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Research Article

Maya and WRB Soil Classification in Yucatan, Mexico: Differences and Similarities

Table 4

Crops and agronomic problems of the soils of Hocabá, Yucatán, México.


Maya soil name	Preferred crops*	Detected problems

K’ankab	Jamaica (Hibiscus sp.), macal (Xanthosoma yucatanense), jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus), yuca (Manihot esculenta), and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas).	Weeds grow faster. Tuzas (Dasyprocta mexicana) and raccoons (Procycon spp.) are more frequents.
Haylu’um	Maize (Zea mays), beans (Phaseolus spp., Vigna spp.), and pumpkins (Cucurbita spp.).	As they are shallow soils, maize falls down easily.
Ch’ich’lu’um	Chili pepper (Capsicum spp.) and sometimes sweet potato.	Tuzas (less frequent).
Puslu’um	Maize, beans, and pumpkins	Shallow soils, low water retention.
Ch’och’ol	None	Little surface for planting (too many rock fragments)
Tsek’el, Yan yan tunichi’, Mulu’ch buk’tun	Maize, beans, and pumpkins	Little surface for planting (many rock fragments). Presence of weeds.
Chaltun	Maize, beans, and pumpkins	Little surface for planting (too much rock). Very shallow soils.

Farmers do not have any preference to where to grow Sisal (Agave fourcroydes); they all agreed that the more rock fragments and outcrops in the soil the better the growth of Sisal.