Potential distribution of two leguminous species in the microbasin Tula, Mexico

Abstract

Macroptilium atropurpureum (DC.) Urb and Vicia sativa L. are two forage species with potential for the rehabilitation of soils that tolerate drought, compete with unwanted plants and fix nitrogen. However, its potential distribution in Mexico and the convenient areas to introduce them are unknown. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the potential geographical distribution of M. atropurpureum and V. sativa, in the Tula micro-basin, Mexico using the BIOCLIM ecological niche model, to determine their optimal growth zones, for soil rehabilitation purposes. For the modeling, 15 bioclimatic variables were used, as well as 19 records of the presence of the species V. sativa and 219 of M. atropurpureum, obtained from the REMIB and MEXU databases. The modeling results indicated that the models, for M. atropurpureum and V. sativa, have a good predictive capacity, according to the values obtained from the Area under the Curve, AUC, with 0.801 and 0.967, respectively. The potential distribution of the V. sativa species ranged from low to very low, 96% of the surface of the micro-basin; while 97% of the surface for M. atropurpureum was very low and they registered a regular survival with 70% and 66%, respectively, in the experimental validation in the field. Due to the low distribution potential and their regular survival, the introduction of the two species was not considered an option for soil rehabilitation in the Tula microbasin.