The nature and management of the poorer tropical latosols

Abstract

The latosols, or ‘red and yellow’ soils of the tropics, encompass a wide range of properties and fertility. The poorer types occupy large areas both in the rain forest and in savanna climatic zones. The various systems of shifting cultivation traditionally practised are now inadequate with regard to increasing population densities, and management should be based on fertilizer application at moderate levels together with methods of maintaining organic matter and hence soil structure.