Notes on Soil and Climate Limiting Factors for Horticultural Crops:

Source: Introduction to Horticulture by N. Kumar

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Soil:

• The soil provides nutrients and water for plant growth.
• Soil fertility, reaction, and drainage impact horticultural crop productivity.

Kinds of Soil:

• Soils are classified based on particle size, relative amount of various sizes, and organic/inorganic matter content.
• Inorganic soils have less than 10% organic matter in the surface layer.
• The inorganic portion includes sand, silt, and clay.

Sandy Soils:

• Coarse textured with large pore-spaces.
• Poor water-holding capacity and low nutrient retention.
• Suitable for vegetables for early crops and rapid root growth.
• Common medium for propagating cuttings.
• Need considerable nutrients for optimal horticultural production.

Loamy Soils:

• Contain sand, silt, and clay.
• Described as sandy loam, silty loam, or clay loam based on predominant component.
• Sandy loams yield early crops compared to silt or clay loams.
• All loam types are highly suitable for horticultural production.

Clay Soils:

• Fine textured with very small pore spaces.
• Unsuitable for most horticultural crops, especially root and tuber crops, unless improved with organic matter.
• Better nutrient attraction, holding, and release compared to other soil types.
• Mangoes grow well in rich clayey soil but with more vegetative growth and less fruit production.

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