Soil quality indicators in coffee plantations managed with ecological farming techniques in San Francisco, Cundinamarca, Colombia

Ecological farming (EF) is a sustainable agricultural production system that promotes customized technologies tailored to the specific needs of each agroecosystem. By optimizing available resources, EF aims to enhance the quality of cultivated soil. The objective of this research was to assess the impact of scheduled EF techniques, including biofertilizers, liquid and solid humus, effective microorganisms, phosphites, composted chicken manure, polycultures, and green fertilizers, on soil properties in coffee plantations of varying ages in San Francisco, Cundinamarca, Colombia. Samples were collected from coffee plantations of different ages (less than one year old, two, and four years) bimonthly over a 10-month period. Various soil quality indicators were evaluated, including physicochemical parameters (pH, gravimetric moisture, cation exchange capacity (CEC), organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen, and available phosphorus), abundance of functional groups of microorganisms (phosphate solubilizers, cellulolytics, and nitrogen fixers), and enzymatic activities (urease, protease, acid and alkaline phosphatase, and β-glucosidase). The results showed significant changes in soil quality indicators as a result of the application of EF techniques. These changes included a notable increase in carbon (from 9.0 % to 17.4 %), nitrogen (from 0.4 % to 0.9 %), and phosphorus content (from 9.3 to 40.4 ppm), as well as a substantial increase in the abundance of phosphate-solubilizing fungi (from 6.0 to 9.0 CFU/g) and cellulolytic fungi (from 5.6 to 9.2 CFU/g). Conversely, significant decreases were observed in soil pH (from 5.5 to 5.1) and β-glucosidase activity (from 55.8 to 10.7 μg N g-1 dm 2h-1), indicating shifts in nutrient dynamics and biological processes in response to ecological management.