A 2020–2023 record of soil biology on Sereno de Cerro land. Nine BeCrop microbiome samples across the parcels of Unión de Tula, including one reference sample from a neighboring conventional plot. Each sample is broken down section by section with consultant-level interpretation. This page is the private analytical layer behind the project.

How to Read This Document

Each sample entry contains: parcel context, microbial census, soil quality indices, plant health and biocontrol profile, hormone production, stress adaptation, primary nutrient cycling (C/N/P/K), secondary micronutrients, microbial community composition, and a synthesis paragraph with management implications.

Rating scale used by BeCrop: No detectado, Muy bajo, Bajo, Medio, Alto, Muy alto. These are ordinal categories, not numbers — interval distances between tiers are not equal.

Interpretive note throughout: All "functional" metrics (hormone production, stress adaptation, biocontrol, nutrient cycling) are taxonomy-based proxies — inferences from which microbial species are present, not direct measurements of those processes occurring in the soil. The dataset describes microbial capacity, not microbial activity.

Sample Inventory

Per-Sample Analysis

C3F000 — Ixtero Amarillo, December 2020

The bookend sample. The earliest dated sample in the dataset, taken on a parcel planted with Ixtero Amarillo (one of your eight signature varietals). Soil texture documented as Franco-arcilloso (clay-loam). Sampled in the dry season, before the project formally renamed from Diosa Mezcal. This was the first BeCrop ever run on Sereno de Cerro land, on platform version 1.0 — meaning some metrics standard in later reports are absent (microbial counts, fungal:bacterial ratio).

Microbial census. 574 species detected. Total bacteria and fungi counts are unavailable in this report (BeCrop 1.0 limitation). Comparable species count to other Sereno de Cerro 2021 samples — moderately diverse, in line with what tropical dry forest soil supports under low-disturbance conditions.

Soil quality. Biosostenibilidad Alto, Biodiversidad Alto, Funcionalidad Muy alto, Resistencia Medio. This is the strongest soil quality profile in the dataset. Every other Sereno de Cerro sample shows lower biodiversity and lower resilience. Two interpretations are possible: either this parcel was genuinely less disturbed in 2020, or the BeCrop 1.0 platform scored differently than the 2.0/3.0 versions used later (a methodologically real concern). Both are likely contributing.

Health and biocontrol. Estado salud Bajo — and here's why: Podredumbre de raíz y corona is detected at Alto, with Fusarium sp. identified as the dominant pathogenic microorganism. The notes report "100 of 100 parcels analyzed are affected by root/crown rot" — likely a reference frame statement, not a parcel-specific claim. Antracnosis, podredumbre del pie, and pudrición del cogollo are not detected. Biocontrol agents are weak: fungicidal Bajo, insecticidal Bajo, nematicidal Medio, bactericidal not detected. The pathogen pressure is real, but the soil's biological defenses against it were limited at this point.

Hormones. Producción de hormonas Muy alto, with auxin Alto, cytokinin Muy alto, gibberellin Muy alto. Strong growth-stimulation signature across the board — cell division, differentiation, shoot elongation, germination, and flowering all supported by present microbial taxa.

Stress adaptation. Muy alto overall but with a specific shape: ACC desaminasa Muy alto (drought and pathogen protection), siderophore production Muy alto (iron mobilization), tolerance to salinity Muy alto. But exopolysaccharide production is Bajo, heavy metal resistance Bajo, abscisic acid Bajo, and salicylic acid not detected. The community is well-adapted to drought and iron-limitation stress but less prepared for chemical/salinity stress or pathogen-signal-driven defense.

Carbon cycling. Overall Medio. Carbon fixation Alto, organic matter release Muy alto — the soil is gaining carbon and releasing organic matter actively. Aerobic respiration Medio, fermentation Medio, methanogenesis Medio — balanced loss pathways. This is a healthier carbon profile than most later samples, where fermentation often dominates.

Nitrogen cycling. Overall Bajo. But nitrogen consumption is Alto and N cycling Muy alto — the microbes are actively consuming and cycling N, which depletes plant-available pools. This is the typical microbial-competition profile in carbon-rich, low-N soils.

Phosphorus cycling. Overall Muy alto. Solubilization, consumption, and organic P assimilation all Muy alto or Alto. This is the only sample in the dataset with strong P availability. The microbial community is mobilizing phosphorus efficiently — likely linked to the higher mycorrhizal activity implied by the strong functional scores.

Potassium cycling. Overall Muy alto. Both solubilization and consumption Muy alto. Same interpretation as P — strong K mobilization is unusual in this dataset and worth understanding.

Secondary micronutrients. Iron Muy alto, copper Muy alto, magnesium Muy alto, sulfur Muy alto, zinc Alto, manganese Alto, calcium Medio, chlorine Medio. The richest micronutrient profile in the dataset. Almost every secondary element is at Alto or Muy alto.

Community composition. Fungi: 80% Ascomycota (typical for managed soils, dominant decomposers), 19% Basidiomycota (wood decomposers, mycorrhizae), 0% Glomeromycota (the arbuscular mycorrhizal phylum is absent in detection — notable). Bacteria: 29% Actinobacteriota (drought-tolerant, antibiotic producers), 25% Proteobacteria (versatile metabolism), 9% Planctomycetota (unusual phylum, slow-growing, often in nutrient-rich settings).

Synthesis. The 2020 Ixtero Amarillo parcel had a strong nutrient-cycling profile and high biodiversity but was dealing with active Fusarium pressure on the root/crown system. The microbial community was good at growth promotion and drought adaptation, weak on pathogen defense. The fact that this is the only sample with strong P and K mobilization, and the only sample showing high Biosostenibilidad, suggests either parcel-specific advantages (better organic matter accumulation, higher mycorrhizal density) or platform-version effects on scoring. Management implication: track this parcel's evolution carefully in any 2026 re-sampling. If scores shifted because of platform version, the comparison is more apparent than real. If scores shifted because of management changes, the question becomes what specifically caused the regression in P/K mobilization.

C3F00P — Agave parcel, June 2021

The June 2021 cluster. First sample of the three Sereno de Cerro June 2021 samples — same date, same general parcel area, planted with Agave (variety unspecified beyond that). All three June samples were collected in the same week, controlling for season and weather.

Microbial census. 552 species, 1×10⁹ bacteria/g, 1×10⁷ fungi/g. Fungi:bacteria ratio 1:40.61 (more bacteria-dominant than later samples). Arbuscular:ectomycorrhiza shows Sólo Ectomicorrizas — only ectomycorrhizal fungi detected, no arbuscular fungi present. This matters for agave because agave is fundamentally an arbuscular mycorrhiza-dependent host. The absence of arbuscular fungi here means the agaves on this parcel are not getting the mycorrhizal partnership their root biology evolved to use.

Soil quality. Biodiversidad Bajo, Funcionalidad Alto, Resistencia Muy bajo. The high-functionality / low-resilience pattern that becomes the dataset's dominant signature begins here. This soil is doing biological work but lacks redundancy — if a stress event removes the species currently doing the work, there are not enough alternates ready to step in.

Health and biocontrol. Estado salud Medio. Marchitez del agave Bajo, podredumbre de raíz y corona Bajo — both major agave threats present at low levels. Antracnosis, podredumbre del pie, podredumbre blanda bacteriana, and pudrición del cogollo all not detected. Biocontrol agents are strong: fungicidal Muy alto, insecticidal Alto, nematicidal Medio, bactericidal not detected. The community is well-prepared against fungal pathogens but has no detected bactericidal capacity.

Hormones. Producción de hormonas Muy alto. Auxin Muy alto, cytokinin Alto, gibberellin Muy alto. Very strong growth-promoting signature.

Stress adaptation. Overall Alto. Notable strengths: exopolysaccharide production Muy alto (drought protection, salinity buffering), heavy metal resistance Muy alto, abscisic acid Muy alto (yield-related plant resilience hormone). ACC desaminasa Alto, siderophore production Alto. Salicylic acid not detected. Salinity tolerance Alto. The community is broadly stress-prepared with particular strength in drought and metal tolerance.

