1988 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Agro-ecological Survey of Ultisol-Oxisol Area in South America

Research Project

Project/Area Number	63043005
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Overseas Scientific Research
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	Field Research
Research Institution	Hokkaido University
Principal Investigator	SAKUMA Toshio Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, 農学部, 教授 (50001756)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	SATO Toshiyuki Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, 低温科学研究所, 助手 (00154071) 今井弘樹北海道大学, 農学部, 助手 (20002058) YAMAGUCHI Junichi Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, 農学部, 助教授 (80001478) TANAKA Akira Hokkaido University, 名誉教授 (30001374) IMAI Hiroki Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University
Project Period (FY)	1987 – 1988
Keywords	Amazon river system / Agro-ecological survey / Cerrado / Amazon forest / Oxisols / Ultisols / 熱帯・亜熱帯農業システム
Research Abstract	To understand the agro-ecological condition in tropical South America, the area extending from central to western Brazil was surveyed. (1) Brazilian Highland(Cerrado) is characterized by a dry climate and vast uplands with Oxisols. On the uplands, pasture-beef cattle system has been common, but grain crop systems are growing rapidly in recent years. (2) Pantanal is a vast lowland which is flooded seasonally every year, and is occupied by fertile Entisols. Seasonal beef-cattle system is a unique farming system in this region. (3) Upper Amazon Basin is characterized by humid climate, vast lowlands with Inceptisols or Entisols and tropical rain forest. Framing activities in this region are yet low. (4) The agro-ecological condition of Transition Region is intermediate between that in Cerrado and in rain forest. (5) Vast irrigated rice fields in Varzea are well managed and demonstrate that the potential of irrigated rice production is high throughout the survey area. (6) It is urgently needed to collect reliable data on photosynthetic capacity and water and soil conservation capacity of natural and manmade environments to enable the prediction of global influence caused by large scale modification of vegetation in this area.