LOTUS SPP. A FOREIGNER THAT CAME TO STAY FOREVER: ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES CAUSED BY ITS NATURALIZATION IN THE SALADO RIVER BASIN (ARGENTINA)

NIEVA, A.S.; RUIZ O.A.

Saline and Alkaline Soils in Latin America: Natural Resources and Productive Alternatives

SPRINGER.Nature

Lugar: BASEL; Año: 2020; p. 332 - 340

Legumes are one of the most important sources of human food and animal forage. The Salado River Basin in the Flooding Pampa region, is considered the most important livestock breeding area in Argentina. Its agronomic economy is mostly based on species of this family. Among them, Lotus spp. and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) have been traditionally cultivated as forages. Despite the outstanding qualities of most of the soils in the Pampa region, nearly 60% of the surface of the Salado River Basin is dominated by salt-affected soils with severe constraints for crop cultivation. In order to cope with that limitation, farmers have utilized species such as L. tenuis, which shows a very good naturalization. As a result, inter-seeding of L. tenuis has been proposed as a strategy of choice for improving forage production. However, the forage quality of L. tenuis is still lower compared to other legumes. In addition, some researchers have claimed that this species could be used to reclamation of sodic soils, even though little is known about its potential. The increase in soil quality by these means is achieved by an increment of the organic matter content, improvement of soil fertility as well as microbial activity. Thus, the introduction of L. tenuis and/or other Lotus genotypes has enormous benefits for constrained lands in the Salado River Basin. It should be taken into account, the environmental changes provoked by L. tenuis promotion, could be considered a key factor in the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This results essentially from lower soil GHG emissions and higher soil C sequestration. Therefore, it is conceived that the introduction of new legume species should be accompanied by thorough analysis of its ecological implications and economical balance.In our interdisciplinary group, we integrated analysis of the multitask changes that occur in soils subjected to L. tenuis naturalization. We analyze the microbial biodiversity, soil physical and chemical characteristics and the impact of legume-microbe?s association on stress mitigation of GHG emissions. In addition, we evaluated some genetic determinants associated with interesting agronomic traits.