Yaqui River Research Articles

Rehabilitación de un suelo salino con yeso agrícola en un cultivo de nogal en el Valle del Yaqui

Pecans are cultivated extensively in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora. These soils often have problems of salinity and high concentrations of exchangeable sodium, which cause a decline in pecan productivity. At the end of the season of irrigation with water from the system of reservoirs on the Yaqui River, groundwater is generally used from May to August. This can result in salt accumulation in the soil when water is of poor quality. Gypsum has been used as an amendment to rehabilitate soil by improving its physical and chemical properties. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of gypsum application to a saline soil of a pecan orchard in the Yaqui Valley. Rehabilitation was carried out for two consecutive years. In the first year a dose of 5 and 10 Mg ha‑1 was applied, while in the second year 2 Mg ha‑1 of gypsum was used. Two ridge washings were done after each aplication. The physico-chemical analyses of the soil were conducted following NOM-021-RECNAT-2000 during three years prior to and after the applications of amedment. Once the amendement was applied, the values of electrical conductivity decreased from 12.41 to 6.29 dS m-1, percentage of exchangeable sodium from 12.48 to 5.57 and sodium adsorption ratio from 10.54 to 4.88 at the depth of 0-30 cm. The use of agricultural gypsum and washing in a saline soil of the pecan orchard improved soil chemical properties using 5 and 10 Mg ha-1.

The Yaquis, a historical struggle for water

Since their earliest contact with the Yaquis in 1533, the Spaniards realized that the river that crossed the territory of these Indigenous people was the widest flowing waterbody they had seen in the northwest of what it is today Mexico. This article examines the history of that river, the Yaqui River, which has been object of many conflicts, along with the people who fought to preserve their right to the water from the river which bears their name. The Yaqui continue to struggle to keep their farmland irrigated and maintain water for their own consumption, while also trying to maintain their most important identity emblem, the Yaqui River.

El reparto agrario en el valle del Yaqui, Sonora: un diferendo diplomático entre México y los Estados Unidos, 1936-1938

El gobierno de los Estados Unidos, bajo la idea de la defensa de los intereses de sus connacionales en México, a través de notas diplomáticas desconoció una parte del contenido de la prescripción I del artículo 27 de la Constitución de 1927, dando paso a un diferendo diplomático entre ambos países. Con base en lo anterior, nuestro propósito es observar la postura del gobierno estadounidense respecto a la aplicación del reparto agrario por parte del presidente Lázaro Cárdenas, en el valle del Yaqui, Sonora, y las respuestas del gobierno mexicano. Es un estudio histórico de las relaciones entre México y los Estados Unidos, entendidas como interacciones entre organizaciones formales en su esfera gubernamental (gobiernos, diplomacia). La investigación revela que el gobierno cardenista aceptó la intromisión diplomática estadounidense y el pago de las compensaciones a sus connacionales, a pesar de que la razón jurídica estaba del lado de México e incluso, en la legislación mexicana en materia agraria, estaba contemplado el pago de indemnizaciones a los propietarios mexicanos, incluidos los nacionalizados.

Morphometric and meristic characterization of the endemic Desert chub Gila eremica (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), and its related congeners in Sonora, Mexico

The Desert chub, Gila eremica DeMarais, 1991 is a freshwater fish endemic to Northwest Mexico, being described from the Sonora, Matape and Yaqui River basins in Sonora, Mexico. The recent discovery of 2 isolated small populations from the known distribution for this taxon makes necessary an evaluation to determine their specific taxonomical identities (herein designated as G. cf. eremica). Thirty-three morphometric and 6 meristic characters were evaluated in 219 specimens of several populations of the genus Gila in Sonora, including all the known populations of G. eremica. Morphometric measures based on box-truss protocol were standardized by regression models, and analyzed by means of a discriminant function analysis (DFA). The canonical variables 1 and 2 explained 72.4% of the total variation among analyzed populations. Tree diagram based on squared Mahalanobis distances, as well as scatterplots of centroids, showed G. cf. eremica to be morphologically divergent with respect to known populations of G. eremica as well as the other species analyzed. Box plots indicated a slimmer body and a smaller number of pectoral fin rays, and a higher number of lateral line scales as the most distinguishable characters in G. cf. eremica with respect to nominal G. eremica.

