Degraded sites are difficult to rehabilitate because of their adverse chemical and physical condition and the large inputs required to restore the physical properties and the soil nutrient pool. Experiments conducted in the Jhikhu Khola watershed showed that fodder trees could be successfully established in hedgerows on degraded non-red soils on quartzite, but that this was a significant challenge on degraded red soils (on phyllite), and extremely difficult on non-red soils on saprolite. Selected groundcover and grasses were established on red soils and the effect of adding various combinations of lime and manure tested. Lemon grass in particular was found to be a successful coloniser on these highly acid soils. Rehabilitation of the nutrient pool with litter additions alone was found to be very slow, but significant improvements were achieved in the carbon pool and soil structure following a two-year period of continuous addition of litter (once every six months). The incorporation of locally grown thetonia species improved the carbon content and soil structure, but had little affect on the soil pH or availability of phosphorus. It seems that addition of litter and lime is the best treatment to overcome the adverse chemical conditions of red soils.
