Lajas Experimental Station NEON / LAJA

The local climate in Lajas, Puerto Rico is dry, which is typical for the region. The LAJA site receives about 830 mm (32.7 in.) of rainfall per year and most of this occurs in the months of September, October and November. The site’s annual average temperature is 25°C (77°F). Factors such as constant wind, high temperatures and low relative humidity cause a high degree of evaporation in the area, especially in the summer, when temperatures can reach 91°C. The site can be subject to hurricanes, which are an important feature of the climate of the Atlantic Neotropical Domain. [6] [10]

The Lajas Agricultural Site is composed of alluvium, a sediment composed of materials such as clay, silt, sand, or gravel, deposited during recent geological time by a stream or other body of running water. [5] [9]

Soils within the site are from the order Vertisol, which are clay-rich soils that typically form under grassland vegetation. These types of soils are best suited for use as pastureland and for cultivation. Subgroup classification is Sodic Haplusterts. [1] [4] [5]

The Lajas Valley is about 13 m (43 ft.) above sea level. Hydrology characteristics of the area surrounding the Lajas Valley consist of a drainage that runs alongside PR Route 303 that divides the eastern and western sides of the valley. Alluvial deposits are the primary aquifer in the area. These deposits are formed of consolidated sedimentary rocks and the aquifer is recharged by rainfall. Groundwater discharge occurs by means of evapotranspiration and pumping. [8]

Crop types are rotated depending on current research priorities in the Lajas Experimental Station. Dominant vegetation in the privately owned farmland that makes up the other part of the LAJA site consists mostly of crops cultivated for livestock feeding. [1] [3]

The LAJA site is home to various endangered species like the Puerto Rican nightjar (Caprimulgus noctitherus), yellow-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius xanthomus), and Puerto Rican boa (Epicrates inornatus). Fauna at the station consists mostly of livestock animals such as dairy cattle used in genetics research, quail, and rabbits, among others. Insects include grasshoppers; beetles such as Apenes portoricensis; ants; and mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti, Culex erraticus, Mansonia dyari, and Uranotaenia sapphirina. NEON provides data on five types of wildlife: small mammals, birds, mosquitoes, ticks, and ground beetles. [1] [7] [8]

The Lajas Agricultural Experimental Station was established in 1946 as the Lajas Research and Development Center. The goal of this center was to be able to conduct research that would aid the development of agriculture in the southwest area of Puerto Rico. [2]

The Lajas Agricultural Experimental Station was founded in 1946 with the purpose of conducting the research necessary to develop agriculture in the southwest area of Puerto Rico. In this Experimental Station, fundamental research is carried out aimed at developing and increasing the production efficiency of new and traditional crops. In addition, this is the local office of the Agricultural Extension Service and the UPRM Animal Science Department, serves as the headquarters of the Aquaculture Program of the Department of Marine Sciences, and collaborates with United States universities in studies of plant breeding of rice and soybeans. The station has cooperative agreements with external institutions such as the Mayagüez Tropical Agriculture Research Center; the Universities of Louisiana, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Florida; the National Weather Service; and the Department of Agriculture of Puerto Rico, among others. [1] [2] [7] There are unique airspace restrictions near LAJA due to proximity to a tethered aerostat radar system operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Therefore, flight lines do not capture the entire TOS sampling area and deviate from a north–south orientation.

NEON plot establishment at LAJA began in 2016 and was completed in that same year. The site transitioned to operations in September 2016. The terrestrial sampling and observations began in June 2016. Construction of the site’s 8 m (26 ft.), 4-level instrument tower was completed in 2015, and the tower came online and began streaming data in the summer of 2016. [1] The sampling boundary at LAJA comprises several land parcels with a diversity of provenance, and the permit associated with one privately-owned parcel expired without the possibility of extension. As of January 2024, the plots in this parcel were decommissioned and new plots have been added in an adjacent parcel of approximately the same size as the decommissioned sampling area.