The Struggle for Control of Irrigation Water in the Yaqui River Valley, 1908–1919

The Struggle for Control of Irrigation Water in the Yaqui River Valley, 1908–1919

Temperature and heat wave trends in northwest Mexico

Increase in temperature extremes is one of the main expected impacts of climate change, as well as one of the first signs of its occurrence. Nevertheless, results emerging from General Circulation Models, while sufficient for large scales, are not enough for forecasting local trends and, hence, the IPCC has called for local studies based on on-site data. Indeed, it is expected that climate extremes will be detected much earlier than changes in climate averages. Heat waves are among the most important and least studied climate extremes, however its occurrence has been only barely studied and even its very definition remains controversial. This paper discusses the observed changes in temperature trends and heat waves in Northwestern Mexico, one of the most vulnerable regions of the country. The climate records in two locations of the region are analyzed, including one of the cities with extreme climate in Mexico, Mexicali City in the state of Baja California and the Yaqui River basin at Sonora State using three different methodologies. Results showed clear trends on temperature increase and occurrence of heat waves in both of the study zones using the three methodologies proposed. As result, some policy making suggestion are included in order to increase the adaptability of the studied regions to climate change, particularly related with heat wave occurrence.

Environmental Violence, Water Rights, and (Un) Due Process in Northwestern Mexico

Water-related struggles worldwide may not involve armed conflict or direct bodily harm, but they are still violent in nature. Over the past century the Yaqui Tribe has continually contested water development plans and challenged distribution schemes, seeking to regain control over its livelihoods and the production of space in its ancestral homeland. In the Mexican state of Sonora we are currently witnessing a new chapter of the violent saga around water access in the Yaqui River valley. In fighting the proposed construction of the Independencia Aqueduct, intended to transfer water from the Yaqui River to the capital city of Hermosillo, the tribe’s struggles for recognition as a rightful resource holder have intensified. Paradoxically, dispossession is justified through an international human rights discourse and the relentless interrogation of indigenous authenticity aimed at delegitimizing Yaqui traditional resource claims.Las luchas relacionadas con el agua en todo el mundo no necesariamente conllevan conflicto armado o daño físico directo, pero todavía son violentas por naturaleza. Durante el ultimo siglo la tribu yaqui han impugnado continuamente los planes de desarrollo del agua y cuestionado los programas de distribución, con el propósito de recobrar el control sobre sus medios de subsistencia y la producción del espacio en su tierra ancestral. En el estado mexicano de Sonora estamos siendo testigos de un nuevo capítulo en la saga violenta en torno al acceso al agua en el Valle del Río Yaqui. Con la batalla contra el proyecto de construcción del Acueducto Independencia— diseñado para transportar agua del Río Yaqui a la ciudad capital de Hermosillo—las luchas de la tribu por el reconocimiento como dueños legítimos del recurso se han intensificado. Paradójicamente, el despojo se justifica por medio de un discurso de derechos humanos internacionales y el cuestionamiento implacable de la autenticidad indígena con el propósito de deslegitimar los reclamos yaquis sobre los recursos.

Microbiological water quality in a large irrigation system: El Valle del Yaqui, Sonora México

The primary objective of this study was to determine the microbial water quality of a large irrigation system and how this quality varies with respect to canal size, impact of near-by communities, and the travel distance from the source in the El Valle del Yaqui, Sonora, México. In this arid region, 220,000 hectares are irrigated with 80% of the irrigation water being supplied from an extensive irrigation system including three dams on the Yaqui River watershed. The stored water flows to the irrigated fields through two main canal systems (severing the upper and lower Yaqui Valley) and then through smaller lateral canals that deliver the water to the fields. A total of 146 irrigation water samples were collected from 52 sample sites during three sampling events. Not all sites could be accessed on each occasion. All of the samples contained coliform bacteria ranging from 1,140 to 68,670 MPN/100 mL with an arithmetic mean of 11,416. Ninety-eight percent of the samples contained less than 1,000 MPN/100 mL Escherichia coli, with an arithmetic mean of 291 MPN/100 mL. Coliphage were detected in less than 30% of the samples with an arithmetic average equal to 141 PFU/100 mL. Enteroviruses, Cryptosporidium oocysts, and Giardia cysts were also detected in the canal systems. No significant difference was found in the water quality due to canal system (upper or lower Yaqui Valley), canal-size (main vs. lateral), distance from source, and the vicinity of human habitation (presence of various villages and towns along the length of the canals). There was a significant decrease in coliforms (p < 0.011) and E. coli (<0.022) concentrations as travel distance increased from the City of Obregón.

