soil CLASSIFICATION A global desk reference 1339_FM.fm Page 2 Thursday, November 21, 2002 8:37 AM soil CLASSIFICATION A global desk reference EDITED BY Hari eswaran THOMAS rice robert ahrens Bobby A. Stewart CRC PRESS Boca Raton London New York Washington, D.C. 1339_FM.fm Page 4 Thursday, November 21, 2002 8:37 AM Cover art courtesy of USDA–Natural Resources Conservation Service Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Soil classiÞcation : a global desk reference / edited by Hari Eswaran … [et al.]. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8493-1339-2 (alk. paper) 1. Soils—ClassiÞcation. I. Eswaran, Hari. S592.16 .S643 2002 631.4′4—dc21 2002035039 CIP This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reprinted material is quoted with permission, and sources are indicated. A wide variety of references are listed. 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Visit the CRC Press Web site at www.crcpress.com © 2003 by CRC Press LLC No claim to original U.S. Government works International Standard Book Number 0-8493-1339-2 Library of Congress Card Number 2002035039 Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 Printed on acid-free paper 1339_FM.fm Page 5 Thursday, November 21, 2002 12:28 PM Preface Activities in soil classiÞcation reached their zenith in the 1990s. In the 1950s, the increasing demands on land use and developments in soil management required a new assessment of soil resources. Many national classiÞcation systems were developed, and the initiation of the World Soil Map project by the Food and Agricultural Organization provided a forum for scientists to develop the needed new approaches. Perhaps more than anybody else, the United States Soil Conservation Service decided to develop a totally new approach, and this decision propelled new research and documentation of soil information. By the 1970s, many of the systems had matured and during the next decade, the systems were validated and enhanced. In the 1980s and 1990s, other countries continued the trend of modifying their national systems, relying on the new concepts and approaches, modifying them for local applications. At the dawn of the new century, there were still many systems but unlike before, there was a tremendous congruence of the systems. There are differences in nomenclature, but in general, many of the national systems were built on the framework designed by Soil Taxonomy. Notable exceptions are the French and Russian systems. The purpose of this monograph is to bring together these systems so that students of soils have a common source in one language to consult. Many of the papers in this monograph were presented at a special symposium held in Charlottesville, NC, in 2001 under the auspices of the Soil Science Society of America. During the last two decades, the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) also sponsored a Working Group to develop a World Reference Base (WRB) for Soil Resources. WRB has evolved into a classiÞcation system, but is yet to be widely accepted as the international soil classiÞcation system. The divergence of views, as shown in this monograph, illustrates some of the difÞculties in obtaining a global consensus. However, the editors hope that this monograph will help to rally soil scientists around the world to develop an acceptable classiÞcation system for soils, for it is only when the global soil science community agrees to such a system that we can truly say that we have a science. Hari Eswaran Washington, D.C. Thomas Rice San Luis Obispo, California Robert Ahrens Lincoln, Nebraska Bobby Stewart Amarillo, Texas 1339_FM.fm Page 6 Thursday, November 21, 2002 8:37 AM 1339_FM.fm Page 7 Thursday, November 21, 2002 8:37 AM About the Editors Dr. Hari Eswaran is the National Leader for World Soil Resources at USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. He provides the Agency’s leadership in information and documentation of global soils resources and their use and management. He is also the Chairman of the Working Group on Land Degradation and DesertiÞcation of the International Union of Soil Sciences and a former Chairman of the Commission on Soil Genesis and ClassiÞcation of the Society. As a member of the Soil Science Society of America, Dr. Eswaran has assisted in organizing several symposia and editing their proceedings. He is a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and has received the International Award from the Society. He has also received the USDA Superior Service Award and other awards from many countries. Email: [email protected]. Dr. Robert Ahrens is Director of the National Soil Survey Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Center provides technical leadership for soil interpretations, soils data, laboratory analyses, soil survey investigations, and standards and soil classiÞcation. He led the effort to revise soil taxonomy and was responsible for several editions of the “Keys to Soil Taxonomy.” Dr. Ahrens has been a regional correlator and state correlator, and was a Þeld soil scientist for several years. He provided quality assurance for the soil survey of Kuwait. He is a member of the Soil Science Society of America and the International Union of Soil Sciences. Email: [email protected]. Dr. Thomas J. Rice is a Professor of Soil Science and Chairman of the Soil Science Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where he is responsible for teaching soil science, land use planning, soil geomorphology, soil resource inventory, and advanced land man- agement. He has been a CertiÞed Professional Soil Scientist (C.P.S.S.) since 1982. Dr. Rice has published numerous journal articles, research reports, and popular press articles. He has been the project director for funded studies involving soil taxonomy updates in California, Nevada, and Utah; a comprehensive soils database for California; non-point source pollution study in western range-lands; mercury pollution study in a California watershed; soil mapping of a national wildlife refuge; and soil map unit interpretation record updates for California. Email: [email protected]. Dr. B.A. Stewart is Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Director of the Dryland Agri- culture Institute at West Texas A&M University. Before joining West Texas A&M University in 1993, he was the Director of the USDA Conservation and Production Research Laboratory, Bush- land, Texas. Dr. Stewart is a past president of the Soil Science Society of America, and was a member of the 1900–1993 Committee on Long Range Soil and Water Policy, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences. He is a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy, and Soil and Water Conservation Society, a recipient of the USDA Superior Service Award, and a recipient of the Hugh Hammond Bennet Award of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. Email: [email protected]. 1339_FM.fm Page 8 Thursday, November 21, 2002 8:37 AM 1339_FM.fm Page 9 Thursday, November 21, 2002 8:49 AM Contributors Mario Luiz D. Aglio Ray B. Bryant Ciencia do Solo USDA-ARS EMBRAPA Solos Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Rua Jardim Botanico Research Unit Rio de Janeiro, Brazil University Park, PA [email protected] [email protected] Robert J. Ahrens Stanley W. Buol National Soil Survey Center Department of Soil Science USDA-NRCS North Carolina State University Lincoln, NE Raleigh, NC [email protected] [email protected] Richard W. Arnold Zhi-Cheng Chen Retired Soil Scientist Institute of Soil Science USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Academy of Sciences Fairfax, VA Nanjing, China [email protected] [email protected] Fred H. Beinroth Department of Agronomy and Soils Jozef Deckers University of Puerto Rico Institute for Land and Water Management Mayaguez, PR Catholic University Leuven [email protected] Leuven, Belgium [email protected] Frank Berding Land and Water Development Division Craig A. Ditzler FAO National Soil Survey Center Rome, Italy USDA-NRCS Lincoln, NE Winfried E.H. Blum