Resumo

RIVAS, Silenia; OBALLOS, Jajaira; OCHOA, Guido  e  SANTIAGO, Jonny. Ensayo metodológico de evaluación de tierras para la captación de agua en dos microcuencas del río santo domingo, mérida, venezuela . INCI [online]. 2005, vol.30, n.6, pp.46-55. ISSN 0378-1844.

In order to evaluate the water retention capacity by the land in mountainous regions, the present study examines the microbasins of Aguas Regadas and La Capellanía in the medium high basin of the Santo Domingo River in the Pueblo Llano municipality in Mérida state, Venezuela. Homogeneous land areas were determined by a landscape classification system. The Multiple Homogeneity Index and a spatial variability analysis detected the variables with the greatest influence on the water retention capacity of the soils. A Water Retention Index was established and applied to each of the pedogeomorphologically defined units. The soil ability to retain water fell into three classes, ‘good’, ‘moderate’ and ‘poor’, while there were no areas in the ‘very good’ category. This suggests that limitations on water retention in the selected microbasins went from slight to severe. The areas with less limitations (in the ‘good’ category) were those on moderate slopes or valley bottoms, while the areas with most severe limitations (‘poor’), were high mountain areas with rocky outcrops.

Palavras-chave : Análisis Pedogeomorfológico ; Evaluación de Tierras ; Índice de Captación de Agua; Zonas de Montaña .