As part of the PERU-Hub alliance, members of the Extension Component participated in a workshop to validate the “Pacha Kit” soil health analysis kit.
The session was conducted virtually by researchers Martha Jimenez Ph.D and Carmen Roman Ph.D, from the University of Oklahoma (OU), in coordination with Julio Alegre Ph.D, coordinator of the Crop Management and Meteorological Network Component of PERU-Hub. Dr. Ruby Vega, professor of the Soil Department from Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, also participated and co-led the workshop as facilitator.
The objective of the workshop was to identify opportunities for improvement in the kit, in order to adjust its methodology to the reality of the soil in the San Martin region, a tropical area with high weathering, due to different factors such as climate, wind, etc.
The tool, developed by the University of Oklahoma (United States), is an innovative proposal that seeks to perform detailed soil analysis, especially in remote or inaccessible areas, where the absence of laboratories does not allow the study of the land where multiple crops are harvested, a source of livelihood for hundreds of families in the Huallaga Valley.
The workshop was held from January 23 to 27 of this year and was attended by extensionists Eng. Remzi Zárate, Eng. Frans Sinarahua, Bach. David Briceño and Bach. Roy Rios. Also present were engineers from the Tropical Crops Institute (ICT), Juvicksa Amayada and Percy Dominguez, and personnel from the phytopathology and soil laboratories, respectively.
There were about thirteen tests performed by the participants, including physical soil measurements such as: infiltration rate, bulk density and texture. Also, chemical evaluations were carried out, such as POXC (Potassium Permanganate) and POM (Particulate Organic Matter), which were developed in the classroom and with the support of the Pacha Kit instruments.
The idea was to identify indicators of active carbon and phosphorus, essential nutrients for plants and microorganisms present in the soil.
Finalmente, las doctoras de la OU tuvieron una presentación virtual con el equipo de Cultivos de PERU-Hub, donde compartieron una presentación informativa del Pacha Kit y de los avances previos a su implementación.
