THE NATURAL CONDITION OF FORMATION AND THE MAIN FEATURES OF SOILS FROM FARCAS LOCALITY, DISTRICT DOLJ

Abstract

The Farcas locality, District Dolj is located in the northern part of Dolj District, at approximately 35 km away from Craiova town.
Because of the fact that the land was given back to the former owners the land became scattered and, as a result, approximately 35-40% of the surface is not cropped and the yield per hectare is much diminished.
These aspects determined a pedological study in this area in order to know the natural conditions of formation of soils and their evolution in this part of Dolj District in order to evidentiate the main soil types and their features and to elaborate improvement measures for increasing the productivity potential of these soils.
In a mild temperate climate (annual average temperatures of 10.80C, annual average rainfall of 523 mm), on relief that is specific to piedmont hills, on varied bedrock materials corroborated with the micro relief of the zone, under a specific vegetation of oak woods, with hydrogeological features that are characteristic to this area, in the studied zone, after field studies as well laboratory analyses there have been identified the following soil types: preluvisoil, luvisoil, and aluvisoil.
The preluvisoil is encountered on plateau as well as on versants with very different declination and it has different features in function of the local conditions. On plateau the soil profile is deep, the humus content is average (2.38%) and the soil reaction is low acid (pH = 6.3). on versants, where the erosion process is more evident, the soil profile is short, sometimes without first horizon, the humus content varies between 1.2-1.5%.
The luvisoil is specific, within the researched area, to micro relief pitches and depressions where the waterlogging process creates modifications in the soil profile in comparison with nearby soils. Here there appears the eluvial horizon and the soil reaction becomes acid (pH 5.4).
The aluvisoil is encountered in low zones of the land, where the ground water determines gleysation processes at the base of the soil profile (under 50 cm).