Complex evolutionary history of the Mexican stoneroller Campostoma ornatum Girard, 1856 (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae)

BackgroundStudies of the phylogeography of Mexican species are steadily revealing genetic patterns shared by different species, which will help to unravel the complex biogeographic history of the region. Campostoma ornatum is a freshwater fish endemic to montane and semiarid regions in northwest Mexico and southern Arizona. Its wide range of distribution and the previously observed morphological differentiation between populations in different watersheds make this species a useful model to investigate the biogeographic role of the Sierra Madre Occidental and to disentangle the actions of Pliocene tecto-volcanic processes vs Quaternary climatic change. Our phylogeographic study was based on DNA sequences from one mitochondrial gene (cytb, 1110 bp, n = 285) and two nuclear gene regions (S7 and RAG1, 1822 bp in total, n = 56 and 43, respectively) obtained from 18 to 29 localities, in addition to a morphological survey covering the entire distribution area. Such a dataset allowed us to assess whether any of the populations/lineages sampled deserve to be categorised as an evolutionarily significant unit.ResultsWe found two morphologically and genetically well-differentiated groups within C. ornatum. One is located in the northern river drainages (Yaqui, Mayo, Fuerte, Sonora, Casas Grandes, Santa Clara and Conchos) and another one is found in the southern drainages (Nazas, Aguanaval and Piaxtla). The split between these two lineages took place about 3.9 Mya (CI = 2.1-5.9). Within the northern lineage, there was strong and significant inter-basin genetic differentiation and also several secondary dispersal episodes whit gene homogenization between drainages. Interestingly, three divergent mitochondrial lineages were found in sympatry in two northern localities from the Yaqui river basin.ConclusionsOur results indicate that there was isolation between the northern and southern phylogroups since the Pliocene, which was related to the formation of the ancient Nazas River paleosystem, where the southern group originated. Within groups, a complex reticulate biogeographic history for C. ornatum populations emerges, following the taxon pulse theory and mainly related with Pliocene tecto-volcanic processes. In the northern group, several events of vicariance promoted by river or drainage isolation episodes were found, but within both groups, the phylogeographic patterns suggest the occurrence of several events of river capture and fauna interchange. The Yaqui River supports the most diverse populations of C. ornatum, with several events of dispersal and isolation within the basin. Based on our genetic results, we defined three ESUs within C. ornatum as a first attempt to promote the conservation of the evolutionary processes determining the genetic diversity of this species. They will likely be revealed as a valuable tool for freshwater conservation policies in northwest Mexico, where many environmental problems concerning the use of water have rapidly arisen in recent decades.

Metodología para la definición de unidades hidroestratigráficas: caso del acuífero del valle del río Yaqui, Sonora, México

A method for defining hydrostratigraphic units is herein proposed, and various definitions of hydrostratigraphic units previously proposed are analyzed. Nevertheless, none of the definitions are widely accepted; therefore, the hydrostratigraphic units proposed here are defined using the lithologic characteristics of the sediments along with the values of hydraulic conductivity. A methodology to define hydrostratigraphic units in granular aquifers is proposed. The case of the Yaqui River aquifer is analyzed here and the hydrostratigraphic units are defined based on the characteristics of the sediments filling the basin, which correspond to fluvial sedimentary environments. Five hydrostratigraphic units were identified in the aquifer. Also, with the interpretation of the hydrostratigraphy, it was possible to determine the kind sediments present at different depths, thereby recognizing the presence of the ancient river channel of the Yaqui River.

Sensitivity of the water resources of Rio Yaqui Basin, Mexico, to agriculture extensification under multiscale climate conditions

The Yaqui River Basin (YRB) is the most important wheat‐producing region in Mexico. The main source of irrigation water in the Yaqui basin (over 80%) is surface water. Crop production sustainability is therefore closely linked to YRB streamflow and potentially to its sensitivity to climate variability and land use changes. We study the sensitivity of streamflow to land cover change resulting primarily from conversion of natural vegetation to unirrigated agriculture within the basin. We also examine how this sensitivity is influenced by midscale (North American Monsoon) and large‐scale (El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)) climate regimes. Streamflow simulations using the variable Infiltration Capacity Model were performed in which current land use was altered incrementally within the three major subbasins of the YRB. In general, we found that the sensitivity of basin runoff to ENSO‐and PDO‐related variations in precipitation was much greater than to land cover–related changes and was highest during winter. Furthermore, climate and land cover runoff sensitivities appear to be related; in El Niño (generally wet) years the sensitivity of streamflow to land cover change can be four times higher than in La Niña (generally dry) years. The sensitivity of streamflow to PDO phase was smaller. Streamflow sensitivities to climate were the highest when PDO and ENSO were in phase. We conclude that climate variability exerts stronger controls on the surface hydrology than does land use change associated with the extensification of agriculture. For instance, flows in El Niño versus La Niña years differed by 76% in winter and 16% in summer, whereas maximum monthly (winter) flow changes were at most 4%.

