TOPIC :

LAND CAPABILITY CLASSIFICATION

Land

The surface of the earth not covered with waterMaybe temporarily or permanently covered with waterA pond for aquaculture is considered land

Land Capability

Suitability of land for agricultural uses.Usage should not cause damage to the land although nutrients maybe removed

DEFINITION : Land capability classification is a system of grouping soils primarily on the basis of to produce common cultivated crops and pasture plants without deteriorating over a long period of time

LAND CAPABILITY CLASSIFICATION

Land Capability Classification: Assigning a

number to landEight classes usedI to VIII with I being the best arabilityClass I to IV can be cultivatedV to VIII tend to have high slope or low and wet

CLASSES (CLASSIFICATION ) :

Class I - Very good landVery few limitationsdeep soil and nearly levelcan be cropped every year as long as land is taken care of

Class II - Good landhas deep soilmay require moderate attention to conservation practices

Class III - moderately good landcrops must be more carefully selectedoften gently sloping hillsterraces and strip cropping are more often used

Class IV - fairly good landlowest class cultivatedon hills with more slope than class III

Class V - Unsuited for cultivationcan be used for pasture crops and cattle grazing, hay crops or tree farmingoften used for wildlife or recreation areas

Class VI - Not suited for row cropstoo much slopeusually damaged by erosion with gulliescan be used for trees, wildlife habitat, and recreation

Class VII - Highly unsuited for cultivation

has severe limitationspermanent pastures, forestry, wildlifeslope is usually over 12 percentlarge rock surfaces and boulders may be foundvery little soil present

Class VIII Cannot be used for row crops or other crops often lowland covered with water soil maybe wet or high in clay aquatic crops maybe grown there used for waterfowl habitat

Subclass e is made up of soils for which the susceptibility to erosion is the dominant problem or hazard affecting their use. Erosion susceptibility and past erosion damage are the major soil factors that affect soils in this subclass. Subclass w is made up of soils for which excess water is the dominant hazard or limitation affecting their use. Poor soil drainage, wetness, a high water table, and overflow are the factors that affect soils in this subclass.

SUBCLASSES :

Subclass s is made up of soils that have soil limitations within the rooting zone, such as shallowness of the rooting zone, stones, low moisture-holding capacity, low fertility that is difficult to correct, and salinity or sodium content. Subclass c is made up of soils for which the climate (the temperature or lack of moisture) is the major hazard or limitation affecting their use

General Info you need to know :

Classification is made for agricultural purposes3 major categories of soil groupings: capability unit, capability subclass, capability classArable-means can be used for crops