DISTURBANCES CAUSED BY FLOODS IN THREE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF A VERTISOL SOIL IN THE EAST REGION OF CUBA, CULTIVATED WITH SUGARCANE (Saccharum spp.)

Abstract

In Cuba the 40,3 % of cultivated lands is located in poorly drained soils, with tendency to increase, compounded by the effects of current climate change, which in this region of Cuba are becoming with more frecuency in extreme climatic events such as droughts and floods. The researh was developed with the objective of determing the influence of flooding in a Vertisol soil in three physical properties in the Cauto River Valley, of the Granma province. It was considered the presence or absence of flooding as the principal factor on large plots, each one divided into 30 plots of 48 m2, to facilitate take replicate samples. Two samplings, one at the beginning of the experiement and the other five months later, when the soil flooded concluded. The average of the bulk density, total porosity and aeration porosity values with their standard errors were plotted by bars, while statistically discriminated with the use of the Student t test. It is concluded that prolongated water excess in the soil increased bulk density and makes it significally decreases the total aeration and porosity, which affects physical fertility of these soils and a decrease of the sugarcane yield, the principal crop in Cuba yet.