RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOME PROPERTIES OF RED-YELLOW FERALITE SOIL AND Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon PLANTATIONS IN BAO LAM AREA OF LAM DONG PROVINCE

Abstract

The objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between some properties of red-yellow feralite soil on shale parent rock and Pinus kesiya plantations. Twenty sample plots of 500 m² and one hundred soil profiles were collected in this study. The study results revealed that: (1) The development of the P. kesiya plantations led to a decrease in pH, bulk density and sand content, but increased soil moisture, clay and silt content, organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and available phosphorus contents. (2) The concentration of organic matter in the red-yellow feralit soil under the canopy of the P. kesiya plantation depended not only on four soil factors such as bulk density, pHH₂O, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus but also on the biomass of low-storey trees, the amount of litter on the forest floor, the stand complexity index and wood production of the P. kesiya plantations.