slickspot

English

Noun

slickspot (plural slickspots)

1. (soil science) An area where there is little to no vegetation, usually due to high concentration of salts in the soil.
   • 1975, Dissertation Abstracts International:

     Slickspots present very important problems in crop production, range management, and uses of soils for engineering purposes.

   • 2002, Richard J. Huggett, Jo Cheesman, Topography and the Environment, page 143:

     To investigate slickspot formation in the Carrizo Plain, San Luis Obispo County, California, USA, 16 pairs of pedons, one of each in a slickspot and the other under nearby vegetation (Figure 5.16(a)), were sampled (Reid et al 1993).

Anagrams

• lockspits, lopsticks, slicktops