Plantas indicadoras de la fertilidad del suelo en la provincia de Loja

Abstract

Abstract: Local knowledge of soil quality and sustainable agriculture has become a factor of great importance in the evaluation of the land therefore, plant species can be a good edaphic indicator. The objective was to determine which plants are indicators of soil fertility and infertility in the 16 cantons of the Loja province and 22 natural ecosystems, according to the perception of 663 farmers and peasants, through the application of semi-structured interviews and distribution maps of the most representative species. The surveyed farmers identify several species such as fruit trees, vegetables, corn, beans, which are indicators of productive soils, while grasses and, to a lesser extent, some tree species, are plants considered as indicators of poor soils. To make better use of natural resources such as soil, it is essential to integrate the local knowledge of farmers with scientific knowledge.