American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry 2018; 6(5): 111-121 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ajaf doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20180605.11 ISSN: 2330-8583 (Print); ISSN: 2330-8591 (Online) Pedology at Four Representative Sites of Southern Highland Zone of Tanzania Johnson Godlove Mtama 1, * , Balthazar Michael Msanya 2 , Charles Lee Burras 3 1 Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute: TARI – Uyole, Mbeya, Tanzania 2 Department of Soil and Geological Sciences, College of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania 3 Agronomy Department, Iowa State University, Ames, USA Email address: * Corresponding author To cite this article: Johnson Godlove Mtama, Balthazar Michael Msanya, Charles Lee Burras. Pedology at Four Representative Sites of Southern Highland Zone of Tanzania. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry. Vol. 6, No. 5, 2018, pp. 111-121. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20180605.11 Received: July 24, 2018; Accepted: August 9, 2018; Published: September 6, 2018 Abstract: To study the soils of Southern Highland Zone of Tanzania, four representative pedons of some landscapes were characterized. Their names and identifiers are Seatondale, Mbimba, Inyala, and Uyole, respectively TzSea 01, TzMb 02, TzIny 03, and TzUy04. The pedons were formed from the weathering of among other materials, colluvial igneous rocks, alluvium, eluvial soils, laterite, lacustrine sands and silts, andesite, pumice, aeolian deposits, and metamorphic rocks including coarse grained and strongly foliated biotite gneisses. Twenty soil samples were taken for laboratory characterization. In addition to classical horizon by horizon descriptions and laboratory analyses, 12 core samples were taken for soil-water retention characterization. The available water holding capacity was rated as very low to low. Pedon descriptions and particle size analysis showed clay eluviation-illuviation was the predominant pedogenic process in all pedons. Soil pH was rated slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. Available P ranged from 0.71 mg/kg at Mbimba to 10.67 mg/kg at Seatondale. Exchangeable bases were variable across and within the profiles; at Uyole and Inyala they were high, while at Seatondale and Mbimba they were low and medium. Values of exchangeable bases showed decreasing trends with profile depths in all sites. C/N ratios ranged between 6 and 18, total nitrogen was rated very low to low in both A and B horizons. CEC soil ranged between 17.2 and 36.4 cmol (+) /kg. Organic carbon ranged from very low to high. The soils apparently developed from extreme and moderate weathering of parent materials. According to the USDA Soil Taxonomy, the pedons classified as Fine, Illitic, Active, Isothermic Typic Hapludult; Fine, Illitic, Active, Isothermic Andic Paleudalf; Fine, Illitic, Active, Isothermic, Mollic Paleudalf; Pumiceous, Mixed, Superactive, Isothermic, Typic Hapludand for Seatondale, Mbimba, Inyala, and Uyole, respectively. The soil depths were deep and very deep. Moisture stress and low levels of some macro-elements highly limited the productivity of the soils. Keywords: Pedology, USDA Soil Taxonomy, Pedons, Southern Highlands, Tanzania 1. Introduction The soils, landscapes and landforms of Tanzania are diverse. The major terrain features include Mounts Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro, Rungwe, Meru active and dormant volcanoes, the Great Rift Valley, Udzungwa, Kipengere and Livingstone mountain ranges of varying origins such as tectonic blocks and fold systems, coastal plains, interior plains, tectonic lakes with associated lake plains and terraces. Also important are the major rivers including the Great Ruaha, Rufiji, Ruvu, Pangani and Malagalasi rivers, all of which with sizeable floodplains, terraces and delta systems. Each of these features is geomorphically active, resulting in a wide range of local terrain features including alluvial fans, abandoned oxbows, sand dunes, landslide scars and rotational slumps, etc. As a result, the pedological perspective of Tanzania is one of tremendous regional and local parent material variation including alluvium and colluvium, volcanic ash, aeolian sands as well as seemingly every type of rock known to geology [1].
