Reference soil Cuba 05: Ferralsol

CU005

Ferralsols occur in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, mainly on old and stable land surfaces.

Characteristics

Soils having a ferralic horizon (strongly weathered horizon with low-activity clays and very low amounts of weatherable minerals) between 25 and 200 cm from the soil surface. They lack a nitic horizon (a horizon with strongly developed, nut-shaped structure) and do not have a layer which fulfils the requirements of an argic horizon and which has, in the upper 30 cm, 10 percent or more water-dispersible clay.

Distribution of Ferralsols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil CU005: Ferralsols

Short field description: Very deep, well drained, red clay. Diffuse horizon boundaries and moderately structured. From 3 meter starts the hard rock. The profile was studied and sampled after a heavy rainy season, which ended about 10 days ago. Geology: mid-low Miocene, Neogene Era. Guines Formation: biogenous limestone, detritic, dolomitics. Geomorphology: marine plain, abrasive and accumulative abrasive, slightly undulated and plain.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Haplic- Ferralsol (Hypereutric Clayic Rhodic)

Rhodi-Hypereutric- Ferralsol

27-170 cm

ferralic horizon

0-27 cm	ochric horizon
27-170 cm	ferralic horizon

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Eutri-Rhodic Ferralsol

Rhodic Ferralsol

0-27 cm	ochric A horizon
27-170 cm	ferralic B horizon
- cm	ferralic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon

0-27 cm	ochric A horizon
27-170 cm	oxic B horizon

Local classification:	Ferralitico rojo típico

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Rhodic Eutrustox
USDA-SCS (1975)	Rhodic Eutrustox ustic clayey kaolinitic 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
0-27	-	1.7	2.7	1.4	2.5	2.0	10.3	2.5	7.0	9.5	80.1
27-60	-	5.1	2.2	0.9	1.6	1.3	11.1	0.0	6.9	6.9	82.0
60-90	-	4.0	2.2	0.8	1.3	1.1	9.4	0.2	5.2	5.4	85.1
90-128	-	3.0	1.9	0.7	1.2	1.0	7.8	4.5	5.0	9.5	82.5
128-170	-	2.5	1.5	0.7	1.2	1.1	7	0.3	10.4	10.7	82.4
170-200	-	1.4	0.8	0.4	1.1	0.9	4.6	4.1	9.6	13.7	81.8

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-27	1.334	-	-	38.0	80.1
27-60	1.410	-	-	4.7	82.0
60-90	1.427	-	-	5.9	85.1
90-128	1.448	-	-	1.6	82.5
128-170	1.389	-	-	7.7	82.4
170-200	-	-	-	8.7	81.8

Other physical data

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	pF 0 % v/v	pF 1.0 % v/v	pF 1.5 % v/v	pF 2.0 % v/v	pF 2.3 % v/v	pF 2.7 % v/v	pF 3.4 % v/v	pF 4.2 % v/v
0-27	1.334	48.6	48.3	48.1	46.5	45.7	42.2	37.7	37.0
27-60	1.410	49.8	49.8	48.5	46.3	45.5	43.7	41.9	40.8
60-90	1.427	49.9	49.6	48.2	46.3	45.4	43.5	40.3	39.1
90-128	1.448	47.9	47.8	47.0	44.7	43.6	41.1	35.8	34.3
128-170	1.389	52.0	51.5	50.6	49.2	48.7	47.3	44.9	42.6

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
0-27	5.2	4.2	0.02	-	1.49	0.05	30	-	-	5.8	1.5	0.3	0.1	7.7
27-60	5.8	5.1	0.02	-	0.69	0.07	10	-	-	6.2	1.2	0.1	0.0	7.5
60-90	6.2	5.6	0.01	-	0.35	-	-	-	-	7.2	0.9	0.0	0.0	8.1
90-128	6.4	5.8	0.01	-	0.23	-	-	-	-	8.3	1.2	0.0	0.2	9.7
128-170	6.5	5.9	0.01	1.1	0.15	-	-	-	-	10.2	1.6	0.0	0.0	11.8
170-200	6.6	5.9	0.01	1.1	0.10	-	-	-	-	12.2	1.6	0.1	0.3	14.2

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 %
0-27	58	13.2	10	3.5	-	-	1
27-60	82	9.1	8	2.4	-	-	0
60-90	87	9.3	10	1.2	-	-	0
90-128	92	10.5	12	0.8	-	-	2
128-170	88	13.4	16	0.5	-	-	0
170-200	93	15.2	18	0.4	-	-	2

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
0-27	-	-	-	0.28	0.03	8.54	0.49	-	-	-	0.20
27-60	-	-	-	0.23	0.03	7.47	0.46	-	-	-	0.20
60-90	-	-	-	0.20	0.03	7.86	0.49	-	-	-	0.20
90-128	-	-	-	0.21	0.03	7.38	0.53	-	-	-	0.18
128-170	-	-	-	0.18	0.03	7.83	0.54	-	-	-	0.16
170-200	-	-	-	0.18	0.03	7.40	0.58	-	-	-	0.13

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-27	-	-	weak	-	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	-	weak	-
27-60	-	-	weak	-	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	-	-	-
60-90	-	-	weak	-	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	-	-	-
90-128	-	-	weak	-	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	-	-	-
128-170	-	-	weak	-	-	-	strong	-	-	-	-	-
170-200	-	-	very weak	-	-	-	strong	-	-	-	medium to strong	-

Profile description

Ap 0-27 cm	dark red (2.5YR 3/6, moist)clay loam,moderate medium granular,non sticky slightly plastic,no cutans,common fine pores and few pores highly porous (>60 vol%),few small spherical hard ferruginous concretions,no fragments,few worm channels,gradual smooth boundary to,
B 27-60 cm	dark red (2.5YR 3/6, moist)clay,moderate medium subangular blocky,non sticky slightly plastic,no cutans,few fine pores and few pores,few small spherical hard ferruginous concretions,no fragments,few worm channels,diffuse smooth boundary to,
Bo1 60-128 cm	dark red (2.5YR 3/6, moist)clay,moderate medium subangular blocky parting to moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky,slightly sticky slightly plastic,no cutans,common very fine pores and few pores,frequent medium spherical hard ferruginous concretions,no fragments,diffuse smooth boundary to,
Bo2 128-170 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, moist)clay,moderate medium subangular blocky parting to moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky,slightly sticky slightly plastic,no cutans,few very fine pores and few pores,frequent medium spherical hard ferruginous concretions,no fragments,diffuse smooth boundary to,
170-200 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, moist)clay loam,moderate medium subangular blocky,slightly sticky non plastic,few fine distinct diffuse mottles (7.5YR 6/8),no cutans,common very fine pores and common pores,few small spherical hard ferruginous concretions,no fragments,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	limestone
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	residual material
Remarks on Parent Materials	Mid-low Miocene, Guines Formation
Soil Depth	160cm
Texture of parent material	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
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)	semi-deciduous woodland

Altitude	25m
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.	plain
Slope	0%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	straight
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	flat or almost flat

Lower limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	200cm
Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	0-200cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	high
Estimated run off (class)	slow
Upper limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	170cm

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-alkaline
Surface cracking	no cracks observed
Slaking of aggregates by tillage, rainfall or frost (USDA/SCS, 1979)	no surface slaking/crusting observed
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 05: Ferralsol

Characteristics

Reference soil CU005: Ferralsols

Classification