Semi-detailed Soil Survey of the LIuidas Vale Area, St. Catherine-St ...

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THE SOILS 4.4 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOILS The Lluidas Vale area is characterized by Old and Recent Alluvial Deposits of the Lluidas Vale Inland basin and the fringes of the St. Thomas in the Vale (or Linstead) Inland basin, surrounded by Hills and Foothills (Figure 3). The distribution of the soils is largely determined by the physiography (Subchapter 2.3) and parent rocks/materials (Sub-chapter 2.4), as is described in the following three Sections. Classification of the described soil characteristics is according to SSU (1987c and 1989a), partially summarized in the Glossary. Table 12, at the end of this Sub-chapter, shows a. summarized overview of Soil Series characteristics. 4.4.1 Soils of the Hills and Foothills The soils over limestone Hills and Foothills have by far the largest extent in the survey area. Mountain Hill, St. Ann variant I, Swansea and Bonnygate soils are found over Eocene hard White Limestone, mainly in bauxitic deposits. Union Hill and Union Hill variant I soils are formed over formations of Eocene, Miocene and Oligocene White Limestone. On soft rubbly Yellow Limestone Mount Rosser and Carron Hall soils have developed. All these soils occur mainly in dissected and steeply dissected areas and partly in hilly areas. Due to the prevailing steep slopes, erosion is a problem when the soils are not kept under a vegetation cover. According to the Agro-climatic Zones map of Jamaica (SSU 1989i) the whole area is located in the wetter part of the Intermediate Moisture Availability Zone (MAZ) and the drier part of the Wet MAZ; the soil moisture regime is predominantly udic, whereby the Union Hill and Union Hill variant I soils occur in the transition zone of the ustic to udic soil moisture conditions, in the Eastern part of the survey area. Mountain Hill soils are deep, well drained, red, fine textured, and occur in undulating valley bottoms. The structure is weak to moderately well developed in heavy clay; the structure is mainly determined by clayaggregates of 0.5-1 cm in diameter. The organic matter content is high. The soils have a gibbsitic mineralogy, and a low CEC and base saturation. The available phosphorus content is extremely low, as is the inherent fertility (related to the Effective Cation Exchange Capacity, ECEC). The available water capacity (AWC) is moderate and the permeability is high. The low pH in the topsoil differentiates Mountain Hill soils from other deep, red soils developed in bauxitic deposits. 39
THE SOILS Bonnveate soils are very shallow, excessively drained, and fine textured but stony. The colour range of these soils is quite wide, from dark yellowish brown to dark red, but the majority of the soils is yellowish brown to yellowish red. Bonnygate soils occupy steep and very steep slopes, susceptible to erosion, in an intricate pattern with limestone outcrops. The soil structure is not very well developed. The amount of organic carbon varies, but most soils have a moderate organic matter content. The soils are of mixed mineralogy, contain free calcium-carbonate and are slightly alkaline. The soils are highly permeable and droughty. St. Ann variant I soils are deep, well drained to excessively drained, dark red to red and fine textured, with gibbsitic clay-aggregates throughout the profile. They occur on the less steep slopes of the steeply and very steeply dissected, well developed karst landscape and in small valley bottoms. The clay-content in the subsoil increases to 80-90%. The structure is good, but the silty topsoil makes the St. Ann variant I soils susceptible for erosion of the A-horizon. The organic matter content of the topsoil is high. The mineralogy of these slightly alkaline soils is gibbsitic. Consequently the Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and inherent fertility are low. Phosphorus availability is extremely low as P-fixation occurs to a great extent. The permeability is high and the soils are slightly susceptible to drought. The true St. Ann soils are supposed to be Rhodic Eutrudoxs, which have not been described in any of the Soil Survey Reports yet. Swansea soils are intermediates between the very shallow Bonnygate soils and the deep St. Ann variant I soils. The soils are moderately deep, well to excessively drained, dark brown to red and yellowish red silty clay over clay. The depth varies considerable over short distances. They occur on less steep slopes and on saddles. The appearance and properties of Swansea soils are mainly the same as those of St. Ann variant I soils, i.e. high in organic matter in the topsoil, gibbsitic mineralogy, low inherent fertility and strong P-fixation. The soils have a moderate AWC and a high permeability. Union Hill soils as described in the Linstead-Bog Walk report (SSU 1987b) are shallow, well drained, reddish brown to dark yellowish brown and fine textured. The soils occur in rolling to steeply dissected areas associated different formations of limestone outcrops. Their structure is moderately well developed. The organic matter content in the topsoil is high. The inherent fertility is moderate in these neutral to slightly alkaline soils. Union Hill soils show cracks in the topsoil in dry periods. Therefore the infiltration is high in and immediately after the dry season, while the permeability is moderate when the soils are wet. The AWC is low. 40
Page 1 and 2: Soil Survey Report No. 7 Semi-detai
Page 3 and 4: PREFACE This report is the seventh
Page 5 and 6: drainage, poor workability). The ar
Page 7 and 8: II 4.5 Description of the soil mapp
Page 9 and 10: Ll I II II
