| Abstrakt: |
Soils and soil-landscape relationships on both concave and convex hillslopes in the north central region of Rwanda were examined. Hillslopes were differentiated as concave or convex depending on the slope plan form. Landscape positions that were sampled in each hillslope included summit, backslope, footslope, and toeslope. The reaction of the soils ranged from strongly acid to extremely acid. Organic C and CEC were high and were positively correlated (r0.82) in these soils. The extractable aluminum was also high in most soil horizons, particularly in the convex hillslope, and correlated negatively with the pH (r−0.74). In general, the soils had low bulk density, water retention difference, exchangeable bases, and available phosphorus. Kaolinite was the dominant clay mineral and was always associated with mica. Landscape position components in both hillslopes were statistically different, and the trend of soil property variations depended in part on the hillslope plan form (concavity or convexity). The concave and convex hillslopes were also significantly different in most soil properties. |
