A Critique on Degradation of HT and SAT Soils in View of Their Pedology and Mineralogy

Abstract

In the present critique, discussion shall remain restricted to the physical (soil loss due to water erosion) and natural chemical degradation caused by two extreme climatic conditions i.e. semi-arid (SAT) and humid tropical (HT) climates. Past research reports indicated that the red ferruginous (RF) of both HT and SAT climates are physically and chemically degraded to a considerable extent. However, newly acquired research data on the rate of top soil formation and non-kaolinitic mineralogy class indicate that the extent of physical and chemical degradation of RF soils of HT climate (especially Ultisols, and acidic Alfisols, Mollisols and Inceptisols with clay enriched B horizons) and also of SAT climate (mainly Alfisols) is not at all in an alarming stage. Proper understanding of the operative pedogenic processes and the determination of the exact mineralogy class are of mandatory requirements for suggesting/deciding the extent of degradation of HT and SAT soils. Finally, this critique provides a deductive check on the inductive reasoning on the physical and chemical degradation of RF soils of both HT and SAT climates and also highlights the importance of the basic pedogenic processes and determination of the mineralogy class by simple analytical methods while deciding the extent of degradation of SAT and HT soils.