Geochemical study of pH and electrical conductivity in a pineapple farm, Zanguenga, La Chorrera

Abstract

Pineapple is the second most important tropical perennial crop worldwide after bananas, contributing more than 20% of the world's total volume of tropical fruits. The quality of the Panamanian pineapple is of national delight and in international markets such as Europe and the United States, with La Chorrera being the largest pineapple producer in the country. The objective of this study is to carry out a geochemical sampling applied to agricultural work, to generate geochemical maps of pH and electrical conductivity that are useful for the pineapple production of the farm under study. Sampling was carried out with a irregular mesh of 13 soil sample points, and 2 sediment samples from nearby bodies of water. Soil samples were taken at a depth of 15 cm, and the pH and electrical conductivity were measured. Throughout the perimeter of the farm, the pH values of the soil were acidic, being the minimum 4.30 and the maximum 5.09. It was observed that the areas with the highest electrical conductivity were the sediments of the bodies of water, while the areas of agricultural production were in a range of 21 to 107 µS/cm. Thus, concluding that the area is affected by phenomena such as erosion and the transport of sediments towards bodies of water, which is directly related to the relief of the study area, and could also indicate how the drag of nutrients is carried out. applied to pineapple cultivation.