Page 11 and 12: INTRODUCTION cover. Field work prep
Page 13 and 14: DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY AREA plan
Page 15 and 16: DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY AREA The
Page 17 and 18: DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY AREA Tabl
Page 19 and 20: DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY AREA Sinc
Page 21 and 22: 2.2.5 Wind DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVE
Page 23 and 24: Mapping Unit* K- M. abov* mil 600 0
Page 25 and 26: DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY AREA The
Page 27 and 28: DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY AREA Lege
Page 29 and 30: DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY AREA Floo
Page 31 and 32: DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY AREA but
Page 33 and 34: DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY AREA Lege
Page 35 and 36: 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS 3.1 OFFICE
Page 37 and 38: MATERIALS AND METHODS profile to se
Page 39 and 40: MATERIALS AND METHODS Total N: (acc
Page 41 and 42: 4. IHE^QILS 4.1 PREVIOUS WORK THE S
Page 43 and 44: THE SOILS Oxisols are very strongly
Page 45 and 46: THE SOILS -ults stands for the orde
Page 47: THE SOILS even at a larger scale of
Page 51 and 52: THE SOILS ustic to udic. In the soi
Page 53 and 54: THE SOILS Brvsons variant I and Brv
Page 55 and 56: THE SOILS Table 12. Summarized over
Page 57 and 58: Series name Depth of soil Drainage
Page 59 and 60: o Series name Depth of soil Drainag
Page 61 and 62: THE SOILS - Soil series to be recog
Page 63 and 64: THE SOILS Present land use: The soi
Page 65 and 66: THE SOILS isohyperthermic family of
Page 67 and 68: THE SOILS Both soils occur on moder
Page 69 and 70: THE SOILS Inclusions: South of the
Page 71 and 72: THE SOILS boundary of the Mount Dia
Page 73 and 74: THE SOILS Brief profile description
Page 75 and 76: THE SOILS occur in the north-wester
Page 79 and 80: THE SOILS concretions are found. Cl
Page 83 and 84: THE SOILS PR2 Rose Hall clay loam -
Page 85 and 86: THE SOILS Present land use: Both Ll
Page 87 and 88: AGRONOMIC INTERPRETATION OF SURVEY
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AGRONOMIC INTERPRETATION OF SURVEY
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0 H- Ul in > • flj -J in u •rl
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S o z o 3 L 0 4- ul in +> •i-t r
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< a > PC 3 u. o z o < at a Z 5 O z
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Crop slope (7.) co-f-fee (cane. ) b
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• • L 0 4- in i/i m a i • 1 n
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-i O -H •- 0) >-• cr 3 n n o a
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a >• u > oc u. o 2 o < 3 2 s o 2
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6. REFERENCES REFERENCES Barker, G.
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REFERENCES Soil Survey Project/Unit
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REFERENCES SSU 1989L Agro-climatic
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GLOSSARY Colluvium: Soil material,
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GLOSSARY C horizon: The mineral hor
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GLOSSARY Relief: The collectively c
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APPENDICES APPENDIX I Agro-climatic
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CORN GROUND APPENDICES Table 1 : Ex
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GRASS PIECE APPENDICES Table 1 : Ex
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SWANSEA APPENDICES Table 1 : Extrem
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APPENDICES Rainfall statistics for
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APPENDICES Table 1 : Analysis o-f s
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APPENDICES APPENDIX III Land use in
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APPENDICES FRUITS pawpaw 7.75 pinea
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APPENDICES Profile no. 89/84C/001 M
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APPENDICES Profile no. 8S/84C/O03 M
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APPENDICES Profile no. 86/B4C/010 M
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APPENDICES Profile no. 89/84A/046 M
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APPENDICES Profile no. 89/84/067 Ma
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APPENDICES Profile no. 88/84C/108 h
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APPENDICES Profile. 88/84C/1C9 nap
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89/84A/046 cont: APPENDICES Cg3 112
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APPENDICES APPENDIX VI Correlation
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APPENDICES yellowish brown to yello
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APPENDICES P: SOILS OF THE RIVER PL
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APPENDICES KEY TO TRXTURAL GROUPS:
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Explanation of the tables: APPENDIC
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APPENDICES Table 2. Agro-ecological
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APPENDICES Table 10. Agro-ecologica
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APPENDICES APPENDIX IX Recommended
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APPENDICES Survey area: Lluidas Val
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-B°OO'N PARISH OF CLARENDON LEGEND
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