Carbon cycling. Overall Alto. Carbon fixation Bajo (the soil is not actively pulling new carbon in), but organic matter release Alto — meaning existing organic carbon is being mineralized and made available. Respiration Alto, fermentation Muy bajo — strongly aerobic carbon metabolism, which is what you want in a healthy non-waterlogged soil.

Nitrogen cycling. Overall Bajo. Nitrogen release Bajo, consumption Bajo, but N cycling Alto — the microbes are recycling N internally rather than making it available to plants.

Phosphorus and potassium. Both Alto. Solubilization, consumption, and assimilation all Alto. Strong nutrient mobilization profile, comparable to C3F000 — these are the parcels in the dataset with functional P and K availability.

Secondary micronutrients. Iron Alto, copper Alto, magnesium Alto, manganese Medio, sulfur Medio, chlorine Bajo, zinc Bajo, calcium Muy bajo. Calcium availability is notably low — relevant for agave cell wall structure and for the Filipino still distillation if cooking water sources are calcium-deficient.

Community composition. Fungi: 96% Ascomycota dominance — extreme. Basidiomycota only 4%, Mortierellomycota absent. This is one of the most fungally simplified samples in the dataset. The community is processing organic matter through Ascomycota almost exclusively. Bacteria: 35% Actinobacteriota, 27% Proteobacteria, 12% Acidobacteriota — diverse bacterial community despite the fungal narrowness.

Synthesis. A high-functioning agave parcel with strong nutrient cycling, strong biocontrol against fungi, and good drought stress preparation. The two notable concerns: extreme Ascomycota dominance (96%) reduces the fungal community's adaptability, and the absence of arbuscular mycorrhiza means agaves are missing their primary fungal symbiont. Management implication: if you want to encourage arbuscular mycorrhizal recovery, the standard interventions are reducing tillage, increasing host plant diversity, and avoiding high-P fertilization (which suppresses mycorrhizal colonization). The fermentation mix you developed may help by introducing forest-soil microbial diversity — worth checking in 2026 re-sampling whether arbuscular fungi appear.

C3F00Q — Agave parcel, June 2021

Second June 2021 sample. Same week as C3F00P, adjacent location (~30m apart by coordinates). Same variety (Agave), same management.

Microbial census. 571 species, 1×10⁸ bacteria/g, 1×10⁶ fungi/g — one order of magnitude lower microbial biomass than C3F00P. This is significant given they were sampled days apart on adjacent parcels. Fungi:bacteria ratio 1:205.87 — much more bacteria-dominant than C3F00P. Arbuscular:ectomycorrhiza 1:19 — small but present arbuscular component.

Soil quality. Biodiversidad Bajo, Funcionalidad Alto, Resistencia Muy alto. This is the only Sereno de Cerro sample with Resistencia rated Muy alto. Worth understanding why this parcel scored so differently on resilience than its immediate neighbors. May be linked to the slightly higher fungal diversity inferred from the arbuscular component being present.

Health and biocontrol. Estado salud Medio. Marchitez del agave Muy bajo, podredumbre de raíz y corona Muy bajo — even lower pathogen pressure than C3F00P. Biocontrol: fungicidal Muy alto, insecticidal Muy alto (the strongest insecticide score in the dataset), nematicidal Medio, bactericidal not detected. Notably strong defensive profile.

Hormones. Producción de hormonas Muy alto, but with a different shape: auxin Alto, cytokinin Bajo, gibberellin Muy alto. Cytokinin signaling is weaker than in most other samples — relevant because cytokinins drive cell proliferation and shoot/root differentiation.

Stress adaptation. Overall Medio — this is one of the lower stress-adaptation scores in the dataset, despite the high resilience rating. The two are not the same: resilience is overall community structure, stress adaptation is specific functional traits. EPS Alto, ACC desaminasa Bajo, heavy metal resistance Medio, salicylic acid Medio (one of the few samples with detectable SA), salinity tolerance Bajo, ABA Alto, siderophores Alto.

Carbon cycling. Overall Alto. Carbon fixation Bajo, respiration Medio, fermentation Bajo, methanogenesis Bajo, organic matter release Alto. Cleaner aerobic carbon profile than most samples.

Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Same pattern as C3F00P: N Bajo, P Alto, K Alto, with strong solubilization and active consumption across all three. The June 2021 Agave parcels share this nutrient signature.

Secondary micronutrients. Nearly identical to C3F00P: Fe Muy alto, Cu Alto, Mg Alto, Mn Medio, S Medio, Ca Bajo, Cl Bajo, Zn Bajo.

Community composition. Fungi: 90% Ascomycota, 9% Basidiomycota, 1% Mortierellomycota. Less extreme fungal narrowness than C3F00P. Bacteria: 35% Actinobacteriota, 28% Proteobacteria, 7% Acidobacteriota.

Synthesis. This parcel shows the dataset's only Muy alto resilience score, paired with strong biocontrol and the most diverse insecticide-producing community. Lower microbial biomass than its neighbor C3F00P but better community structure (some arbuscular fungi present, less extreme Ascomycota dominance). Management implication: this parcel may be a positive control — whatever conditions exist here (slightly different drainage? different micro-habitat? more native plant cover?) appear to support better community structure. Worth walking the actual location and noting what's different from C3F00P 30m away.

C3F00R — Agave parcel, June 2021

Third June 2021 sample. Same week, same parcel area, Agave variety. Coordinates place this further west than P and Q.

Microbial census. 468 species — the lowest species count of the entire dataset. 1×10⁹ bacteria/g, 1×10⁷ fungi/g. Fungi:bacteria 1:81.96. Arbuscular:ectomycorrhiza 1:14 — small arbuscular component present.

Soil quality. Biodiversidad Bajo, Funcionalidad Alto, Resistencia Muy bajo. Standard high-function/low-resilience pattern.

Health and biocontrol. Estado salud Medio. Marchitez Bajo, podredumbre de raíz Bajo. Biocontrol: fungicidal Alto, insecticidal Muy alto, nematicidal Medio, bactericidal not detected.

Hormones. Producción de hormonas Alto (notably one tier lower than P and Q, the only June 2021 sample not rated Muy alto). Auxin Alto, cytokinin Bajo, gibberellin Alto.

Stress adaptation. Overall Medio. EPS Muy alto, ACC desaminasa Medio, heavy metal resistance Alto, salicylic acid not detected, salinity tolerance Bajo, ABA Muy alto, siderophores Medio.

Carbon, N, P, K cycling. Identical pattern to P and Q: C Alto with low fixation but high OM release, N Bajo with active cycling, P Alto, K Alto with strong solubilization. The June 2021 cluster shares a consistent nutrient signature.

Secondary micronutrients. Fe Muy alto, Cu Alto, Mg Alto, Mn Medio, S Medio, Ca Bajo, Cl Bajo, Zn Bajo. Same as P and Q.

Community composition. Fungi: 93% Ascomycota, 7% Basidiomycota, 0% Mortierellomycota. Bacteria: 36% Actinobacteriota, 30% Proteobacteria, 8% Verrucomicrobiota (different bacterial third member than P and Q's Acidobacteriota — Verrucomicrobiota is associated with carbon-rich soils and root environments).

Synthesis. Lowest species count and lowest hormone production of the June 2021 cluster, but otherwise consistent with its neighbors. The Verrucomicrobiota presence is a small differentiator — these bacteria are increasingly recognized as important for carbon stabilization and root health. Management implication: the June 2021 cluster (P, Q, R) tells a coherent story of consistent nutrient cycling and biocontrol across adjacent parcels, with parcel-specific variation in resilience and biomass. Treat this as a single management zone for purposes of intervention — what works here works across all three.

C3F00X — Pitaya parcel, September 2021

The September 2021 cluster opens. Different host plant — Pitaya rather than Agave. Different season (peak rainy season). Coordinates put this northeast of the June cluster. The variety change is important: BeCrop scoring is crop-specific, and the platform's reference framework for Pitaya may differ from Agave.

Microbial census. 764 species — significantly higher than the June cluster. This is consistent with seasonal effect (more biomass post-rains) plus possibly a more diverse host rhizosphere. 1×10⁹ bacteria/g, 1×10⁶ fungi/g (notably low fungi). Fungi:bacteria 1:519.82 — heavily bacteria-dominant. Arbuscular:ectomycorrhiza 1:50 — almost entirely ectomycorrhizal.

