9
Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku Regions
Junta Yanai, Mitsuru Toma, Hidetoshi Mochizuki, Naoki Moritsuka,
Kentaro Wada, Tomoji Uchiyama, Tsuneyoshi Endo, Yo Toma,
Kiyoshi Hiraoka, Naoko Tokuchi, Hiroyuki Hasukawa,
Kunihiko Takehisa, Hiroyuki Maki, Minoru Matsuyama,
Tetsushi Ohshio, and Masaya Oya
Abstract
The Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku regions are located in
the west-central part of Japan. The major soil great groups
distributed in these regions are Brown Forest soils
(47.6%), Red-Yellow soils (16.0%), and Fluvic soils
(14.2%) with very limited distribution of Andosols
(8.6%), reflecting mountainous geography. Those used
for agricultural land are dominated by Fluvic soils
(65.5%) followed by Brown Forest soils (14.2%) and
Red-Yellow soils (7.8%), reflecting high ratio of paddy
(72.8%) in agricultural fields. In these regions, diverse
types of agriculture are conducted corresponding to a
variety of soil types with various geographical and
climatic circumstances, including paddy rice production
as well as the production of vegetables (e.g., traditional
vegetables), fruits (e.g., orange in Wakayama and Ehime
Prefectures and Japanese apricot (Ume) in Wakayama
Prefecture), and tea in upland fields. Among them
“Minabe-Tanabe Ume system” and “Nishiawa slope
farming system” are designated as globally important
agricultural heritage systems (GIAHS) in these regions.
Environmentally friendly agriculture has been carried out,
which is defined as sustainable agriculture in which crop
productivity is well balanced with environmental quality
by recycling materials and reducing the input of chemical
fertilizer and pesticides. A wide variety of countermeaJ. Yanai (&)
Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto
Prefectural University, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
e-mail: yanai@kpu.ac.jp
M. Toma
Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation,
Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture,
Japan
H. Mochizuki
Division of Agro-Enviroment Research, Western Region
Agricultural Research Center, NARO, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima
Prefecture, Japan
N. Moritsuka
Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Kochi
University, Nankoku City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan
K. Wada
Tokushima Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Technology
Support Centre, Ishii Town, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
T. Uchiyama
DGCbase, Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
T. Endo
Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Tottori City, Tottori
Prefecture, Japan
Y. Toma
Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, Matsuyama
City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan
K. Hiraoka
Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO, Zentsuji
City, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
N. Tokuchi
Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University,
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
H. Hasukawa Á K. Takehisa
Shiga Prefecture Agricultural Technology Promotion Center,
Ohmihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan
H. Maki Á M. Matsuyama Á T. Ohshio
Hyogo Prefectural Technology Center for Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries, Hyogo Prefectural Govenment, Kasai City, Hyogo
Prefecture, Japan
M. Oya
Okayama Prefectural Technology Center for Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries, Akaiwa City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
R. Hatano et al. (eds.), The Soils of Japan, World Soils Book Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8229-5_9
299
Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku Regions
Junta Yanai, Mitsuru Toma, Hidetoshi Mochizuki, Naoki Moritsuka,
Kentaro Wada, Tomoji Uchiyama, Tsuneyoshi Endo, Yo Toma,
Kiyoshi Hiraoka, Naoko Tokuchi, Hiroyuki Hasukawa,
Kunihiko Takehisa, Hiroyuki Maki, Minoru Matsuyama,
Tetsushi Ohshio, and Masaya Oya
Abstract
The Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku regions are located in
the west-central part of Japan. The major soil great groups
distributed in these regions are Brown Forest soils
(47.6%), Red-Yellow soils (16.0%), and Fluvic soils
(14.2%) with very limited distribution of Andosols
(8.6%), reflecting mountainous geography. Those used
for agricultural land are dominated by Fluvic soils
(65.5%) followed by Brown Forest soils (14.2%) and
Red-Yellow soils (7.8%), reflecting high ratio of paddy
(72.8%) in agricultural fields. In these regions, diverse
types of agriculture are conducted corresponding to a
variety of soil types with various geographical and
climatic circumstances, including paddy rice production
as well as the production of vegetables (e.g., traditional
vegetables), fruits (e.g., orange in Wakayama and Ehime
Prefectures and Japanese apricot (Ume) in Wakayama
Prefecture), and tea in upland fields. Among them
“Minabe-Tanabe Ume system” and “Nishiawa slope
farming system” are designated as globally important
agricultural heritage systems (GIAHS) in these regions.
Environmentally friendly agriculture has been carried out,
which is defined as sustainable agriculture in which crop
productivity is well balanced with environmental quality
by recycling materials and reducing the input of chemical
fertilizer and pesticides. A wide variety of countermeaJ. Yanai (&)
Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto
Prefectural University, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
e-mail: yanai@kpu.ac.jp
M. Toma
Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation,
Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture,
Japan
H. Mochizuki
Division of Agro-Enviroment Research, Western Region
Agricultural Research Center, NARO, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima
Prefecture, Japan
N. Moritsuka
Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Kochi
University, Nankoku City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan
K. Wada
Tokushima Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Technology
Support Centre, Ishii Town, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
T. Uchiyama
DGCbase, Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
T. Endo
Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Tottori City, Tottori
Prefecture, Japan
Y. Toma
Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, Matsuyama
City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan
K. Hiraoka
Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO, Zentsuji
City, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
N. Tokuchi
Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University,
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
H. Hasukawa Á K. Takehisa
Shiga Prefecture Agricultural Technology Promotion Center,
Ohmihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan
H. Maki Á M. Matsuyama Á T. Ohshio
Hyogo Prefectural Technology Center for Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries, Hyogo Prefectural Govenment, Kasai City, Hyogo
Prefecture, Japan
M. Oya
Okayama Prefectural Technology Center for Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries, Akaiwa City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
R. Hatano et al. (eds.), The Soils of Japan, World Soils Book Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8229-5_9
299