Reference soil India 04: Solonchak

IN004

Solonchaks occur where saline groundwater comes near to the surface, or where through evapo(transpi)ration salts from the soil water accumulate in the soil, e.g. in desert regions

Characteristics

Soils having a salic horizon (horizon with accumulation of salts more soluble than gypsum) within 50 cm of the soil surface. They have no diagnostic horizons other than a histic, mollic, ochric, takyric, yermic, calcic, cambic, duric, gypsic or vertic horizon.

Distribution of Solonchaks (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil IN004: Solonchaks

A deep, poorly drained, grayish coloured saline soil with a silty loam texture, developed in deltaic alluvium in the western part of the Ganges delta. The topsoil is massive, caused by puddling. The soil has a neutral to slightly alkaline reaction, mottles and rusty specks, iron concretions below 22 cm and very small mica flakes throughout. MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION : AB slightly firm. Bg2 mottled: 2.5Y 5/0, 5Y 4/4, 10YR 5/4. Apg and ABg moderately permeable, Bg1 and Bg2 slowly permeable.

Classification

WRB 2014

Solonchak

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Sodi-Gleyic Solonchak inundic

Gleyic Solonchak sodic

- cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon
-	gleyic
-	salic

- cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon
-	high salinity

Local classification:	Canning silty loam

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Typic Halaquept
USDA-SCS (1975)	Typic Haplaquept aquic fine-silty mixed hyperthermic

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
0-8	-	0.1	0	1.0	1.1	1.7	3.9	28.8	46.6	75.4	20.7
8-22	-	0	0	0	0.3	1.1	1.4	30.6	46.8	77.4	21.2
22-65	-	0	0	0.1	0.2	1.1	1.4	32.5	43.7	76.2	22.4
65-120	-	0	0	0.1	0.3	0.5	0.9	26.4	46.9	73.3	25.8

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-8	-	-	-	-	20.7
8-22	-	-	-	-	21.2
22-65	-	-	-	-	22.4
65-120	-	-	-	-	25.8

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
0-8	7.3	6.5	21.9	-	0.54	0.05	11	-	-	7.3	7.8	0.7	1.5	17.3
8-22	7.7	6.7	2.56	-	0.24	0.03	8	-	-	4.6	5.2	0.5	2.2	12.5
22-65	7.4	6.5	2.55	-	0.24	0.03	8	-	-	5.7	4.8	0.5	2.0	13
65-120	6.7	5.7	2.24	-	0.30	0.04	8	-	-	4.2	5.2	0.3	2.2	11.9

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 %
0-8	208	8.3	40	1.9	-	-	-
8-22	137	9.1	43	0.8	-	-	-
22-65	135	9.6	43	0.8	-	-	-
65-120	109	10.9	42	1.1	-	-	-

Profile description

Apg 0-8 cm	(2.5Y 4/no, moist)silt loam,massive,friable slightly sticky,few mottles,many fine pores and few pores,frequent fine gravel mica flakes fragments,very frequent,clear wavy boundary to,
ABg 8-22 cm	(2.5Y 5/no, moist)silt loam,weak prismatic and moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky,firm slightly sticky,many faint mottles,frequent fine gravel mica flakes fragments,diffuse irregular boundary to,
Bg1 22-65 cm	(2.5Y 5/no, moist)silt loam,medium and coarse columnar,firm sticky,many faint mottles (10 YR 3/2),many fine pores and few coarse pores,few soft ferruginous concretions,frequent fine gravel mica flakes fragments,few,diffuse irregular boundary to,
Bg2 65-120 cm	(2.5Y 5/no, moist)silt loam,weak medium and coarse columnar,firm sticky,many coarse prominent mottles (5Y 4/4) and (10YR 5/4),few medium coarse pores,medium soft ferruginous concretions,frequent fine gravel mica flakes fragments,few,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	mixed lithology
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	fluvial
Remarks on Parent Materials	deltaic deposits
Soil Depth	100cm
Texture of parent material (second entry)	silty

Major crops	rice
Main type of irrigation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	paddy
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	arable farming
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	Palm,Acacia,Zizyphus,halophilous plants

Altitude	2m
Physiographic Unit	delta
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.	alluvial plain
Slope	0%
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)	yearly
Nature of flood water	saline
(Estimated) maximum (lower) depth to groundwater table	100cm
Depth to groundwater table	100cm
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	groundwater table observed
(Estimated) minimum (upper) depth to groundwater table	0cm
Moist From - To	0-100cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	slow
Estimated run off (class)	very slow

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	slightly alkaline
Surface cracking	no cracks observed
Slaking of aggregates by tillage, rainfall or frost (USDA/SCS, 1979)	surface slaked; sorted sand/silt, some clay films
Microrelief pattern	none
Rock outcrop class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none
Evidence of salt; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	slightly saline
Surface stoniness class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none

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Reference soil India 04: Solonchak

Characteristics

Reference soil IN004: Solonchaks

Classification