Soil quality. Biodiversidad Bajo (despite high species count — counterintuitive but reflects evenness/distribution metrics, not just count), Funcionalidad Medio, Resistencia Muy bajo.

Health and biocontrol. Estado salud Medio. Marchitez Bajo, podredumbre de raíz Bajo. Biocontrol: fungicidal Alto, insecticidal Medio, nematicidal Medio, bactericidal not detected.

Hormones. Producción de hormonas Muy alto. Auxin Muy alto, cytokinin Bajo, gibberellin Alto.

Stress adaptation. Overall Bajo — the lowest stress adaptation score in the dataset. EPS Muy alto (one bright spot), ACC desaminasa Medio, heavy metal resistance Alto, salinity tolerance Bajo, ABA Alto, siderophores Bajo. The community has lost most of its drought-stress preparation despite strong EPS.

Carbon cycling. Overall Bajo — also unusually low. But every sub-pathway is Alto: fixation Alto, respiration Alto, fermentation Alto, methanogenesis Alto, OM release Alto. The overall score reflects integrated balance, not absolute activity. This soil has very active carbon cycling but in chaotic directions — gain and loss happening simultaneously, suggesting an unstable equilibrium.

Nitrogen cycling. Overall Muy alto — the highest N score in the dataset. Release Muy alto, consumption Muy alto, cycling Muy alto. Heavy nitrogen turnover. Plausibly linked to the post-rainy-season pulse of microbial activity.

Phosphorus. Overall Muy bajo. Solubilization Muy bajo, but consumption Muy alto and assimilation Muy alto — the microbes are pulling P out of the soil aggressively but not making new P available. This is the nutrient signature of a system competing with the plant for phosphorus.

Potassium. Overall Muy bajo. Same pattern as P — solubilization Muy bajo, consumption Muy alto. Same competition signature.

Secondary micronutrients. Fe Muy alto, Cu Muy alto, Mg Muy alto, Cl Muy alto (only sample with high chlorine), Ca Alto, Zn Medio, S Bajo, Mn Bajo.

Community composition. Fungi: 56% Ascomycota, 36% Basidiomycota, 8% Mortierellomycota — the most balanced fungal community in the dataset. Less Ascomycota dominance, real Basidiomycota presence. Bacteria: 38% Proteobacteria, 25% Verrucomicrobiota (high), 12% Actinobacteriota — Proteobacteria-led community, very different from the Actinobacteriota-led June cluster.

Synthesis. The Pitaya parcel shows a fundamentally different microbial structure from the Agave parcels: post-rainy-season biomass burst, balanced fungal community, Proteobacteria-led bacterial profile, and a stress-adaptation profile that has degraded compared to dry-season samples. The P and K story is concerning — the soil microbes are competing with the plant rather than provisioning it. Management implication: Pitaya rhizosphere biology is genuinely different from Agave's, and the seasonal effect compounds the difference. Don't treat this sample as comparable to the June Agave cluster. If you re-sample, do it in the same season (June or September, not both) to control for seasonal noise.

C3F00Y — Pronto Agave parcel, September 2021

Wild agave parcel. Pronto Agave is the wild Pacific-coast agave (Agave maximiliana or related), not a cultivated varietal. This sample reflects soil under a wild-harvest agave rather than a planted parcel. Coordinates north of the Pitaya parcel.

Microbial census. 704 species, 1×10⁸ bacteria/g, 1×10⁶ fungi/g (low fungi, low bacterial biomass relative to other September samples). Fungi:bacteria 1:98.41. Arbuscular:ectomycorrhiza shows Sólo Ectomicorrizas — no arbuscular mycorrhiza detected.

Soil quality. Biodiversidad Muy bajo (despite 704 species — the lowest biodiversity rating in the dataset by category), Funcionalidad Alto, Resistencia Muy bajo.

Health and biocontrol. Estado salud Medio. Marchitez Bajo, podredumbre de raíz Bajo. Biocontrol: fungicidal Alto, insecticidal Medio, nematicidal Alto, bactericidal not detected.

Hormones. Producción de hormonas Muy alto. Auxin Muy alto, cytokinin Medio, gibberellin Alto.

Stress adaptation. Overall Alto. EPS Alto, ACC desaminasa Alto, heavy metal resistance Medio, salinity tolerance Medio, ABA Alto, siderophores Medio. Balanced stress profile.

Carbon cycling. Overall Medio. Fixation Medio, respiration Medio, fermentation Alto, methanogenesis Medio, OM release Medio. Elevated fermentation.

Nitrogen. Overall Medio. Balanced release/consumption/cycling at Medio level.

Phosphorus and potassium. Both Muy bajo. Same pattern as C3F00X — low solubilization, high consumption, high competition.

Secondary micronutrients. Fe Alto, Cu Alto, Mg Alto, Mn Medio, S Medio, Cl Medio, Ca Bajo, Zn Bajo.

Community composition. Fungi: 57% Ascomycota, 35% Basidiomycota, 8% Mortierellomycota — balanced fungal community similar to Pitaya. Bacteria: 40% Proteobacteria, 14% Actinobacteriota, 8% Verrucomicrobiota.

Synthesis. Wild Pronto Agave parcel shows a similar September signature to Pitaya — Proteobacteria-led, balanced fungi, P/K depletion — but with stronger stress adaptation. The complete absence of arbuscular mycorrhiza in a wild agave's rhizosphere is genuinely surprising and worth verifying in re-sampling. Management implication: wild Pronto Agave rhizosphere may be ecologically distinct enough to warrant its own management approach in any future regenerative protocol. Don't extrapolate from cultivated Agave parcels to the wild Pronto plots.

C3F00Z — Pronto Agave parcel, September 2021

Highest-biomass sample. Second Pronto Agave sample, slightly different coordinates (further north). Same date and season as Y and X.

Microbial census. 886 species — the highest species count in the dataset. 1×10¹⁰ bacteria/g — one to two orders of magnitude higher than every other sample. 1×10⁶ fungi/g. Fungi:bacteria 1:7,767.33 — extreme bacteria dominance. Arbuscular:ectomycorrhiza shows Sólo Ectomicorrizas.

Soil quality. Biodiversidad Medio, Funcionalidad Medio, Resistencia Muy alto. Second sample in the dataset with Muy alto resilience. The combination of very high bacterial biomass plus moderate diversity plus Muy alto resilience suggests a mature, stable bacterial community.

Health and biocontrol. Estado salud Medio. Marchitez Muy bajo, podredumbre de raíz Muy bajo — lowest pathogen pressure of the September samples. Biocontrol: fungicidal Alto, insecticidal Medio, nematicidal Alto, bactericidal not detected.

Hormones. Producción de hormonas Muy alto. Auxin Muy alto, cytokinin Bajo, gibberellin Alto.

Stress adaptation. Overall Medio. EPS Muy alto, ACC desaminasa Medio, heavy metal resistance Medio, salinity tolerance Bajo, ABA Muy alto, siderophores Medio.

Carbon cycling. Overall Medio. Fixation Medio, respiration Alto, fermentation Medio, methanogenesis Bajo, OM release Medio. Cleanest carbon profile of the September cluster — mostly aerobic.

Nitrogen. Overall Medio with all sub-metrics Medio. Balanced.

Phosphorus and potassium. Both Muy bajo — same depletion as X and Y, despite the high microbial biomass.

Secondary micronutrients. Fe Alto, Cu Alto, Mg Alto, S Alto, Cl Medio, Ca Bajo, Mn Bajo, Zn Muy bajo.

Community composition. Fungi: 58% Ascomycota, 32% Basidiomycota, 10% Mortierellomycota — most balanced fungal community of dataset. Bacteria: 37% Proteobacteria, 16% Acidobacteriota, 11% Bacteroidota — Bacteroidota presence is notable, associated with active organic matter decomposition.

