Reference soil Cuba 01: Vertisol

CU001

Vertisols occur dominantly in level landscapes under climates with a pronounced dry season. Vast areas are found in Australia, India, northeastern Africa (Sudan, Ethiopia), southern Latin America and the USA.

Characteristics

Soils having a vertic horizon (a clayey subsurface horizon with polished and grooved ped surfaces ("slickensides") or wedge-shaped or parallelepiped structural aggregates) within 100 cm from the soil surface. They have 30 percent or more clay in all horizons to a depth of 100 cm or more, or to a contrasting layer (lithic or paralithic contact, petrocalcic, petroduric or petrogypsic horizons, sedimentary discontinuity, etc.) between 50 and 100 cm, after the upper 20 cm have been mixed. In addition, Vertisols exhibit wide cracks, which open and close periodically.

Distribution of Vertisols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil CU001: Vertisols

Short field description Deep, poorly to imperfectly drained, grayish brown clay. The subsoil is strongly mottled, a wedge-shaped angular blocky structure and slickensides. Water table is present during the rainy season at a depth of about 50 to 100 cm (verbal communications). Geology: Quaternary Era, Pleistocene; Guevarra Formation: Clays and sandy clay. Geomorphology: marine plain and terrace, abrasive and accumulative abrasive, slightly ondulating. The poor drainage is somewhat compensated by the cultivation of sugarcane on machine prepared large ridges with a height of 40 to 50 cm.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Gleyic- Vertisol (Hyposodic Chromic)

Hyposodi-Chromic- Vertisol

105-200 cm	ferric horizon
18-45 cm	cambic horizon
45-200 cm	vertic horizon
-	reducing conditions
-	gleyic colour pattern

0-18 cm	ochric horizon
105-200 cm	ferric horizon
18-45 cm	cambic horizon
45-200 cm	vertic horizon
-	gleyic

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Gleyi-Eutric Vertisol phreatic

Chromic Vertisol phreatic

0-18 cm	ochric A horizon
18-45 cm	cambic B horizon
-	gleyic
-	vertic

0-18 cm	ochric A horizon
18-45 cm	cambic B horizon
-	hydromorphic
-	slickensides

Local classification:	Gley Ferralítico Típico

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Ustic Endoaquert
USDA-SCS (1975)	Ustic Tropaquept aquic clayey montmorillonitic isohyperthermic

Physical characteristics

Particle size distribution

Depth (cm)	Gravel % v/v	very coarse sand % w/w	coarse sand % w/w	medium sand % w/w	fine sand % w/w	very fine sand % w/w	Total sand % w/w	coarse silt % w/w	fine silt % w/w	Total silt % w/w	Clay % w/w
0-18	-	1.1	0.7	0.6	1.4	2.5	6.3	7.5	21.6	29.1	64.7
18-45	-	0.8	1.3	0.7	1.2	2.1	6.1	6.9	11.6	18.5	75.6
45-75	-	1.0	1.5	1.0	1.8	2.6	7.9	12.4	11.7	24.1	68.0
75-105	-	0.7	1.4	1.0	1.5	2.2	6.8	11.4	9.1	20.5	72.7
105-175	-	0.4	0.6	0.6	0.9	1.6	4.1	6.6	11.3	17.9	78.1
175-200	-	0.0	0.6	10.5	8.6	2.6	22.3	5.7	11.4	17.1	60.7

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-18	-	-	-	44.3	64.7
18-45	-	-	-	49.2	75.6
45-75	-	-	-	45.4	68.0
75-105	-	-	-	35.9	72.7
105-175	-	-	-	1.1	78.1
175-200	-	-	-	57.9	60.7

Chemical data

Depth (cm)	pH H2O	pHKCl	EC 1: 2.5 dS/m	CaCO3 % w/w	C % w/w	N %	C / N	Exch. Acid cmol(c)/kg	Exch. Al cmol(c)/kg	Ca cmol(c)/kg	Mg cmol(c)/kg	K cmol(c)/kg	Na cmol(c)/kg	Sum Cations cmol(c)/kg
0-18	7.7	6.8	0.54	2.9	1.02	0.12	8	-	-	28.9	12.4	0.2	0.9	42.4
18-45	5.4	4.3	0.52	-	0.55	0.07	8	0.4	0.2	23.6	10.5	0.2	2.1	36.4
45-75	4.4	3.3	0.57	-	0.43	-	-	5.7	4.2	17.8	8.8	0.2	2.4	29.2
75-105	4.5	3.4	0.62	-	0.42	-	-	4.3	3.1	18.4	9.9	0.3	4.2	32.8
105-175	4.6	3.4	0.69	-	0.40	-	-	3.9	2.4	21.0	12.4	0.2	5.0	38.6
175-200	6.1	4.8	0.79	-	0.14	-	-	-	-	22.8	14.4	0.2	6.0	43.4

