Assessment of natural resources in beef cattle production units, case: Guivicia Santa María Petapa, Oaxaca

The objective of the work was to develop an assessment of the ecological dimension in beef cattle production units within the community of Guivicia Santa María Petapa, Oaxaca. The study was carried out during the months of July-December in 2014, during the rainy season; the method of information collection was developed through semi-structured surveys, field sampling and checking and laboratory analysis. The evaluated farms were selected from a stratified sampling and a simple random sampling applied to each group (high, middle, low). Three management systems were studied, the weaned calves, that of double purpose and the weaned calves and calves for fattening. The indicators used for the ecological assessment were; for the soil resource: pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter percentage, nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, texture, bulk density, compaction, type of macro-fauna, worms, depth of roots, abundance of roots and soil color; for the water resource: pH, electrical conductivity, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides, sulfates; for vegetation: yield, vegetation cover, plant species to provide shade to animals, plant strata, plant coloring and invasive species (animal / plant). As observed, in the management systems, the lack of consistency between the use and conservation of natural resources such as the water, soil and vegetation is remarkable, which requires to look for alternatives of sustainable production.