World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2006, First Update 2007
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World Soil Resources Reports 103 World reference base for soil resources 2006 First update 2007 A framework for international classification, correlation and communication IUSS ISRIC FAO Recommended citation: IUSS Working Group WRB. 2007. World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2006, first update 2007. World Soil Resources Reports No. 103. FAO, Rome. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Publishing and Multimedia Service, Information Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to [email protected] © FAO 2006 iii Contents page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOREWORD LIST OF ACRONYMS LIST OF ACRONYMS 1. BACKGROUND TO THE WORLD REFERENCE BASE FOR SOIL RESOURCES History From its beginnings to the first edition in 1998 From the first edition in 1998 to the second edition in 2006 Basic principles Architecture Key to the Reference Soil Groups The qualifier level Principles and use of the qualifiers in the WRB The geographical dimension of WRB qualifiers – match to mapping scale The object classified in the WRB Rules for classification 2. DIAGNOSTIC HORIZONS, PROPERTIES AND MATERIALS Diagnostic horizons Albic horizon Anthraquic horizon Anthric horizon Argic horizon Calcic horizon Cambic horizon Cryic horizon Duric horizon Ferralic horizon Ferric horizon Folic horizon Fragic horizon Fulvic horizon Gypsic horizon Histic horizon Hortic horizon Hydragric horizon Irragric horizon Melanic horizon Mollic horizon Natric horizon Nitic horizon Petrocalcic horizon Petroduric horizon Petrogypsic horizon Petroplinthic horizon Pisoplinthic horizon Plaggic horizon Plinthic horizon Salic horizon iv Sombric horizon Spodic horizon Takyric horizon Terric horizon Thionic horizon Umbric horizon Vertic horizon Voronic horizon Yermic horizon Diagnostic properties Abrupt textural change Albeluvic tonguing Andic properties Aridic properties Continuous rock Ferralic properties Geric properties Gleyic colour pattern Lithological discontinuity Reducing conditions Secondary carbonates Stagnic colour pattern Vertic properties Vitric properties Diagnostic materials Artefacts Calcaric material Colluvic material Fluvic material Gypsiric material Limnic material Mineral material Organic material Ornithogenic material Sulphidic material Technic hard rock Tephric material 3. KEY TO THE REFERENCE SOIL GROUPS OF THE WRB WITH LISTS OF PREFIX AND SUFFIX QUALIFIERS 4. DESCRIPTION, DISTRIBUTION, USE AND MANAGEMENT OF REFERENCE SOIL GROUPS Acrisols Albeluvisols Alisols Andosols Anthrosols Arenosols Calcisols Cambisols Chernozems Cryosols Durisols v Ferralsols Fluvisols Gleysols Gypsisols Histosols Kastanozems Leptosols Lixisols Luvisols Nitisols Phaeozems Planosols Plinthosols Podzols Regosols Solonchaks Solonetz Stagnosols Technosols Umbrisols Vertisols 5. DEFINITIONS OF FORMATIVE ELEMENTS FOR SECOND-LEVEL UNITS OF THE WRB REFERENCES ANNEXES: 1. SUMMARY OF ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES FOR SOIL CHARACTERIZATION 2. RECOMMENDED CODES FOR THE REFERENCE SOIL GROUPS, QUALIFIERS AND SPECIFIERS vi List of tables page 1. Rationalized Key to the WRB Reference Soil Groups 2. Prefix and suffix qualifiers in the WRB – case of Cryosols vii Acknowledgements The text of this publication is based on numerous valuable contributions from hundreds of soil scientists worldwide. They participated in field tours, workshops and conferences; they sent comments, and they tested the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) approach. This publication would not have been possible without the support of a number of international institutes and organizations, notably the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the National Resources Conservation Service of the United States of America, the European Soils Bureau hosted by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, the West and Central African Union of Soil Scientists Association, and the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC) – World Soil Information, to name only the major ones. Last but not least, the Working Group World Reference Base of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) was supported by other IUSS working groups, in particular the Soils in Urban, Industrial, Traffic and Mining Areas Working Group and the Cryosol Working Group of the IUSS/International Permafrost Association. National soil institutes in many countries assisted in WRB field tours, and organized conferences and WRB summer schools (listed in Chapter 1). This edition has been edited by Erika Michéli (Szent István University, Hungary), Peter Schad (Technische Universität München, Germany) and Otto Spaargaren (ISRIC – World Soil Information, Netherlands). Particular mention should go to Richard Arnold (United States of America), Hans-Peter Blume (Germany) and Rudi Dudal (Belgium). They were involved from the inception of the International Reference Base, more than 25 years ago, and have provided invaluable institutional memory for the objectives and approach. The Working Group wishes to express its gratitude to FAO for its support and for making possible the printing and distribution of this publication. viii Foreword The first official version of the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) was released at the 16th World Congress of Soil Science at Montpellier in 1998. At the same event, it was also endorsed and adopted as the system for soil correlation and international communication of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS). After eight years of intensive worldwide testing and data collection, the current state-of-the- art of the WRB is presented. This publication reflects the valuable work of the authors of the earlier drafts and the first version of the WRB, as well as the experiences and contributions of many soil scientists who participated in the work of the IUSS Working Group on the WRB. Globalization and global environmental issues necessitate harmonization and correlation of technical languages, such as the one used in soil science. It is hoped that this publication will contribute to the understanding of soil science in the public debate and in the scientific community. The publication has been made possible by the sustained efforts of a large group of expert authors, and the cooperation and logistic support of the IUSS, the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Erika Michéli (Chair), Peter Schad (Vice-Chair) and Otto Spaargaren (Secretary) IUSS Working Group WRB David Dent ISRIC – World Soil Information Freddy Nachtergaele Land and Water Development Division Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ix List of acronyms Al Aluminium Ca Calcium CaCO3 Calcium carbonate CEC Cation exchange capacity COLE Coefficient of linear extensibility EC Electrical conductivity ECe Electrical conductivity of saturation extract ECEC Effective CEC ESP Exchangeable sodium percentage FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Fe Iron HCl Hydrochloric acid IRB International Reference Base for Soil Classification ISRIC International Soil Reference and Information Centre ISSS International Society of Soil Science IUSS International Union of Soil Sciences K Potassium KOH Potassium hydroxide Mg Magnesium Mn Manganese N Nitrogen Na Sodium NaOH Sodium hydroxide ODOE Optical density of the oxalate extract P Phosphorus RSG Reference Soil Group S Sulphur SAR Sodium adsorption ratio SiO2 Silica SUITMA Soils in Urban, Industrial, Traffic and Mining Areas (special working group) Ti Titanium TRB Total reserve of bases UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization USDA United States Department of Agriculture WRB World Reference Base for Soil Resources Zn Zinc 1 Chapter 1 Background to the World Reference Base for Soil Resources HISTORY From its beginnings to the first edition in 1998 In the early 1980s, countries became increasingly interdependent for their supplies of food and agricultural products. Problems of land degradation, disparity of production potentials and of population-carrying capacities became international concerns that required harmonized soil information. Against this background, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) felt that a framework should be created through which existing soil classification systems could be correlated and harmonized. Concurrently, it would serve as an international means of communication and for exchange of experience. The elaboration of such a framework required a more active involvement of the entire soils community. At the initiative of FAO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations