Ferralsols limit the production potential of most crops because they are low pH soils that are less productive and have low availability of basic cations (Mg2+, Ca2+, K+) and excesses of hydrogen (H+) and aluminum (Al3+) ions in exchangeable forms. Understanding the pH status of Ferrasols is key to providing soil fertility management recommendations for sustainable crop production. The objective of this study was to mapped, sampled and evaluate the pH of Ferralsols that are predominantly found in Central and Western Uganda. The study was carried out in five (5) districts, namely: Masaka, Mpigi, Mukono, Wakiso, and Mubende. Soil samples were randomly collected from three (3) cropping fields i.e., Coffee, Banana, annual crops (soybean, common bean and maize) and virgin fields and the pH analyzed accordingly. The results showed that soil pH has no significant effect in the study locations (p<0.05) and was observed to be strongly, very strongly, moderately to extremely acidic. The soil pH in the study ranges from 4.4 in coffee fields to 5.6 in banana fields. Our finding shows that banana fields in Mpigi had the lowest soil pH (4.4), followed by annual (pH 4.6) and coffee (pH 4.7) fields in Mpigi respectively.

Keywords: Ferralsols, soil pH, soil acidity, land use types, Central Uganda