Analytical Evaluation of Agroecosystems in Agroecological Transition within the Buenos Aires Peri-urban Area

Abstract

Aquí tienes la traducción al inglés en estilo formal académico. He prestado especial atención a los términos técnicos de edafología y microbiología de suelos para asegurar el rigor científico:

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate edaphological characteristics, describe the plant community, and quantify the microbiological presence of functional groups responsible for the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles in soils from six agroecosystems (AE) undergoing agroecological transition. These sites belong to the "Saberes y Sabores de la Tierra" producer group, located in the towns of Guernica (Presidente Perón district) and Glew (Almirante Brown district) in the southern suburbs of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA). In all six AE, the following edaphological characteristics were observed: an A horizon of 10–20 cm, dark brown to black in color—indicating high organic matter content—and a silty clay loam texture with a granular-to-blocky structure. The plant association was primarily composed of the following genera: Capsella bursa-pastoris, Commelina erecta, Equisetum arvense, Oxalis sp., Plantago major, Poa annua, Sonchus oleraceus, Taraxacum officinale, Urtica urens, and Veronica officinalis. Consistent with this habitat, the presence of nitrogen fixers, ammonium and nitrite oxidizers, and phosphorus solubilizers was detected, as well as fungal genera essential for soil formation and pathogen biocontrol activity. The soil quality assessment enabled the determination of the effectiveness of agroecological reconversion toward the sustainability of these agroecosystems.