What are podzol soils used for?

UTILISATION. Podzols are generally infertile and are physically limiting soils for productive use. They are extremely acid, have high C/N ratios, are lacking in most plant nutrients, except within the H and upper mineral horizons. Where they are used for arable cropping long-term fertilisation is required.

What causes podzol soil?

Podzolization (or Podsolization) is complex soil formation process by which dissolved organic matter and ions of iron and aluminium, released through weathering of various minerals, form organo-mineral complexes (chelates) and are moved from the upper parts of the soil profile and deposit in the deeper parts of soil.

Where can you find podzol soil?

Occupying almost 4 percent of the total continental land area on Earth, they range from Scandinavia to Russia and Canada in the Northern Hemisphere, to The Guianas near the Equator, to Australia and Indonesia in the Southern Hemisphere. Podzols are closely similar to the Spodosol order of the U.S. Soil Taxonomy.

Where is podzol soil found in India?

1. Podzol Soil : These are ashgrey coloured soils. These are found in high-latitude coniferous forest belt having very long cold winters, short cool summers and a moderate precipitation throughout the year. These soils are acidic, infertile and of limited value for agriculture.

Where are podzol soils found in the world?

Podzols are subarctic soils of the cold, humid northern coniferous forest ( taiga ), found between the mixed forests of the temperate zone and the tundras of the arctic zone. Known as spodosol in the Seventh Approximation Soil Classification system, podzol derives from the Russian terms pod, or “under,” and zol, or “ash.”

How does podzol affect the growth of plants?

Thirdly, podzols lack crucial soil nutrients such as phosphate. This type of soil also experiences aluminum toxicity that hinders plant growth. Fourthly, podzols have a high C/N ratio which relates to the ration of carbon to nitrogen in the soil.

What does the term podzol mean in Russian?

Podzol in its original Russian means ‘under ash’ and refers to the light-colored quartz-rich (E) horizon immediately beneath the humus. The soil type Spodosol (Table 1 ), includes the red, brown, or black (Bs) horizon below the light colored near-surface layer.

How big of an area does a podzol cover?

Podzols (also referred to as Podzols in the Canadian soil classification (Soil Classification Working Group, 1998 ), or Spodosols in the US classification ( Soil Survey Staff, 2014 )) cover a total area of about 4.8 millions km 2 and are present in all humid regions of the world.