Depth (cm)	Base sat. %	CEC soil cmol(c)/kg	CEC clay cmol(c)/kg	CEC org cmol(c)/kg	ECEC cmol(c)/kg	Al sat. %	ESP %
0-18	111	38.3	56	3.6	-	-	2
18-45	102	35.7	45	1.9	-	1	6
45-75	85	34.3	49	1.5	-	12	8
75-105	85	38.4	51	1.5	-	8	10
105-175	91	42.3	53	1.4	-	6	12
175-200	104	41.7	68	0.5	-	-	14

Depth (cm)	pH NaF	P Retention %	ODOE	Al o % w/w	Si o % w/w	Fe d % w/w	Al d % w/w	Fe p % w/w	Al p % w/w	C p % w/w	Fe o % w/w
0-18	-	-	-	0.18	0.13	4.34	0.32	-	-	-	0.55
18-45	-	-	-	0.21	0.03	3.81	0.26	-	-	-	0.32
45-75	-	-	-	0.19	0.03	3.58	0.23	-	-	-	0.24
75-105	-	-	-	0.19	0.03	3.38	0.22	-	-	-	0.29
105-175	-	-	-	0.23	0.03	2.87	0.26	-	-	-	0.28
175-200	-	-	-	0.16	0.05	2.22	0.20	-	-	-	0.18

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-18	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	weak	very strong	-
18-45	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	weak	very strong	-
45-75	-	-	-	-	-	-	strong	-	-	very weak	very strong	-
75-105	-	-	-	-	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	very weak	very strong	-
105-175	-	-	-	very weak	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	very weak	very strong	-
175-200	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	very weak	very strong	-

Profile description

Ap 0-18 cm	dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2, moist)clay,moderate coarse angular blocky and moderate medium crumb,very sticky very plastic,no cutans,common fine pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%),no inclusions,no fragments,frequent channels,clear smooth boundary to,
Bw 18-45 cm	greyish brown (10YR 5/2, moist)clay,strong medium angular blocky,WS very friable,many fine distinct diffuse mottles (7.5YR 5/6),no cutans,very few small spherical hard ferruginous concretions,no fragments,frequent channels,gradual smooth boundary to,
Cgi1 45-105 cm	grey (10YR 5/1, moist)clay,strong coarse wedge-shaped angular blocky,WS P,common medium prominent clear mottles (10R 4/6),continuous thin slickensides cutans,few fine pores,no inclusions,no fragments,few channels,diffuse smooth boundary to,
Cgi2 105-175 cm	(10YR 5/1.5, moist)clay,moderate very coarse wedge-shaped angular blocky,WS very plastic,many coarse prominent clear mottles (2.5YR 4/8),continuous thin slickensides cutans,few fine pores,no inclusions,no fragments,gradual smooth boundary to,
2Ci 175-200 cm	strong brown (7.5YR 4/6, moist)clay,moderate very coarse wedge-shaped angular blocky,very sticky very plastic,many coarse prominent clear mottles (10YR 5/1),continuous thin slickensides cutans,few fine pores slightly porous (<40 vol%),no inclusions,no fragments,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	claystone
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	marine sediments
Remarks on Parent Materials	Pleistocene Guevarra Formation
Soil Depth	100cm
Texture of parent material	clayey
Texture of parent material (second entry)	clayey

Major crops	sugar cane
Main type of irrigation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	seasonally irrigated
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	high level arable farming
Rotation scheme ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	crop rotation scheme not relevant
Status of vegetation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	secondary
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	dwarf shrub

Altitude	8m
Physiographic Unit	flat or almost flat
Physiographic position of the site	flat
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	marine terrace
Slope	0%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	straight
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	flat or almost flat

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	poor
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	irregular
(Estimated) maximum (lower) depth to groundwater table	300cm
Depth to groundwater table	300cm
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	groundwater table observed
(Estimated) minimum (upper) depth to groundwater table	50cm
Moist From - To	0-200cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	slow
Estimated run off (class)	slow
Drainage class - intergrade; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	imperfect

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-alkaline
Surface cracking	small cracks (width less than 1 cm, or depth less than 50 cm)
Slaking of aggregates by tillage, rainfall or frost (USDA/SCS, 1979)	no surface slaking/crusting observed
Microrelief Height: variation in height	45
Micro relief type: small-scale differences in relief in the direct vicinity of the site (FAO, 1986)	levees (artificial)
Microrelief pattern	linear
Rock outcrop class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none
Evidence of salt; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-saline
Surface stoniness class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none

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Reference soil Cuba 01: Vertisol

Characteristics

Reference soil CU001: Vertisols

Classification