Synthesis. This is the most biomass-rich and resilient sample in the dataset. The 1×10¹⁰ bacterial count is genuinely unusual and worth verifying — if accurate, this parcel is supporting an enormous bacterial community. The combination of Pronto Agave host, post-rainy-season timing, balanced fungal community, and extreme bacterial dominance suggests a thriving rhizosphere on a wild agave — exactly the kind of "reference natural" condition you'd want to learn from. Management implication: if this parcel's biomass and resilience are real, the question becomes what's making it work — coordinates put it on a slightly different microhabitat than C3F00Y just downhill. Worth walking with this sample's data in hand to identify what's structurally different. The persistent P/K depletion suggests these wild agaves are extracting heavily from nutrient pools — the soil supports them but doesn't replenish.

C3F010 — Monocultivo Inorgánico (Reference), November 2021

The conventional comparison. This is the only non-Sereno-de-Cerro sample in the dataset. Located ~600 meters west of the Sereno cluster. Crop reported as Milpa + Calabaza (corn + squash) — a polyculture, despite the parcel name "Monocultivo Inorgánico." The naming likely reflects a synthetic-input management approach rather than literal monoculture. Functions as the dataset's reference sample for comparison.

Microbial census. 713 species, 1×10⁹ bacteria/g, 1×10⁷ fungi/g. Fungi:bacteria 1:132.84. Arbuscular:ectomycorrhiza 1:20.

Soil quality. Biodiversidad Medio, Funcionalidad Medio, Resistencia Muy bajo. The Medio biodiversity rating is higher than most Sereno de Cerro samples. This is a notable comparison point — the conventionally managed neighboring parcel scores higher on biodiversity than your samples. Possible explanations: the milpa polyculture supports diverse rhizospheres, the parcel may have more recent organic inputs, or the reference frame BeCrop applied differs.

Health and biocontrol. Estado salud Medio. Marchitez Bajo, podredumbre de raíz Bajo. Biocontrol: fungicidal Medio, insecticidal Medio, nematicidal Medio, bactericidal not detected. Notably weaker biocontrol than Sereno de Cerro samples. This is a real differentiator — your parcels show consistently stronger fungal/insect/nematode defense than this reference.

Hormones. Producción de hormonas Alto (one tier lower than most Sereno samples). Auxin Medio, cytokinin Bajo, gibberellin Muy alto.

Stress adaptation. Overall Bajo. EPS Alto, ACC desaminasa Medio, heavy metal resistance Medio, salicylic acid Bajo (one of the few samples with detectable SA), salinity tolerance Bajo, ABA Alto, siderophores Medio. Also notably weaker than most Sereno samples.

Carbon cycling. Overall Alto. Fixation Muy bajo (the soil is not pulling new carbon in), respiration Medio, fermentation Bajo, methanogenesis Muy bajo, OM release Medio.

Nitrogen. Overall Bajo. Release Bajo, consumption Muy bajo, cycling Medio.

Phosphorus. Overall Medio. Solubilization Medio, consumption Bajo, assimilation Medio.

Potassium. Overall Medio. Solubilization Medio, consumption Medio.

Secondary micronutrients. Mg Muy alto, Fe Alto, Mn Medio, S Medio, Cl Medio, Zn Bajo, Cu Bajo, Ca Muy bajo.

Community composition. Fungi: 69% Ascomycota, 24% Basidiomycota, 7% Mortierellomycota — moderately balanced. Bacteria: 23% Actinobacteriota, 19% Proteobacteria, 12% Bacteroidota.

Synthesis. The conventional reference parcel scores meaningfully lower than most Sereno de Cerro samples on biocontrol, hormone production, and stress adaptation. It scores higher on biodiversity rating (despite similar species count) and shows medium P/K availability. Carbon profile is muted (low fixation, low metabolism overall). Comparison takeaway: Sereno de Cerro samples generally show stronger functional outputs (biocontrol, hormones, stress adaptation) than this conventional reference, while the reference shows more even biodiversity and slightly better nutrient mobilization. The functional advantage of your parcels is real and worth defending in narrative. The biodiversity gap is also real and worth working on. Important caveat: n=1 reference sample is not a comparative dataset. Don't make publication-grade claims from this single comparison.

C3F011 — Azul Reserva Genética, April 2023

The most recent sample. The only post-investment, pre-fire sample. Taken on the parcel where Cascahuín invested 700 Agave Azul in 2023 — what would later become the genetic reserve after the 2025 fire. This is the most strategically important sample in the dataset because it captures the soil baseline at the moment your industry partnership materialized into capital, and predates both the wildfire and the post-fire fermentation amendment. Sampled on BeCrop platform 3.0 — newest methodology version, partial backward comparability with 2.0 samples.

Microbial census. 373 species — the lowest species count in the dataset by a wide margin. 1×10⁹ bacteria/g, 1×10⁷ fungi/g. Fungi:bacteria 1:139. Arbuscular:ectomycorrhiza 1.4:1 — the only sample where arbuscular mycorrhiza dominate ectomycorrhiza. This is biologically appropriate for blue agave, which is fundamentally an arbuscular-mycorrhizal-dependent host. The community is structurally aligned with the planted variety.

Soil quality. Biosostenibilidad Bajo, Biodiversidad Bajo, Funcionalidad Muy alto, Resistencia Muy bajo. The signature pattern: high function, low diversity, low resilience.

Health and biocontrol. Estado salud Medio. Marchitez Bajo, podredumbre de raíz Bajo. Antracnosis, podredumbre del pie, podredumbre blanda bacteriana, pudrición del cogollo all not detected. Biocontrol: fungicidal Muy alto, insecticidal Alto, nematicidal Alto, bactericidal Muy bajo (first sample with detectable bactericidal capacity, though weak). Strongest biocontrol profile in the dataset.

Hormones. Producción de hormonas Alto. Auxin Alto, cytokinin Muy alto, gibberellin Muy alto. Strong reproductive-phase hormone signaling — gibberellin in particular drives flowering, which is relevant for the planned use of this parcel as a genetic reserve.

Stress adaptation. Overall Alto. EPS Bajo (notably low for this dataset), ACC desaminasa Muy alto, heavy metal resistance Alto, salicylic acid not detected, salinity tolerance Alto, ABA Muy alto, siderophores Muy alto. Multiple Muy alto signals — the community is well-prepared for drought, pathogen-defense signaling, and iron mobilization.

Carbon cycling. Overall Alto. Fixation Muy bajo, respiration Muy bajo, fermentation Muy alto, methanogenesis Medio, OM release Medio. Fermentation-dominant carbon metabolism with very low aerobic respiration. This is unusual and worth field investigation. It can indicate compaction, transient waterlogging, or community structure pushed toward anaerobic pathways. In a planted blue agave parcel, this pattern is suboptimal — blue agave roots want aerobic, well-drained conditions.

Nitrogen. Overall Medio. Release Medio, consumption Muy bajo, cycling Medio. Not actively depleted, balanced.

Phosphorus. Overall Bajo. Solubilization Bajo, consumption Bajo, assimilation Bajo. Uniformly muted P cycling — the microbes are neither making P available nor consuming it heavily.

Potassium. Overall Bajo. Solubilization and consumption both Bajo. Same uniformly muted pattern.

Secondary micronutrients. Ca Alto, Zn Alto, Fe Medio, Mg Medio, S Bajo, Mn Muy bajo, Cu Muy bajo, Cl Muy bajo. Notable: high calcium and zinc availability, very low manganese and copper. The Ca pattern is good for cell wall structure; the Mn deficiency could affect photosynthesis if it carries through to plant uptake.

Community composition. Fungi: 86% Ascomycota, 8% Basidiomycota, 4% Mortierellomycota. Bacteria: 34% Firmicutes — the only sample with major Firmicutes dominance. 25% Actinobacteriota, 18% Proteobacteria. The Firmicutes signal matters. Firmicutes include many spore-forming, stress-resistant bacteria — they tend to dominate in soils that have been through drying, heating, or strong selective pressure. Their dominance here suggests the community has been filtered toward tolerant generalists rather than diversified specialists.

