The Soils and Vegetation of the Fung, East Central Sudan

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Abstract
The Fung area lies west of the Blue Nile between 10o30[image] and 13o30''N latitude; it is a flat plain of very gentle relief, 450-500 m above sea level. Annual rainfall (May-October) is from 900-400 mm (south to north). The soils are alluvial, cracking clays, pH 8.5 to over 9 and dark grey-brown to grey according to rainfall and micro-relief. Soils which receive run-off from the long but almost imperceptible slopes are darker, less friable, and richer in bases. The main vegetation types are Acacia mellifera -Cadaba rotundifolia thickets and bushland with short annual grass north of the 600 mm isohyet; A. seyal woodlands of various types with tall grass further south, with broadleaved deciduous elements in the wetter regions; seasonally wet Brachiaria obtusiflora grasslands; and secondary Sorghum purpureosericeum grasslands in drier situations. The moisture regime and the field behavior of the soils are described. In wild vegetation, water penetrates no more than 40 cm against 80- 120 under annual crops. Selection of land for agriculture is aimed at excluding seasonally wet areas by topographic survey, soil color and analysis and vegetation survey including the use of air photographs. The region contains millions of acres of potentially useful farm land.

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