size (n=120 cases), and the correlation coefficient were extracted. A meta-analysis was carried out to obtain a global measure of the correlation between the VESS and soil properties. In the first instance, a fixed effects model was fitted for the correlation (effect size as the response variable in the meta-analysis). Subsequently, a random effects model was fitted for the correlation, followed by a subgroup analysis according to soil properties, due to the presence of high heterogeneity. The overall effect (average correlation coefficient) of the fitted random effects model was 0.31 with a confidence interval of 0.22-0.41. The heterogeneity between studies was high (I ²: 94%) and statistically significant (p<0.001). Although it is moderate, the average correlation in practical terms may be sufficient. There were significant differences in some average correlations of some categories, such as BD, PR, TP, and microporosity. The weights reported for the BD, SOC, and PR were 29.7%, 16.4%, and 14.2%, respectively. The greatest contribution to the global effect of correlation between VESS and soil properties is provided by BD. The VESS is a reliable semi-quantitative method to assess soil quality and could be considered a promising visual predictor of soil physical properties such as BD, SOC, and PR. Periodic evaluation of structural quality should be an important aspect of soil quality management, improving the predictive level of soil properties.

Biografía del autor/a

Barlin Orlando Olivares, Universidad de Córdoba (UCO) España

Ingeniero Agrónomo de la Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), Becario de Fundación Carolina para el Master Oficial en Tecnología Ambiental de la Universidad Internacional de Andalucía (UNIA), Huelva, España. Doctorando del Programa de Formación Doctoral en Agroalimentación y Ciencias Veterinarias, gestionado por la Asociación Universitaria Iberoamericana de Postgrado (AUIP), coordinado por la Universidad de Córdoba (España) y la Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa (México). Experto en metodología de la investigación en agroalimentación y ciencias veterinarias por la Universidad de Córdoba. Investigador nivel (A-2) del Programa de Estímulo a la Innovación e Investigación en Venezuela, destacando la publicación de (34) trabajos en revistas científicas arbitradas; (3) libros; (2) capítulos de libros y (47) trabajos en memorias de eventos científicos nacionales e internacionales. Responsable del Proyecto de la Red Agrometeorológica del Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrícolas de Anzoátegui durante el periodo (2009-2014). Participante por Venezuela en el Centro del Agua para Zonas Áridas y Semiáridas de América Latina y el Caribe (CAZALAC) con sede en Chile, en el marco del Programa Hidrológico Internacional de la UNESCO. Actualmente, investigador contratado en el Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (INAMEH) y miembro directivo de la Sociedad Venezolana de la Ciencia del Suelo (2015-2017).

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