Variability of Rendzina Soil Properties Across Different Slope Gradients

Soil processes in rendzinas are primarily influenced by the alkaline earth bedrock, which constitutes the soil substrate. In sloping terrain, these processes are further modified by surface leveling mechanisms, involving the erosion of convex slope sections and the deposition of deluvium in concave areas and at the slope base. These dynamic shapes both the geomorphological profile of the slope and the associated soil development. Four soil profiles were analyzed in the southern Beskyd Foothills near Presov, Slovakia, along a 500-meter east-facing slope with a 67-meter elevation difference. Specific sampling locations included a flat hilltop, a convex slope section, a transition zone from convex to concave slope, and the slope base. Under agricultural cultivation, a deep, skeletal, Calcaric Cambic Leptosol was developed on the flat hilltop. On the 11° inclined convex slope section, a 25-cm thick arable-humus Ap horizon directly overlay solid rock, resulting in a Skeletic Rendzic Leptosol. At the slope base, Endogleic Cambisol was formed from non-skeletal deluvial sediments. Top-down decalcification of detritus, accompanied by the emergence of low hydrolytic acidity, was observed in the slope soils. The sorption complex exhibited a high degree of saturation with alkaline cations, exceeding 93.7%, with calcium being the dominant cation. Notably, sodium levels were relatively constant and reached around 10%. A distinctive characteristic of the soils within this transect was their high total iron content, ranging from 1.82 to 4.50 (9.5)% Fe, contributing to the red coloration (2.5 YR).