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Ciencia del suelo
On-line version ISSN 1850-2067
Abstract
DEGIOANNI, Américo; BRICCHI, Estela and HAMPP, Eugenio. Energy in soil formation: theoretical and methodological aspects for its evaluation. Cienc. suelo [online]. 2008, vol.26, n.1, pp.81-88. ISSN 1850-2067.
The soil is an open system that accumulates and recycles matter and energy over time. By modeling the energy balance, the energy that accumulates or circulates through soil mass may be assessed. The objective of this study was to present theoretical and methodological aspects that quantify energy dynamized during soil formation and to analyze the relationship between this energy and some physical, physico-chemical and chemical properties that define soil production capacity. The study describes a model of energy balance that calculates the annual use of solar energy to dynamize the genesis processes and maintain the dynamic balance of the soil over time. We analyzed the relationship between energy dynamized with clay, organic matter, cation exchange capacity, pH, saturation with bases and productive capacity for three regional soils of Argentina. A positive relationship was observed between the amount of energy dynamized and the amount and type of clay, organic matter content and primary productivity. Even though the model presented some limitations for widespread application, it intoduced a new methodology to study aspects related to soil genesis, climate-soil-vegetation relationships and the productive capacity of the soil.
Keywords : Soil system; Energy modelling; Productivity.