SOIL RESOURCES OF CENTRAL OTAGO

Abstract

The broad soil pattern of Central Otago is outlined. Four soil zones are identified and their climate, vegetation and landscape characteristics given. The paper reviews causes of variation in soil properties at the detailed, farm scale. The highly variable soil pattern on many farms is caused by the wide variations in climate and topography which often occur within short distances in Central Otago. Farmers need to understand the soil pattern on their property to enable them to use soil resources efficiently, particularly with respect to fertiliser use and year-round integration of stock management between different soils of varying agricultural potential. The paper uses a local example to show how important soil chemical, morphological and physical properties can be measured and the resulting information used as the basis of achieving more efficient land use. Keywords: Soil pattern, agricultural production potential, brown-grey earth soils, yellow-grey earth soils, yellow-brown earth soils.