The Agrarian Dispute: The Expropriation of American-Owned Rural Land in Postrevolutionary Mexico

The Agrarian Dispute: The Expropriation of American-Owned Rural Land in Postrevolutionary Mexico

The Dilemma of Water Management ‘Regionalization’ in Mexico under Centralized Resource Allocation

Mexico's evolving water management framework is predicated on: (1) integration of water resources planning and management; (2) decentralization from federal to ‘regional’ (river basin) levels; and (3) privatization of service provision. This paper focuses on Mexico's recurring federal-regional tensions, highlighting the historical case of the Yaqui River, and analyzing the current decentralization impasse. Although important advances have been made with irrigation management transfer, river basin councils, nascent user participation in groundwater management, and water and energy legislation, integrated water resources management (IWRM) remains an elusive goal, principally due to inherent institutional and procedural contradictions in water resource allocation. The next steps in the Mexican model—to open decision making to public scrutiny and devolve allocation of water and financial resources—will prove the most difficult, more because of entrenched interests than for lack of an ‘IWRM roadmap’.

Economic valuation of environmental services sustained by water flows in the Yaqui River Delta

We attempted to estimate the economic value of environmental services provided by restored instream flows in the water-scarce Yaqui River Delta in Mexico. The Yaqui River begins near the U.S.–Mexico border and continues for 400 km before reaching the Oviachic dam, but has not reached the nearby Gulf of California for decades due to diversions for irrigation. These diversions have degraded the riparian ecosystem, coastal wetlands, and estuaries. Environmental services provided by restored flows in the Yaqui River would include healthy riverside vegetation, wetlands and estuaries, fish and wildlife habitats, non-use values, and recreation. A contingent valuation survey in 40 neighborhoods in the most populated Delta city, Ciudad Obregon, was administered to estimate non-market values of instream uses. Respondents were given a current and hypothetical Delta scenario (the latter assumed restored water flows in the River) and asked a willingness-to-pay (WTP) question regarding purchasing water for environmental flows through higher water bills. Results from 148 in-person interviews indicated that households would pay an average of 73 pesos monthly. WTP was found related to key variables suggested by economic theory and contingent valuation studies elsewhere: income, educational level, number of children in the household, and initial bid amount. These results will allow decision makers to compare the benefits generated by different water uses, including environmental services, and to manage scarce water resources under a long-term sustainable approach.

The Influence of Insolation on the Distribution and on the Developmental Sequence of the Flowers of the Giant Cactus of Arizona

The Sonoran giant cactus, Carnegiea gigantea, occurs in southern Arizona and in Sonora, Mexico, down to the Yaqui River. It has a huge stem which grows to ten or twelve meters in height and which, just below its first branches, may often have a diameter of 6o or 70 centimeters. The flowers of this cactus occur in a dense crown of from I00 to 200 buds at the tip of the main stem and a similar, but smaller, crown often appears on the tip of each main branch. These flower buds arise along the 20 or 30 ribs of the stem from the areoles, or axillary buds, that were formed during the previous year (or two years). The growing point of the stem of Carnegiea is buried in a dense mass of vhite wool at the bottom of a cup.shaped depression two or three centimeters deep and from five to eight centimeters across. It is only at a distance of a centimeter or two outward from this central growing point that the separate tufts of felted hairs marking the individual areoles become distinguishable. The flower buds of Carnegiea first push through the wool of the areole in early April. About the Desert Laboratory at Tucson flower buds of Carnegiea up to 5 centimeters long were seen on April 29, I915. Opening flowers are to be found from the middle of May, or even earlier in some seasons, till the end of June. These flower buds arise in series of from one or two up to ten, or rarely to as many as fifteen, on each rib of the strongly fluted stem of this cactus. The lowest bud may be 20 or 30 areoles outward from the growing point. The buds of a rib do not arise quite simultaneously. On the contrary, it is evident from the time the flower rudiments first break through the tuft of wool on the areole (in late March or early April) that the buds near the middle of the series on each rib are commonly more advanced. This larger size of the flower buds which lie just over the outer edge of the cuplike end of the stem is evident in figure i, at the right and left above. This relation is not absolute, since there may be smaller buds, or even sterile areoles, between two larger buds (fig. i, y, z). In vigorous crowns from six to eight of the buds of a single rib may mature and bloom. A very striking peculiarity of the arrangement of the flowers of the giant cactus attracted the attention of the writer when in southern Arizona in I9I5.2 1 Botanical Contribution No. 75 from the Johns Hopkins University. 2 This study was initiated during a stay at the Desert Laboratory and was aided by a grant from the Department of Botanical Research, Carnegie Institution of Washington.