48. Group of Soil Series No.48

This group of soils is shallow to coarse-grained bed rock. They commonly occur on erosional surface, hills and mountains. Soil fertility is generally low. Soils in this group are Mae Rim (Mr), Nam Chun (Ncu), Payao (Pao) and Tayang (Ty) series.                Majority of the land use is natural forest. Upland crops are found in some parts of the areas Yields are relatively low due to restriction of shallowness, poor fertility and erosion.

Problems : Low fertility shallow soils to skeletal layer (0-50 cm), gravels or rock fragment on the soil surface, lack of water in dry season and soil erosion on steep slope. Very shallow, gravelly or lateritic soils that are not suitable for agriculture would be leave to be forest, graze land or fast growing trees.

Management for upland crops or vegetables : Upland and vegetable crops could be grown on thick leveled top soils with crop rotation. It needs to be improved with 3-4 ton/rai compose fertilizer or animal manure or mixed green manure (broadcast 10-12 kg/rai sword bean , 8-10 kg/rai cow pea or 6-8 kg/rai Crotalaria juncia) with soils before flowering and leave for 1-2 weeks. Chemical or liquid LDD fertilizer will also be applied according to recommendation . Farm ponds are recommended to preserve water to be used in dry season.

Management for orchard : Soil preparation in 75*75*75 pit is to mix 25-50 kg compose fertilizer or animal manure. Conserve the soils by cover crops, mulching, and contour or fencing the tree with vetiver. Application of compose fertilizer or animal manure with chemical or liquid LDD fertilizer at vegetative growth, before and after harvesting. Farm ponds are recommended to preserve water to be used in dry season.