SummaryEight krasnozem (red‐earth) profiles representing a wide range of environments have been studied. Contrasting features of the soils can be explained by differences in parent material, climate, vegetation, and land use. The main effects corresponding to these variations are seen in the relative contents of total and readily soluble aluminium, organic carbon, nitrogen, organic phosphorus, and of exchangeable metal cations.Land utilization appears to have led to losses in organic carbon, nitrogen, organic phosphorus, exchangeable cations, and ‘available’ manganese. These losses suggest the possibility of a potassium deficiency and are in agreement with observed nitrogen deficiencies.The cation‐exchange capacity of the organic matter is much greater than that of the inorganic matter, and in some soils extrapolation suggests that losses of organic matter threaten the capacity of the soils to retain