Synthesis. The April 2023 Azul Reserva sample captures the soil baseline of what would become your genetic reserve. The community is functionally strong (biocontrol Muy alto, hormones Alto, stress adaptation Alto) but structurally narrow (lowest species count, Firmicutes-filtered, fermentation-dominant carbon metabolism). The arbuscular mycorrhizal dominance is biologically appropriate for blue agave and a real positive — this is the only sample showing the right mycorrhizal partnership for the host. The fermentation-heavy carbon profile suggests soil conditions that are not fully aerobic. Management implications: (1) the 2025 fire and your post-fire fermentation mix amendment have happened after this baseline — when you re-sample in 2026, you're measuring the cumulative effect of fire + amendment + 3 years of management; (2) the Firmicutes dominance and low diversity are exactly the conditions where the post-fire amendment could meaningfully shift the community — re-sampling will tell you if it worked; (3) the persistent fermentation/anaerobic carbon signal is worth investigating with field observation of soil structure, drainage, and compaction in this specific parcel. (4) The biological match between arbuscular mycorrhizae and blue agave is real and worth protecting in the 2026 re-sampling design.

Soil Chemistry — CRT Laboratory Analyses

The BeCrop dataset describes microbial capacity. The Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) chemistry analyses describe what's actually in the soil. Together they tell a more complete story than either alone — biology shows what the microbes can do, chemistry shows what's there for them to work with.

Available Chemistry Records

2026 Bajo — Established Plot (Analysis #152-S)

Context. The plot most agaves currently grow on. Survived the March 2025 wildfire untouched because of rotational grazing, integrated native trees (tepames, huizaches), and access roads functioning as firebreaks. Previous use: ceboruco-agave (mixed agave with native scrub). This is your most mature regeneratively-managed parcel.

Headline finding from the lab itself. CRT's interpretive summary describes this soil as franco arenosa texture, free of salts, moderately acidic at pH 6.0, with high organic matter content at 4.04% — within the "alto" range (3.6%–6.0%) per NOM-021-SEMARNAT-2000. No specific amendment was recommended in the laboratory note.

Full results:

Key takeaways from this single result:

The 4.04% organic matter on this established, integrated plot is the most important number in the dataset so far. While not a direct comparison to either 2023 sample (different parcels), it's evidence that your most mature regenerative parcel is at the high end of the organic matter range for this soil texture in this region. This is the kind of OM level that supports microbial communities, holds water, and stabilizes carbon — and it tracks the project's narrative about integrated management protecting and building soil.

The identical potassium reading (294 mg/L) across all three CRT analyses to date is striking. K appears to be a stable property of this property — neither depleted by agave demand nor enriched by management. The BeCrop data showing variable K mobilization across parcels takes on new meaning here: the K is there; what varies is whether the microbial community is making it available.

The phosphorus drop to 6.60 mg/L (vs. 13.20 in 2023 Parte 2) is worth watching. Below 10 mg/L starts to be limiting for many crops. The BeCrop data already showed inconsistent P mobilization. If chemistry confirms low P levels in the other two 2026 samples when they return, the project's P story becomes: total P is low to moderate, microbial mobilization is inconsistent, and supplementation through organic inputs (compost, rock phosphate, biochar) is a defensible management direction.

The bulk density of 0.94 g/cm³ is the first one in your dataset. This number unlocks future carbon sequestration math — soil organic carbon stock can only be calculated when bulk density is known. Going forward, request bulk density on every CRT analysis. It's the parameter that turns OM percentage into carbon stocks per hectare.

The pH of 6.0, slightly more acidic than the 2023 baselines, is consistent with the high organic matter. Organic matter decomposition releases organic acids; healthy regenerative soils often trend slightly acidic for this reason. Not a problem at this level, just worth noting.

Cross-reference to BeCrop: No BeCrop sample has been taken on this exact Bajo parcel. The closest BeCrop samples are C3F00P, C3F00Q, C3F00R (June 2021 Agave parcels at adjacent coordinates). Those samples showed low biodiversity, high functionality, and strong P/K mobilization despite low overall N rating. The fact that this parcel's chemistry now shows stable K, modest P, and high OM is consistent with that microbial picture — a system that recycles nutrients efficiently rather than running on inputs.

2026 Medio — New Planting Area (Analysis #153-S)

Context. The chemistry baseline for the 500 new Cascahuín blue agaves being planted with the three-arm fermentation mix trial. Surface area 1.5 ha. Previous use: ceboruco-agave. This is the sample that anchors the planting experiment — every comparison the trial generates over the next 2-3 years will reference these values as the starting point.

Headline from the lab. CRT describes this as areno francosa (loamy sand) texture, free of salts, moderately acidic at pH 6.2, with medium organic matter at 2.56% (within the 1.6%-3.5% "medio" range per NOM-021-SEMARNAT-2000). No specific amendment recommended.

Full results:

Key takeaways for the planting trial:

This parcel is sandier and lower in organic matter than the established Bajo plot. That has direct implications for the 500 new blue agaves: they're being planted in soil that holds less water and has fewer microbial substrate reserves than your most mature parcel. The fermentation mix amendment may matter more here than it would on a soil already rich in organic matter.

Phosphorus at 6.60 mg/L is on the limiting side. This is the soil chemistry context the three-arm trial is operating within — if the fermentation mix improves microbial P mobilization, the effect should be detectable here because the starting point is constrained.

Nitrogen at 12 mg/L is the lowest N reading across all 2026 samples. The new agaves will benefit from N inputs over their establishment phase. The corn intercrop and native nitrogen-fixing trees (huizaches, tepames) you have planned for this area will help.

Calcium at 3,400 mg/L and CIC at 18.75 meq/100g are favorable. Good base saturation, good cation exchange — the soil can hold and supply nutrients well as they become available.

The Areno Francosa texture (sandier than Bajo or Azul Reserva) means faster drainage, less water retention, and likely faster microbial cycling of any organic inputs. The fermentation mix should integrate quickly but won't persist as long as it would in a heavier soil.

Cross-reference to the planting trial. Every measurement of agave survival, growth, and 2027/2028 chemistry change will reference this baseline. When you re-sample at 12 and 24 months post-planting, look specifically for: did OM rise? did P availability shift? did the bulk density drop (better structure)? did N level move? Those four parameters together tell you whether the regenerative trajectory on this parcel is real or only narrative.

2026 Azul Reserva — Genetic Reserve (Analysis #154-S)

Context. The post-fire, post-amendment genetic reserve plot. 1 ha. Previous use: ceboruco-agave. This is the parcel where the burned 700 Cascahuín blue agaves received fermentation amendment and recovered. This sample pairs directly with the C3F011 BeCrop sample from April 2023 taken on the same parcel before the fire and amendment. The first sample in your dataset where you have both biology (2023) and chemistry (2026) on the same physical location.

Headline from the lab. Franco arenosa texture, free of salts, moderately acidic at pH 6.3, with high organic matter at 3.73% (within the 3.6%-6.0% "alto" range). No specific amendment recommended.

Full results:

The phosphorus finding deserves careful interpretation.

33 mg/L of P on this parcel, against 6.60 mg/L on Bajo and Medio, is a real difference. Three explanations are possible, and an honest read holds all three:

The fermentation amendment. You applied a microbial inoculant (forest soil, ground corn, molasses, milk fermented 30 days) directly to the root zone of 700 burned blue agaves in 2025. Molasses contributes phosphorus. Forest soil from undisturbed monte may carry higher P than your cultivated parcels. Active microbial cycling stimulated by the amendment can mobilize P that was previously bound. The C3F011 BeCrop sample from April 2023 — before the fire and amendment — showed P rated "Bajo" with low solubilization. Three years later, on the same parcel, P chemistry shows 33 mg/L. That trajectory is consistent with amendment effect.

The fire ash deposition. Wildfire ash typically deposits significant phosphorus, calcium, and potassium. Even though K reads identically across all your parcels (294 mg/L) suggesting it's not a fire signal, P is more mobile and could reflect partial ash retention on this parcel where the burn was concentrated.

Pre-existing parcel difference. This is the "Medio Alto" position — higher slope, possibly different parent material, different drainage, different prior land use. Without a pre-fire chemistry baseline on this exact parcel, you cannot rule out that the P was always elevated here.

