Geoecología, cambio ambiental y paisaje : homenaje al profesor José María García Ruiz

Abstract

Flood irrigated citrus orchard abandonment in eastern Spain is due to socio-economic changes and the small size of the farms. By means of a cylinder infiltrometer and measurements of soil organic matter we conclude that land abandonment favours an increase in total carbon and infiltration rates. The recovery showed a crisis in the first year after abandonment, when the vegetation did not recover and the soil was affected by a surface crust. Although the abandoned orchards did not receive fertilizers or irrigation, the abandonment is positive for recovery of organic matter and infiltration rates