61. Group of Soil Series No.61

This group of soil consists mainly of soils on the foot slopes or colluvial slopes. They are well drained, shallow to moderately deep, medium-textured and low fertility. Kind of gravels very as geological formation.                Majority of the land use are upland crops with but not quite good due to restriction of root zone and prone to erosion.

Problems : Shallow skeletal soils, lack of water in dry season and high erosion on steep slope. Very shallow, gravelly soils that are not suitable for agriculture would be left as forest.

Management for upland and vegetable crops : Upland and vegetable crops could be well grown on deep soils without gravels or rock fragment, improve soils with 2-3 ton/rai compose fertilizer or animal manure or mixed (broadcast 8-10 kg/rai sword bean , 6-8 kg/rai cow pea or 4-6 kg/rai Crotalaria juncia) with soils before flowering and leave for 1-2 weeks. Chemical or LDD liquid organic fertilizer or crop rotation could be applied together with green manure. Farm ponds are recommended to preserve water to be used in dry season.

Management for orchard : Orchard could be well grown on deep soils without gravels or rock fragment Soil preparation in 50*50*50 pit is to mix 20-35 kg compose fertilizer or animal manure. Conserve 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.