The honest framing: you have a noteworthy P signal on the post-amendment parcel that warrants investigation. You cannot make a causal claim from this single before/after pairing. What you can say is: "This is a meaningful chemistry difference on the parcel that received the amendment, and the 2023 BeCrop data on this same parcel showed low microbial P mobilization, which is no longer the chemistry picture."

What this means for the C3F011 → 2026 comparison.

The C3F011 BeCrop sample (April 2023) showed: 373 species, biodiversity Bajo, functionality Muy alto, resilience Muy bajo, hormones Alto, biocontrol Muy alto, P rated Bajo with Bajo solubilization, K rated Bajo, 86% Ascomycota, 34% Firmicutes dominance, 1.4:1 arbuscular:ectomycorrhiza ratio, fermentation-dominant carbon metabolism.

The April 2026 chemistry on the same parcel shows: pH 6.3, OM 3.73% (alto), P 33 mg/L (high), K 294 mg/L, Ca 3,400 mg/L, bulk density 0.91 g/cm³, EC 0.28 dS/cm.

The two datasets together suggest a parcel that was biologically functional but nutrient-limited in 2023, now showing chemistry consistent with significant nutrient cycling and organic matter accumulation in 2026. The fermentation amendment, the fire ash, and three years of mature blue agave root activity all contributed to whatever changed. Without a re-sampled BeCrop 2026 on this parcel, you cannot complete the biology side of the story. This is the strongest argument for prioritizing a 2026 BeCrop on the genetic reserve plot. If microbiome data shows shifts in P solubilization, biodiversity, and resilience that match the chemistry trajectory, you have a real before/after case study. The Biome Makers conversation should be framed around this.

Implication for the wildfire sub-study. This parcel is now your strongest candidate for a publishable wildfire-and-recovery case study. The structure is: 2023 pre-fire BeCrop baseline + 2025 fire event + 2025 post-fire fermentation amendment + 2026 chemistry showing notable P shift + planned 2026 BeCrop re-sample. That's a coherent natural experiment that tells a real story. The wildfire is no longer a setback — it's the perturbation event in a documented ecological recovery.

Cross-Sample Synthesis

The pattern of patterns. Across nine samples spanning two and a half years and seven distinct parcels, several signatures repeat consistently enough to be treated as real characteristics of Sereno de Cerro land.

Functional capacity is consistently strong. Eight of nine samples rate Funcionalidad as Alto or Muy alto. The microbial communities present on this land are doing meaningful biological work — pathogen suppression, hormone production, stress adaptation, nutrient cycling — across varietals, seasons, and parcel locations. This is the most defensible claim about your soil biology.

Resilience is consistently weak. Seven of nine samples rate Resistencia as Muy bajo. The two exceptions (C3F00Q and C3F00Z) deserve specific attention because they show what's possible. The pattern as a whole confirms what the 2025 wildfire demonstrated — your land's biological systems are functional under stable conditions but exposed to disturbance. Building resilience over the next 5-10 years should be a primary management goal.

Biocontrol is a clear strength. Six of nine samples show Biocontrol rated Alto or Muy alto, with fungicidal agents leading consistently. Major agave pathogens (anthracnose, soft rot, cogollo rot) are essentially undetected across the dataset. This is genuinely good defensive biology and a story worth telling.

Hormone production trends Muy alto. Seven of nine samples show Producción de hormonas at the highest tier. The microbial community is producing strong growth-stimulation signals — auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin all consistently elevated. Plants on this land are biologically supported for growth.

Property-Wide Synthesis: Three Plots, Two Regenerative Pathways, One Story

The 2026 CRT chemistry results, read against the BeCrop microbiome data, the management history of each plot, and the March 2025 wildfire, tell a coherent story about regenerative practice, disturbance, and recovery. Each of the three sampled plots represents a different regenerative intervention — and reading them side by side produces evidence none of them produces alone.

The three plots, in plain terms

Bajo is the plot that proves structural integration works. It's where most of your existing agaves grow. The regenerative practices here are rotational grazing and intercropping with native trees and shrubs — tepames, huizaches, ozotes — recovering naturally from the broader landscape and protected as part of the system. No corn has been intercropped here. No fermentation mix has ever been applied here. The system that exists on Bajo is built from grazing patterns and native species integration. When the March 2025 wildfire came through, this plot was untouched — the native canopy, the cattle-grazed openings, and the access roads broke the fire's path. The regenerative work on Bajo is structural and ecological, not amendment-based.

Medio is the plot that got handled lightly. One season of corn was sown there before the fire. No rotational grazing, no native species integration, no fermentation mix, no consistent management followed. The fire burned through it. After the fire, the parcel was left mostly wild. This is now the site of the three-arm fermentation mix trial — 500 new Cascahuín blue agaves arriving in roughly 60 days, with one zone receiving 60-day pre-inoculation, one zone receiving 2-week pre-inoculation, and one zone serving as untreated control.

Azul Reserva (Medio Alto) is the plot of active organic matter cycling and targeted recovery. The 700 Cascahuín blue agaves were planted here in 2023. The April 2023 BeCrop sample (C3F011) captured this soil at that moment — biologically functional but structurally narrow, with low biodiversity, low resilience, Firmicutes-dominant bacteria, and phosphorus rated Bajo with low solubilization. Over the following two years, the plot received continuous biomass input: two seasons of corn intercropped between agave rows, corn stalk mulch laid down after each harvest, living mulch from intercropping, and decomposing leaves from native species adjacent to the planting — nopales, majagua, ozote, pitayo — plus dead grasses incorporated into the mulch layer. The fermentation mix was applied during establishment as well. The fire burned through this parcel in 2025. Post-fire, the fermentation mix was applied two ways: directly to the root zone of every surviving agave, and into hundreds of holes dug between agave rows where the corn was supposed to have been planted that season. The agaves recovered with vigor.

These are two distinct regenerative pathways, not three intensities of the same one. Bajo's pathway is structural integration: native species, grazing, ecosystem complexity producing fire resistance. Azul Reserva's pathway is active organic matter cycling: continuous biomass input through intercropping, mulching, native plant litter, and amendment, building soil through multiple complementary pathways. Medio is the negative case — minimal management, burned, now the experimental site to test the amendment protocol under controlled conditions.

What the chemistry shows when you read it as a story

The headline finding across the three plots is the organic matter gradient: Bajo at 4.04% (high), Azul Reserva at 3.73% (high), Medio at 2.56% (medium). The two plots under deliberate regenerative practice both sit in the alto range. Medio sits in the medio range. The OM differential between the two managed plots and the unmanaged plot is real and measurable.

This is observational evidence that integrated management — whether through Bajo's structural approach (grazing + native trees) or Azul Reserva's active organic matter cycling (corn rotation + stalk mulching + native litter + amendment) — builds and holds organic matter. The unmanaged plot reflects what happens without either intervention. Three samples on the same property, the same day, the same protocol, and a clear signal.

Worth noting: Azul Reserva's 3.73% OM is impressive given that the fire stripped the surface layer bare. Two years of accumulated mulch, corn stalks, fallen native plant litter, and dead grasses on the surface burned off in the wildfire. What remained at 3.73% is what had already been integrated into the soil profile through two years of decomposition and microbial cycling. The fire became an unintentional test of how much organic matter had actually been built into the soil itself versus how much was sitting on top. The answer: enough integrated below the surface to maintain alto-range OM even after the surface layer was lost. The fact that Bajo — which didn't burn and retained its surface organic matter — sits at 4.04% suggests Azul Reserva's pre-fire OM may have been comparable or higher, with the fire bringing it down to the current 3.73%. The signal is that deep soil building, not just surface mulching, was happening on this plot.

The potassium constancy is the second important finding. All five CRT samples ever taken on your land — both 2023 baselines, all three 2026 samples — show K at exactly 294 mg/L. K is a property-wide constant. Whatever variation appears in BeCrop K mobilization scores across your 2021 samples, it isn't a soil-K variation. The K is there; what changes is whether the microbial community is making it available.

The phosphorus story is more complex and more interesting. Bajo shows P at 6.60 mg/L. Medio shows P at 6.60 mg/L — exactly the same. Azul Reserva shows P at 33 mg/L — five times higher than the other two plots, and 2.5 times higher than the 2023 Parte 2 baseline. This is the most striking number in the entire 2026 round, and it shows up specifically on the plot that received continuous organic matter input plus fermentation amendment.

