Digitalización y sistematización de la información edáfica histórica del Valle Inferior del Río Negro, Argentina

Ana Paula Sylvester; Evelyn María Neffen; Julia Lucia Bazzani

doi:10.19137/semiarida.2026(1).61-69

Ana Paula Sylvester Investigadora Independiente https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8131-1231
Evelyn María Neffen EEA INTA Valle Inferior de Rio Negro Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro-Sede Atlántica https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5912-6957
Julia Lucia Bazzani Centro de Investigación y Transferencia Río Negro - Sede Atlántica (CIT UNRN - CONICET) https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1122-957X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19137/semiarida.2026(1).61-69

Keywords:

GIS, geographic information systems, soil zoning, georeferencing, QGIS

Abstract

In the Lower Río Negro Valley (VIRN), during the 1960s, soil surveys were carried out that made it possible to characterize and group soils according to similarities in their components (texture, drainage, parent material, geomorphology, among others), taking into account the different profile horizons. These surveys resulted in the delineation of 15 soil mapping units of the soil-association type, represented in printed maps at a scale of 1:75,000, which are locally referred to as “soil series”. This information provided the technical basis for irrigation planning by the Lower Valley Development Institute (IDEVI). However, current access to these materials is limited due to their physical format and the partial loss of some original documents. In this context, the aim of this work was to digitize, georeference, and integrate the historical soil maps from IDEVI and their extension towards the coastal area into a unified Geographic Information System (GIS), covering a total area of 42,071 ha, using the open-source software QGIS. The main outputs include raster and vector products; unified soil maps, zoning based on soil attributes within the GIS environment, the recovery of previously lost information, and the reworking of the historical cartography for its visualization al scales of 1:120,000 (irrigated valley) and 1:200,000 (integrated valley-coast area), with cartographic layouts of adecuate readability and scalability. These products not only preserve a valuable technical legacy, but also provide updated tools to support research, outreach, and sustainable land management decisions in the region.

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Author Biographies

Ana Paula Sylvester, Investigadora Independiente

Ana Paula Sylvester is an Agronomist who graduated from the National University of Río Negro (UNRN). She received a Scientific Vocation Stimulation fellowship (CIN) and has participated in multiple research projects related to soil quality, stubble management, and crop agroclimatology in Norpatagonia. She has collaborated on research concerning walnut cultivation and soil fauna associated with corn, and has presented her work at national and international scientific events such as the National Congress of Soil Ecology and Biology (CONEBIOS), the Argentine Congress of Horticulture, and the National Environmental Conferences. Her scientific output includes an undergraduate thesis on territorial characterization using GIS. In teaching, she has served as an ad honorem student assistant in the Extensive Crops and Edaphology courses at UNRN, and has experience teaching mathematics and physical chemistry at the secondary school level. She has completed postgraduate courses in experimental statistics and soil quality. She complements her training with volunteer activities, professional internships, and workshops on good agricultural practices and beekeeping. Currently, she continues her academic development in pedagogical training and institutional communication.

Evelyn María Neffen, EEA INTA Valle Inferior de Rio Negro Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro-Sede Atlántica

Evelyn Neffen is an Agricultural Engineer from UN del Litoral and holds an M.Sc. in Irrigation and Drainage from UN de Cuyo. Since 2015, she has been working at INTA, where she is part of the Plant Production area at the Lower Valley Agricultural Experimental Station. She actively participates in research and extension projects related to water management in agricultural systems, collaborating with farmers, cooperatives, and associations. She is the author and co-author of over 15 scientific and outreach publications, has presented more than 10 papers at national and regional conferences, and has contributed to book chapters. In academia, since 2021, she has served as an Assistant in Botany and Plant Systematics for the Agricultural Engineering program at UNRN's Atlantic Campus. In terms of management, she participates in INTA's National Corn Network and the Río Negro College of Agronomists (CPIA) Commission. Currently, she continues to develop activities related to fertigation, edaphic characterization with digital tools, evaluation of irrigated productivity, and crop monitoring.

Julia Lucia Bazzani, Centro de Investigación y Transferencia Río Negro - Sede Atlántica (CIT UNRN - CONICET)

Julia Lucía Bazzani holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology with a specialization in Zoology from the National University of La Plata (UNLP). She's currently completing her PhD in Natural Sciences (UNLP) and a Specialization in University Teaching (UNRN). As a Chief of Practical Works at the National University of Río Negro (UNRN), she teaches various courses in the Natural Sciences area and delivers postgraduate courses. Her research focuses on soil ecology, specifically on soil fauna as a bioindicator of sustainability in irrigated agroecosystems. She has been part of interdisciplinary teams in over ten research and extension projects, both as a researcher and a fellow. She's currently involved in studies on the impact of agricultural management on soil biodiversity in Norpatagonia. Julia has supervised and co-supervised undergraduate theses and initiation fellowships.

She has authored scientific publications, book chapters, and presentations at national and international conferences. She has also participated in numerous training programs on ecology, agroecology, edaphology, applied statistics, and scientific writing. In university governance, she has served as a full council member on collegiate bodies at both UNRN and UNLP, and as a member of advisory committees for teaching positions. Her work integrates teaching, research, extension, and management, with a strong orientation towards soil biodiversity conservation and the sustainability of agro-productive systems.

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