Yellow-Grey Earths
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SOIL GROUPS OF NEW ZEALAND PART 7 YELLOW-GREY EARTHS Edited by J.G. Bruce NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE 1984 Bibliographic reference: PREFACE Bruce, J.G. (Ed.) 1984: Soil Groups of New Zealand. Part 7, Yellow-grey earths. New Zealand Society of Soil Science, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. 123 p. Yellow-grey earths. their intergrades and associated soils represent some 11.5% of the area of soils in New Zealand and occupy a large proportion of the country's flat and rolling land, particularly in the South Island. They are important agri culturally as they are used for mixed arable farming, cereal cropping and prime lamb production. in addition to wool. In some locations they arc used for dair ying and in more recent years for the expanding viticultural industry. Typing: Tessa Roach Draughting: M.J. Smith Yellow-grey carths have been (and still arc) somewhat of an enigma to soil scientists from both New Zealand and abroad. They do not rest easily in their taxonomic position in the New Zealand Genetic Classification where they are placed betwixt the brown-grey earths and the yellow-brown carths or perhaps more pertinently in that somewhat ill-defined no-mans-land - the seasonally dry districts where rainfall ranges between approximately 500 mm and I OOO mm. This uncertainity is at least partly because they are the only soil group in New Zealand which includes both intergrades and associated soils in the general sur vey legends. Of the 2.89 M ha assigned to the group as a whole, just over 57% ( 1.66 M ha) arc included as yellow-grey earths -the remaining 1.23 M ha of these soils are ascribed to intergrades and associated soils. This volume has been compiled from both published and unpublished information. Authors This present volume of Soil Groups of New Zealand includes a lot of current must be consulted before papers are cited in other thinking on various aspects of the yellow-grey earths and will perhaps throw publications. some further light on their genesis and development. While talking recently to Dr A.E. Hewitt. who has the invidious task of revising the New Zealand Soil Classification. he mentioned that when he had sorted out a suitable definition and classification for the yellow-grey earths this would be a major step in for mulating a new New Zealand Soil Classification. As this volume finally comes to press. I would like to thank all contributors for their articles - many of the contributors have prepared articles for the pre vious six volumes in the series - and the request usually comes at a time when pressures arc greatest. For convenience the date of receipt of articles has also been added. I wish also to thank Dr R.J. Furkert. N.Z. Soil Bureau for his help in the final preparation of this volume. J.G. Bruce N.Z. Soil Bureau DSIR Gore February 1984 P.D. l-IASSELBERU, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, WELLINGTON. NEW ZEALAND-1984 CONTENTS page 1. DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION Yellow-grey earths - definition and classification J.D. Cowie ........................................................................... 7 The FAO-Unesco classification R.B. .\filler ....................................................................................................... 8 Soil Taxonomy applied to yellow-grey earths, intergrades and associated soils J. G. Bruce ........................ 10 Classification in the Federal Republic of Germany J.A. Pollok ..................................................................... 13 2. DISTRIBUTION AND DESCRIPTION Distribution and description of yellow-grey earths in Manawatu and Wanganui Regions T. G. Shepherd ................................................................................................................................................. 15 The influence of climate on the distribution of yellow-grey earths and other soil groups in Hawke's Bay E. Gr(tfiths ........................................................................................................................... 20 Distribution and description of yellow-grey earths in the Wairarapa K. W. Vincent ................................... 24 Distribution of yellow-grey earths in the Wellington region J.G. Bruce (Ed) ............................................... 26 Distribution and description of yellow-grey earths in Nelson-Marlborough J.B. Camphell ........................ 28 Distribution of yellow-grey earths and associated soils in Canterbury and the Upper Waitaki Basin T.H. Webb. £.J.B. Cutler ..................................................................................................... 33 Distribution and description of yellow-grey carths in North Otago F.G. Beecrofi ...................................... 35 Distribution and description of yellow-grey earths in Central Otago F.G.Beecroft ...................................... 38 Distribution and description of yellow-grey earths in South Otago FG. Beecroft ...................................... .44 Yellow-grey earths of Southland and West Otago J.G. Bruce ....................................................................... .46 3. PEDOLOGY AND MORPHOLOGY The parent materials of yellow-grey earths and related and associated soils E.J.B. Cutler ........................ 52 Central yellow-grey earths H.S. Gibbs .............................................................................................................. 56 Southern yellow-grey earths J.G. Bruce ............................................................................................................ 57 Micromorphology of yellow-grey earths B.C. Barratt ..................................................................................... 59 An hypothesis on the formation of yellow-grey carths R.L. Parfitt, J.D.G. Milne ...................................... 65 4. CHEMISTRY Survey chemistry of yellow-grey earths L. C. Blakemore ................................................................................ 66 The magnesium status of yellow-grey earths R. Lee ........................................................ .............................. 71 The potassium status of yellow-grey earths R. Lee ......................................................................................... 73 Development of variable charge properties in Tokomaru silt loam .!.A. Pollok .......................................... 76 5. PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY Secondary iron oxides in yellow-grey earths C. W. Childs .............................................................................. 79 Mineralogy of some yellow-grey earths in Otago <i.J. Churchman ............................................................... 84 The sand mineralogy of Tokomaru silt loam as an indication of parent material provenance R.C. vVallacc. V.E. /Veall .......................................................................................................... 86 6. SOIL PHYSICS Density of subsoil horizons and its effects on pore-size distribution. permeability and water storage Al. vV Gradwe// ........................................................................................................................ 92 Effects of cultivation and cropping on topsoil physical properties D.J. McQueen ....................................... 93 7. BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY Biology of yellow-grey earths G. W. Yeates .................................................................................................... 102 Some biochemical properties of two southern yellow-grey earths under tussock grassland D.J. Ross ..... 104 8. CORROSION Soil corrosion in yellow-grey earths JI. R. Penhale ........................................................................................ 107 9. AGRICULTURE AND LAND USE Farming the yellow-grey earths in the Manawatu B. Withe//....................................................................... 108 Agriculture and land use aspects of yellow-grey earths in Southland P.J. Hook ....................................... 109 Forestry and North Island yellow-grey earths G.M. Tf'i II ............................................................................. 110 Drainage on the intergrades between yellow-grey earths and yellow-brown earths of Southland R. S. Davidson ............................................................................................................................. 11 O 10. BIBLIOGRAPHY J.E. Davin .......................................................................................................................................................... 112 7 I. NITION AN CLASSIFICATION YELLOW-GREY EARTHS - DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION J.D. Cowie, Soil Bureau, D.SJ.R., Lower Hutt (Received !\larch 1982) INTRODUCTION I. A pale coloured, compact and weak structural subsoil with low porosities - colours are gener Yellow-grey earths were first recognised as a dis ally 2.5Y or 5Y hues, and bulk densities are tinctive group of soils during soil surveys in above 1.45 g/cm3• Hawke's Bay in the late I 930's. They were origi nally given the name of 'New Group' but this was 2. A fragipan or related massive horizon normally later changed to yellow-grey loams (Grange 1945: occurs at depths below about 45 cm from the Pohlen et al. 194 7). At first they were thought to surface. This horizon is traversed by grey ver be podzolised because of the presence of a sandy tical or reticulate grey veins which are referred textured pale-coloured subsurface horizon, but ana to as gammations. lyses of these soils showed them to be only weakly 3. Percentage base saturations are generally to moderately leached. They