The honest interpretation has to hold four documented P sources together:

Corn stalk decomposition. Two seasons of corn intercropped, with stalks left as mulch after each harvest. Corn stalks contain phosphorus, and two years of decomposition releases substantial P into the rhizosphere.

Native plant litter. Decomposing leaves from nopales, majagua, ozote, and pitayo adjacent to the planting. Nopales in particular are calcium- and phosphorus-rich. The continuous fall of organic material from these surrounding species feeds the soil with P over time.

Fire ash deposition. Wildfire ash deposits phosphorus, calcium, and potassium. The fact that K reads identically across all your parcels (294 mg/L) suggests fire ash isn't a major K signal here, but P is more chemically mobile and could reflect ash retention specifically on this parcel where the burn was concentrated.

Fermentation mix amendment. The microbial inoculant applied to root zones and to hundreds of holes between rows. The mix is corn-substrate-based, contributing both P directly and stimulating microbial cycling that mobilizes P that was previously bound.

The P signal at 33 mg/L is consistent with all four pathways contributing to nutrient cycling on this parcel over time. The fermentation amendment is one component of a coherent regenerative protocol, not the standalone cause. And the fact that Bajo — which had no corn, no mulch buildup, no fermentation mix — shows P at exactly the same 6.60 mg/L as the unamended Medio plot supports the inference that the Azul Reserva P signal is not a baseline property of your land. The 33 mg/L is a documented response to active organic matter cycling.

The bulk density readings unlock something the dataset has never had before: the ability to convert OM percentages into actual carbon stocks per hectare. Bajo at 0.94, Medio at 0.98, Azul Reserva at 0.91. All three are at the low end of normal for sandy loam, suggesting good soil structure and porosity. Going forward, this is the parameter that turns "we have high organic matter" into "we have X tons of soil organic carbon per hectare."

Reading the BeCrop data through the chemistry lens

The 2021 June Agave samples (C3F00P, C3F00Q, C3F00R) were taken at coordinates immediately adjacent to where Bajo now sits. They showed low biodiversity, high functionality, strong P and K mobilization, and aerobic carbon profiles. That microbial picture aligns with what Bajo's chemistry now shows — stable K, modest P, high OM, healthy bulk density. The 2021 microbial community was doing its work, the integration of native trees and rotational grazing held the system together, and three years later the chemistry reflects the cumulative result.

The 2021 September Pronto Agave samples (C3F00X, C3F00Y, C3F00Z) at coordinates closer to the Azul Reserva area showed a different picture: post-rainy-season biomass burst, balanced fungi, Proteobacteria-led bacteria, P/K depletion through aggressive microbial consumption. Two years later, in April 2023, C3F011 was taken on what would become Azul Reserva — showing functionality Muy alto, biodiversity Bajo, resilience Muy bajo, P and K both Bajo with low solubilization, Firmicutes-dominant (34%), fermentation-dominant carbon metabolism. Three more years of corn intercropping, mulching, native litter accumulation, fire, and post-fire amendment later, the 2026 chemistry on the same parcel shows P jumping to 33 mg/L.

The story those data points tell together is a parcel that was nutritionally constrained and biologically narrow in 2023, then had two years of continuous organic matter input, then experienced fire, then received targeted amendment, and now shows chemistry consistent with substantial nutrient release. Whether the microbiome has shifted alongside the chemistry is the open question. You won't know until you re-sample BeCrop on this parcel.

The Medio plot has no BeCrop history. It's a clean baseline. The 2026 chemistry there — pH 6.2, OM 2.56% medium, P 6.60, K 294, N 12, Ca 3,400, sandy texture, bulk density 0.98 — is your starting point for the three-arm fermentation mix trial on the 500 new blue agaves. Critically: Medio's chemistry baseline is similar to Bajo's on most parameters (same K, same P, similar pH, similar bulk density), with OM and texture being the meaningful differences. The trial isn't only about the fermentation mix's effect on agave establishment — it's also about whether the broader regenerative protocol can transform a lightly-managed plot toward something resembling either Bajo's or Azul Reserva's profile over time.

What the wildfire actually demonstrated

Read across all three plots, the wildfire becomes the most important data point in the whole dataset. Bajo, with two-plus years of structural regenerative integration — rotational grazing, intercropped native trees and shrubs — didn't burn. Medio, with one season of corn and then minimal management, burned. Azul Reserva, with two years of active organic matter cycling under blue agave, burned through but the surviving plants recovered.

The fire's path was determined by what was already in the soil and on top of it. Bajo's structural complexity — the canopy, the grazed openings, the access roads — broke the fire. Medio's relative simplicity didn't. Azul Reserva's young blue agave canopy plus accumulated mulch, in a parcel that had been intensively managed but was still establishing its broader integration, partially burned.

The surviving Azul Reserva agaves bounced back vigorously, and that recovery deserves a careful framing. The post-fire fermentation amendment didn't land on bare burned ground in the dead-soil sense — it landed on soil that had been deeply enriched for two years through corn intercropping, stalk mulching, and continuous native plant litter, with the surface layer freshly stripped by fire. The accumulated subsurface organic matter likely mattered to the recovery as much as the amendment itself did. The amendment was the targeted intervention; the deeply-prepared soil profile was what made the targeted intervention work.

This is a meaningful distinction. The story isn't "fermentation mix saves burned agaves." It's "two years of organic matter cycling built enough subsurface OM that targeted amendment after disturbance could drive recovery." The fermentation mix is one component of a coherent protocol, not a standalone solution. That framing is more defensible scientifically and more honest commercially.

The synthesis, in one paragraph

Three plots on the same property tell three different parts of the same story through two different regenerative approaches. The Bajo plot, under structural integration — rotational grazing and intercropping with native trees and shrubs (tepames, huizaches, ozotes) recovering from the broader landscape — shows high organic matter (4.04%), stable potassium reserves, healthy soil structure, and was untouched by the 2025 wildfire because the canopy, grazed openings, and access roads broke the fire's path. The Medio plot, with minimal management before the fire — one season of corn and otherwise wild — burned and shows medium organic matter (2.56%) and is now the chemistry baseline for a designed planting trial of 500 blue agaves with three fermentation amendment treatments. The Azul Reserva plot, where 700 strategically-invested blue agaves were planted with two years of continuous organic matter cycling (corn intercropping, stalk mulching, living mulch, native plant litter from nopales/majagua/ozote/pitayo, plus fermentation amendment) and then burned in 2025 and treated post-fire with additional fermentation mix in the root zone and in hundreds of inter-row holes, now shows phosphorus levels five times higher than the unamended plots — a chemistry signal consistent with sustained biomass cycling plus fire ash deposition plus targeted amendment all contributing together. Read together, the three plots demonstrate two different regenerative pathways — structural integration on Bajo and active organic matter cycling on Azul Reserva — alongside what disturbance does to systems without either, with documented chemistry on every chapter.

What this enables

For the Cascahuín conversation, this is now a defensible story. Their 700-agave investment was planted into a system that built soil through continuous biomass cycling, burned, and recovered through targeted amendment landing on already-prepared soil. Your management practices on Bajo demonstrated that structural integration resists disturbance. Two different regenerative pathways, both producing measurable outcomes on family land. You can propose formalizing the research partnership around documenting the 2026-2028 trajectory across all three plots — Bajo as the structural integration reference, Azul Reserva as the active OM cycling and recovery case study, Medio as the controlled trial site for the fermentation protocol.

For the Biome Makers approach, the strongest case is now built around Azul Reserva. You have a 2023 BeCrop baseline showing low P solubilization, two years of continuous biomass cycling, a fire event, a documented amendment protocol applied two ways, and 2026 chemistry showing P at 33 mg/L on the same parcel. A 2026 BeCrop re-sample on this exact parcel would complete the natural experiment and produce a publishable case study.

For the planting trial on Medio, the chemistry baseline is in hand. The 500 new blue agaves are arriving into documented soil conditions. The three-arm fermentation mix design becomes a contribution to a property-wide research program: testing under controlled conditions what's already been observed informally on Azul Reserva.

