Land use and land evaluation research project

Compilation gives preliminary results and partly processed data of some agriculturally important areas including Sukumaland; Mtwara and Sumbawanga.Land use and land evaluation research work was initiated in the Department of Soil Science of Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in collaboration with the Center for African Area Studies (CAAS) and Faculty of Agriculture of Kyoto University and the National Soil Service (NSS). This research project is funded through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Among the objectives of this research project is the development of a computer-based land evaluation system specific to and using data from Tanzania. To achieve this goal, the approach has been to direct studies on the major agroecological zones of the country. Lots of data on soils, crops and climates have been and continue to be generated (Kimaro et al., 1993; Magoggo et al., 1993) based on the concepts elaborated in the original research write-up on land use and land evaluation systems research (Msanya et al., 1991). Recently the trend has been to store these data in such a way that they can easily be retrieved by various users. This current compilation gives preliminary results and partly processed data of some agriculturally important areas including Sukumaland; Mtwara and Sumbawanga.Japan International Cooperation Agenc

Clay mineralogical composition and its influence on some physico-chemical properties of selected soils of Coast region, Tanzania

ArticleA mineralogical study was carried out in Coast Region, Tanzania, on soils developed from different parent materials. These materials are; unconsolidated sands and gravels of Neogene age, Grey-green marls of Cretaceous age, Calcareous silt stone and sandstone of Jurassic age and migmatitic gneisses of Precambrian age (Usagaran system). The soil clay fractions exhibit pertinent differences in mineralogical composition. Soils developed from migmatitic gneisses are predominantly kaolinitic with accessory amount of goethite. Kaolinite in these soils is pedogenic and is formed from feldspars and mica. Soils formed from calcareous siltstone and sandstone have mixed clay mineralogy including smectite, vermiculite and illite. Both smectite and vermiculite in these soils are pedogenic and are formed from mica, while illite is inherited from the parent materials. Soils developed from the grey-green marls are dominated by smectite and have some accessory amounts of kaolinite and illite; while those developed from tertiary sediments are characterized by mixed clay mineralogy including smectite, kaolinite and traces of gibbsite. The pedogenic environment suggests that both kaolinite and smectite in these soils are not formed insitu but are inherited from transported parent materials. The clay mineralogy is clearly reflected on the cation exchange capacity, moisture retention characteristics and carrying capacity (n value) of these soil

Feasibility study for production of Paprika nd Marigold flowers in Mapinga farm, Bagamoyo District, Tanzania

Consultant Report prepared for Mapinga farmMs. Rose J. Lyim

Inter-relationships among important soil properties based on data of some typic paleudults

ArticleA study of inter-relationships among important soil characterization physico-chemical data was made. These data were extracted from thirty soil profile descriptions representing soils developed on different parent materials and classified as Typic Paleudults according to the USDA Soil Taxonomy (1975). Correlation studies indicate that most of these parameters are highly correlated.State University Ghent, International Training Centre for Post-Graduate Soil Scientists, Department of General Pedology