SOILS UNDER HEVEA IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA: IDENTIFICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CLAY MINERALS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22302/ppk.procirc2017.v1i1.495Abstrak
Clay mineralogy of 23 different series of soils from different localities in Peninsular Malaysia and belonging to a wide range of parent materials are reported and discussed. Various techniques of determination were employed. It was found that several types of clays occur in Malaysia soils. The presence of a specific type of clay mineral was found to be useful tool to predict the type of parent material as well as weathering stage of the parent material. Additionally, it was shown that in the humid environment experienced in Malaysia, degeneration of 2: 1 clays was rapid. The information on clay mineralogy will be useful to predict the fertility of the soils so that proper fertiliser recommendation can be made.
Keywords: mineralogy, soil, Hevea, tropical, weathered