Description, characterization and classification of the major soils in Jinka Agricultural Research Center, South Western Ethiopia

The soils of Jinka in Southern Ethiopia were studied based on the detail works on soil pit description, characterizing and classification following the FAO and USDA guidelines. For this, along with the topo-sequence and landscape, six soil profiles were opened on an area of 100 ha of research field to make them suit for sustainable soil management practices. The soils were generally described as dark reddish brown to very dark brown and deep. These soils were characterized as slightly (4.87) to moderately acidic (6.18). The OC and available phosphorus were found to range from low to medium. All micronutrients were found to be highly associated with lower soil reaction. These soils group can be classified as Cambisols. Therefore, amending the soil with lime based on exchangeable acidity, essential and deficient nutrients will be vital for supplying food and feed crops in the region. However, continuous assessment of the nutrient status at every five to seven years is necessary to make sure that the soil quality is maintained. Key words: Blocky, consistency, friable, granular, sub-angular, structure.