Influence of Soil Physical and Hydraulic Properties on Cacao Productivity Under Agroforestry Systems in the Amazonian Piedmont

Fabio Buriticá, José Iván Vanegas and Juan Carlos Suárez ()
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Fabio Buriticá: Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Naturales y Desarrollo Sustentable, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de la Amazonia, Florencia 180002, Colombia
José Iván Vanegas: Programa de Ingeniería Agroecológica, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de la Amazonia, Florencia 180002, Colombia
Juan Carlos Suárez: Programa de Ingeniería Agroecológica, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de la Amazonia, Florencia 180002, Colombia

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-21

Abstract: In the Amazonian piedmont, cacao-based agroforestry systems (cAFSs) were significantly influenced by the soil’s physical, hydraulic, and structural characteristics, which largely determined agricultural productivity. A total of 122 plots with cocoa-based agroforestry systems measuring 1000 m 2 were randomly selected from different farms located in the Amazonian foothills in the department of Caquetá. Different variables related to soil physics and hydrology, as well as production, were determined for each plot. Soil characteristics explain 33% of the total variance in cocoa yield. Sand content (71.2%) correlated positively with yield, while clay (22.62%) and silt (23.99%) correlated negatively. Three soil types were identified: sandy loam (high productivity, yield 1129.07 g) and two variants of sandy clay loam (lower yield, 323.97 g). Hydraulic properties were important, with total porosity of 56.04% and hydraulic conductivity of 20.45 mm h −1 . The CCN-51 and ICS-60 clones performed better in sandy loam soils, while ICS-95 and TSH-565 adapted better to sandy clay loam soils with medium stability. The physical and hydric soil properties are crucial factors that directly influence cocoa productivity in agroforestry systems of the Amazon piedmont, where the appropriate selection of clones according to soil characteristics is fundamental to optimize crop productivity and sustainability.

Keywords: soil texture; water retention; structural stability; hydraulic properties; soil physical properties (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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