For the public narrative on the website, the wildfire becomes more than a setback story. It becomes a documented case of structural integration protecting one plot, disturbance affecting another, and active organic matter cycling enabling recovery on a third. The chemistry numbers don't need to go on the site — the framing does.

For the eventual peer-reviewed paper, you have material for a real submission. Three plots on the same property under different management interventions, sampled before and after a wildfire, with paired microbiome and chemistry data on at least one plot. Two regenerative pathways tested observationally — structural integration (grazing + native species) and active organic matter cycling (intercropping + mulching + native litter + amendment). That's a case study with enough rigor to be defensible and enough specificity to be interesting.

Honest caveats

Three samples is not a controlled experiment. The plots have different histories, different positions, different prior land uses, and different management approaches. The P spike on Azul Reserva has four documented contributing pathways with no way to definitively isolate them without a pre-fire chemistry baseline that doesn't exist. The OM gradient is consistent with management but isn't proof of causation. Bulk density measurements are first-time data — useful, but lacking the time depth to show change yet.

What this dataset can do is establish a strong observational case for two distinct regenerative pathways on your land, motivated by mechanistic explanations that are biologically reasonable. It cannot prove causality. It can produce hypotheses that the 2026-2027 BeCrop re-sampling and the 2026-2028 planting trial will then test directly.

Cross-Sample Synthesis (BeCrop Dataset)

Chemistry adds critical context to the biology story. The 2026 CRT round produced four findings that reshape the dataset:

Organic matter follows management approach, not just intensity. The Bajo plot (structural integration: grazing + native trees, fire-skipped) shows 4.04% OM. The Azul Reserva plot (active organic matter cycling: corn + mulch + native litter + amendment, post-fire) shows 3.73%. The Medio plot (minimal management, burned) shows 2.56%. Two distinct regenerative pathways both produce alto-range OM; the unmanaged plot doesn't.

Potassium is a property-wide constant. All five CRT samples (2 from 2023, 3 from 2026) show K at exactly 294 mg/L. The variation seen in BeCrop K mobilization across parcels reflects microbial community differences, not soil K reserves.

Phosphorus on the actively-cycled parcel is dramatically higher. The Azul Reserva plot shows P at 33 mg/L vs. 6.60 mg/L on the unamended parcels. Four documented P sources (corn stalk decomposition, native plant litter, fire ash, fermentation amendment) contributed to this signal over 2+ years. The 2023 BeCrop on the same parcel showed P rated Bajo with low solubilization — a meaningful before/after that warrants 2026 BeCrop re-sampling.

Bulk density measurements now exist. For the first time, the dataset has the data needed to convert OM percentages into actual carbon stocks per hectare.

Phosphorus and potassium availability splits the BeCrop dataset.

Phosphorus and potassium availability splits the BeCrop dataset. Four samples (C3F000, C3F00P, C3F00Q, C3F00R — the dry-season parcels) show strong P and K mobilization. Five samples (the September 2021 cluster, the Monocultivo reference, and C3F011) show muted or depleted P and K. This is the largest variation in the dataset and likely reflects both seasonal effects and parcel-specific conditions. The September cluster's pattern (low solubilization, high consumption) suggests the post-rainy-season microbial bloom is competing with plants for P and K rather than provisioning.

Carbon metabolism varies between aerobic and fermentation-dominant. The June 2021 samples show clean aerobic carbon profiles. C3F00X, C3F00Y, and C3F011 show meaningfully elevated fermentation pathways. This is worth field investigation — carbon metabolism profiles are reading something real about soil structure and aeration that isn't obvious from chemistry alone.

Bactericidal capacity is consistently absent. Eight of nine samples show "No detectado" for bactericidal agents. Only C3F011 shows even Muy bajo presence. This is a structural gap in the soil's defensive biology and worth understanding — bacterial pathogen pressure on agave is generally lower than fungal, but the complete absence is notable.

Arbuscular mycorrhizae are inconsistent and frequently absent. Three samples show "Sólo Ectomicorrizas" (no arbuscular fungi detected). Three show small arbuscular components. Only C3F011 shows arbuscular dominance — and it's the only blue agave parcel sampled. This is a real concern for cultivated agave. Agave is fundamentally arbuscular-mycorrhizal-dependent. If your cultivated parcels are operating without their primary fungal symbiont, plant performance and stress tolerance will suffer regardless of other soil quality measures.

Calcium availability is consistently low. Six of nine samples rate Ca transport as Bajo or Muy bajo. This affects cell wall structure in the agaves and could become relevant during distillation if cooking water carries the same deficiency.

The Monocultivo reference is functionally weaker than your parcels. On biocontrol, hormones, stress adaptation, and most functional metrics, your samples score consistently higher than the conventional neighbor. On biodiversity ratings (despite similar species counts) and on basic P/K mobilization, the comparison is less clear or favors the reference. The functional advantage is the story to lead with.

What This Dataset Supports Today

• Observational comparative claims about microbial community structure across Sereno de Cerro parcels, varietals, and seasons
• A 2020-2023 baseline for future longitudinal analysis
• A defensible narrative around strong biological function, biocontrol capacity, and growth-promotion across the project's land
• A documented concern about resilience and arbuscular mycorrhizal availability that motivates ongoing management
• Hypothesis generation for the 2026 re-sampling round and the three-arm planting trial
• Internal management decisions on parcel-specific interventions
• Private documentation supporting the Cascahuín research partnership conversation

What This Dataset Does Not Yet Support

• Causal claims that regenerative practice produces specific microbial outcomes
• Carbon sequestration claims (chemistry layer needed, including bulk density)
• Public consumer-facing scores or ratings on the website
• Cross-producer comparative claims at publication-grade rigor
• Statistical comparison between practice categories at conventional significance thresholds

Methodological Honesty

This is amplicon sequencing, not metagenomics. BeCrop's functional inferences are taxonomy-based proxies. Hormone, stress, and biocontrol scores represent the potential of the microbial community based on which species are present, not direct observation of those processes occurring.

The fungi:bacteria and arbuscular:ectomycorrhiza ratios are informative within the platform but BeCrop's own 3.0 guide explicitly notes they are not directly comparable to other soil biology methods (PLFA, etc.).

Sample sizes are small. Single samples per parcel per date. Comparative claims should be observational, not causal.

Crop label audit needed. BeCrop scoring is crop-specific. Some samples were labeled with companion species (Pitaya, Pronto Agave) rather than Agave proper. Score interpretation may partly reflect reference-frame match rather than only field biology.

Platform version differences. C3F000 used BeCrop 1.0. Samples C3F00P through C3F010 used 2.0. C3F011 used 3.0. Score thresholds, reference databases, and metric definitions evolved across versions. Time-series comparisons need to account for this.

The 2021 study was supposed to be three rounds over 18 months. Funding was cut after Round 1. The dataset is a baseline, not a longitudinal record. The 2026-2027 re-sampling round (in progress) is positioned as a new longitudinal phase anchored to the 2021 baseline, not a resumption of the original study.

Next Steps

• Audit BeCrop crop labels with platform support (April-May 2026)
• 2026 CRT chemistry results pending (3 samples submitted April 21, 2026)
• 2026 re-sampling round design — Biome Makers approach pending
• Three-arm planting trial baseline (60-day pre-inoculation, 2-week pre-inoculation, control) running on 500 new blue agaves
• Statistical/ecological collaborator search
• Raw ASV/taxon-abundance export request to Biome Makers for time-series protection
• Field investigation of fermentation-dominant carbon signature on C3F011 parcel
• Field investigation of why C3F00Q and C3F00Z show Muy alto resilience while neighbors don't

Source Files

• Sereno_de_Cerro_Soil_Results.numbers (master analytical workbook, 7 sheets)
• 9 individual BeCrop PDF reports (C3F000, C3F00P, C3F00Q, C3F00R, C3F00X, C3F00Y, C3F00Z, C3F010, C3F011)
• 2023 CRT chemistry analyses #375-S and #376-S (paired with 2021 microbiome samples)
• 2026 CRT analyses pending (Bajo, Medio, Azul Reserva — submitted April 21, 2026)