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American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry 2018; 6(5): 111-121
http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ajaf
doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20180605.11
ISSN: 2330-8583 (Print); ISSN: 2330-8591 (Online)
Pedology at Four Representative Sites of Southern Highland Zone of Tanzania
Johnson Godlove Mtama1, *
, Balthazar Michael Msanya2, Charles Lee Burras
3
1Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute: TARI – Uyole, Mbeya, Tanzania 2Department of Soil and Geological Sciences, College of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania 3Agronomy Department, Iowa State University, Ames, USA
Email address:
*Corresponding author
To cite this article: Johnson Godlove Mtama, Balthazar Michael Msanya, Charles Lee Burras. Pedology at Four Representative Sites of Southern Highland Zone
of Tanzania. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry. Vol. 6, No. 5, 2018, pp. 111-121. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20180605.11
Received: July 24, 2018; Accepted: August 9, 2018; Published: September 6, 2018
Abstract: To study the soils of Southern Highland Zone of Tanzania, four representative pedons of some landscapes were
characterized. Their names and identifiers are Seatondale, Mbimba, Inyala, and Uyole, respectively TzSea 01, TzMb 02, TzIny
03, and TzUy04. The pedons were formed from the weathering of among other materials, colluvial igneous rocks, alluvium,
eluvial soils, laterite, lacustrine sands and silts, andesite, pumice, aeolian deposits, and metamorphic rocks including coarse
grained and strongly foliated biotite gneisses. Twenty soil samples were taken for laboratory characterization. In addition to
classical horizon by horizon descriptions and laboratory analyses, 12 core samples were taken for soil-water retention
characterization. The available water holding capacity was rated as very low to low. Pedon descriptions and particle size
analysis showed clay eluviation-illuviation was the predominant pedogenic process in all pedons. Soil pH was rated slightly
acidic to slightly alkaline. Available P ranged from 0.71 mg/kg at Mbimba to 10.67 mg/kg at Seatondale. Exchangeable bases
were variable across and within the profiles; at Uyole and Inyala they were high, while at Seatondale and Mbimba they were
low and medium. Values of exchangeable bases showed decreasing trends with profile depths in all sites. C/N ratios ranged
between 6 and 18, total nitrogen was rated very low to low in both A and B horizons. CECsoil ranged between 17.2 and 36.4
cmol (+)/kg. Organic carbon ranged from very low to high. The soils apparently developed from extreme and moderate
weathering of parent materials. According to the USDA Soil Taxonomy, the pedons classified as Fine, Illitic, Active,
Among the noticeable predominant pedogenic processes
observed in this study include humification, translocation and
eluviation/illuviation. The study area has been affected by the
anthropogenic activities such as field operations using both
simple and heavy farm implements. The enrichment of
organic and mineral materials has been observed in all
pedons. The dark colors and high percent of organic carbon
in the epipedons are good indicators of humification as
pedogenic process taking place within and across the pedons
(Tables 3 and 6). The translocation of the materials is
indicated by the empirical evidence of high % clay in the B
horizons especially at Seatondale, Mbimba and Inyala. The
eluviation/illuviation as pedogenic processes manifest the
translocation of clay material from the epipedons to B
horizons (Table 5). These findings are in line with similar
works elsewhere [30, 33, 34, 35, 36].
4. Conclusion
The four sites are highly variable in terms of texture, pH
and % base saturation. However, they share many
characteristics such as being well drained, having reddish B
horizons, subangular blocky structures, the epipedons being
friable and B horizons haing firm consistence. The
predominant pedogenic processes in the SHZT are
humification, translocation, eluviation and illuviation. The
soils of the study areas are deep to very deep suitable for
production of both shallow and long rooted crops. Based on
the examination of the chemical properties; pH, CEC, BS,
SOM and nutrient balance, the three pedons namely Uyole,
Mbimba and Inyala are considered inherently fertile and
classified as Alfisols and Andisols, whereas Seatondale
pedon has depleted fertility and classified as Ultisols. In
addition, C:N were consistently < 20:1, indicating that these
soils are capable of mineralizing the organic nitrogen and
availing it for plant uptake. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the
most limiting nutrients for crop production in the study area;
therefore the use of N and P fertilizers will enhance crop
production in the area.
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