Thesis (M.Sc. (Soil Science)) --University of Limpopo (Turfloop campus), 2007 / The influence of parent material on physical and chemical properties of soil was
studied on granite and schist derived soils on the Syferkuil Experimental Farm,
situated in the Mankweng area of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. A total of 49
samples of virgin soils were collected, where granite soils constituted 26 samples and
schist soils 23. The study design that was used is cross-sectional. The samples were
analysed for physical and chemical properties. The physical properties of granite and
schist soils were determined as percentages coarse sand, percentages medium sand,
percentages fine sand, percentages very fine sand, percentages silt and percentages
clay, whilst the chemical properties were determined as concentrations (cmol (+) kg-1)
of Na, Mg, Ca, K ,ESP, CEC and P (mg kg-1), as well as pH. Statistical analysis of the
results was performed by application of the Unpaired Student’s T Test, with the level
of significance at p<0.05. The results showed that soils derived from granite had
significantly higher coarse and medium sand fractions than schist soils; whereas schist
soils were significantly higher in fine sand, very fine sand, silt and clay. The
concentrations of Na, Ca, ESP and P, as well as CEC and pH in schist derived soils
were higher than in granite derived soils although the differences were insignificant.
However, significant differences occurred in K and Mg concentrations where schist
derived soils had higher concentrations than granite derived soils. However, the
concentrations of nutrient elements were found to be insufficient for proper
production in agriculture. The sodium concentration was found to be low enough to
not lead to sodic soil conditions. It was concluded that both granite and schist soils
can be used for agriculture but require careful management because both soils
indicated poor nutritional status.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ul/oai:ulspace.ul.ac.za:10386/606 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Maribeng, Lebea |
| Contributors | Vanassche, F.M.G., Mashatola, M.B., Barnard, R.O. |
| Publisher | University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus) |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | vi, 60 leaves |
| Relation |
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