Characteristics of Rendzinas in the Ludogorie Region

The paper presents results from an investigation on soils located in the Ludogorie region. Rendzinas (Rendzic Leptosols, FAO, 2006) have been studied. They are situated in the Lower forest vegetation zone (0–600 m a.s.l.) of the Moesian forest vegetation area. Soil samples have been taken from seven soil profiles. The study covers an area of 3000 m2. The factors of soil formation have been characterized. Soil physical and chemical properties have been investigated. The results have been processed by a statistical programme. The arithmetic means (M) and standard deviations (±SD) have been calculated. The studied soils are characterized by favourable physical properties, e.g. water-resistant crumb and granular structure, porosity and bulk density Their low supply of plant available water is due to the high permeability of the parent material. The tendency of calcium to form complex insoluble compounds with humic substances (Knežević & Košanin, 2010) is a prerequisite for reduced accessibility of N and humus, although are not in low contents. The calcium content is naturally higher given the specific features of the parent material. Antagonism between the ions of Ca and К, Ca and Mg (Jorova, 1995) is a prerequisite for reduced accessibility of К and Mg, although, soil texture with a predominant presence of silt and clay, allows for higher nutrient content than that of other primitive soils.