%0 Journal Article
%T Maya and WRB Soil Classification in Yucatan, Mexico: Differences and Similarities
%A H¨¦ctor Estrada-Medina
%A Francisco Bautista
%A Juan Jos¨¦ Mar¨ªa Jim¨¦nez-Osornio
%A Jos¨¦ Antonio Gonz¨¢lez-Iturbe
%A Wilian de Jes¨²s Aguilar Cordero
%J ISRN Soil Science
%D 2013
%R 10.1155/2013/634260
%X Soils of the municipality of Hocab¨¢, Yucat¨¢n, M¨¦xico, were identified according to both Mayan farmers¡¯ knowledge and the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB). To identify Maya soil classes, field descriptions made by farmers and semistructured interviews were utilized. WRB soils were identified by describing soil profiles and analyzing samples in the laboratory. Mayan farmers identified soils based on topographic position and surface properties such as colour and amount of rock fragments and outcrops. Farmers distinguished two main groups of soils: K'ankab or soils of plains and Boxlu¡¯um or soils of mounds. K'ankab is a group of red soils with two variants (K'ankab and Haylu¡¯um), whereas Boxlu¡¯um is a group of dark soils with five variants (Tsek'el, Ch'ich'lu¡¯um, Chaltun, Puslu¡¯um, and Ch'och'ol). Soils on the plains were identified as Leptosoils, Cambisols, and Luvisols. Soils identified in mounds were Leptosols and Calcisols. Many soils identified by farmers could be more than one WRB unit of soil and vice versa; in these cases no direct relationship between both classification systems was possible. Mayan and WRB soil types are complementary; they should be used together to improve regional soil classifications, help transference of agricultural technologies, and make soil management decisions. 1. Introduction Local soil classification systems play an important role in many agricultural sites throughout the world but they have not considered to construct scientific classification systems [1]. Opportunities to use traditional systems to improve scientific soil classifications, mapping, and environmental impact monitoring are not fully exploited [2]. In countries like Mexico, indigenous soil knowledge of ancestral groups [3¨C7] need to be understood to facilitate planning, transmission, and implementation of new agricultural technologies [3, 8]. Local knowledge is restricted geographically, dynamic, collective, diachronic, and holistic; it is the product of a long observation history, analysis, and management of the natural resources, transmitted orally from generation to generation [9]. Traditional soil classification systems, created by the users, have a local importance and are based on properties easily affected by management [10]. This knowledge is enough to understand and manage the soil in a local way to solve short term specific problems [2, 11, 12]. On the other hand, scientific soil classification systems are based in measurable and observable soil characteristics defined in terms of diagnostic properties, materials, and horizons
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.soil.science/2013/634260/