Reference soil Italy 03: Alisol

IT003

Alisols occur in the tropics and subtropics, and in the warm temperate regions of the world in relatively young landscapes. The high level of exchangeable aluminium in these soils is caused by rapid weathering of secondary high-activity clays such as vermiculite and smectite.

Characteristics

Soils having an argic horizon (a subsurface horizon with distinct higher clay content than the overlying horizon), which has a cation exchange capacity of 24 cmolc per kg clay or more, and which starts either within 100 cm from the soil surface, or within 200 cm from the soil surface if the argic horizon is overlain by loamy sand or coarser textures throughout. They have "alic" properties (high content of exchangeable aluminium) in the major part between 25 and 100 cm from the soil surface; moreover, only such diagnostic horizons as an ochric, albic, andic, ferric, nitic, plinthic, or vertic horizon are present.

Distribution of Alisols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil IT003:

Short field description: A very deep, moderately well to well drained, dark reddish brown loamy clayey soil; the thin loamy A-horizon is underlain by a clayey loam B. It changes in a homogeneousdark reddish brown clay with a strong coarse prismatic structure, breaking into angular blocky peds. The pH(water) is neutral in the B, becoming strongly to medium acid in the lower part of the solum. The (A) and (B) horizon are strongly affected by anthrogenic influence. The 2B21t and 2B22t horizon contain patchy blackish Mn cutans. Soils of this nature were observed in the Upper Crati basin, but may also occur downstreams, and do probaly also occur in other areas in the mediterranean region. The land is mainly used for grazing, and occasionally as dwelling site. The pH is determined conform Hellige. * The effective soil depth is more than 1.6m.; no evidence of groundwater is found within 2m.

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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
17-31	6	-	-	-	-	-	26	16.3	21.3	37.6	36.4
55-70	1	-	-	-	-	-	7.1	9.7	22.5	32.2	60.7
100-120	1	-	-	-	-	-	10.9	12.4	24.3	36.7	52.4
140-150	2	-	-	-	-	-	10.6	10.3	21.1	31.4	58

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
17-31	-	-	-	-	36.4
55-70	-	-	-	-	60.7
100-120	-	-	-	-	52.4
140-150	-	-	-	-	58

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
17-31	6.6	5.1	-	-	1.51	0.13	12	-	-	10.6	2.8	0.5	0.1	14
55-70	5.7	4.2	-	-	0.65	0.10	7	-	-	6.9	4.0	0.4	0.2	11.5
100-120	5.5	4.1	-	-	0.26	0.07	4	-	-	5.8	3.3	0.3	0.1	9.5
140-150	5.5	4.2	-	-	0.24	0.07	3	-	-	5.5	3.6	0.3	0.2	9.6

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 %
17-31	65	21.7	60	5.3	-	-	-
55-70	37	31.4	52	2.3	-	-	-
100-120	41	22.9	44	0.9	-	-	-
140-150	44	21.9	38	0.8	-	-	-

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
17-31	-	-	-	0.29	0.08	3.1	0.3	-	-	-	0.6
55-70	-	-	-	0.6	0.2	3.9	0.5	-	-	-	1.28
100-120	-	-	-	0.35	0.12	3.9	0.4	-	-	-	0.98
140-150	-	-	-	0.3	0.13	4	0.4	-	-	-	0.92

Profile description

Ah 0-3 cm	brown (7.5YR 5/4, dry) dark brown (7.5YR 3/2, moist)loam,weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine crumb,friable,common fine medium pores and few pores,clear smooth boundary to,
B 3-56 cm	(dark) brown (7.5YR 4/4, dry) dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4, moist)clay loam,moderate coarse subangular blocky parting to weak very fine subangular blocky,friable,few fine coarse pores and many pores,few medium gravel coal fragments fragments,clear wavy boundary to,
2Bt1 56-85 cm	dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4, dry) (2.5YR 3/3, moist)clay,strong coarse prismatic parting to strong medium angular blocky,friable,continuous clay cutans,few fine pores and few pores,gradual smooth boundary to,
2Bt2 85-160 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, dry) (2.5YR 3/3, moist)clay,strong coarse prismatic parting to strong medium angular blocky,friable,continuous clay cutans,few fine pores and few pores,

Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	unconsolidated, unspecified
Remarks on Parent Materials	Pleistocene deposits
Texture of parent material	gravelly
Texture of parent material (second entry)	mixed

Land improvements ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	land improvements - not specified
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	semi-natural grassland, grazed
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	top 55 cm strongly infl. by human activ.
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	grassland

Altitude	650m
Physiographic Unit	dissected 'glacis' landscape
Physiographic position of the site	lower slope
Slope	4%
Slope Aspect	north
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	rolling

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	moderately well
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	0-160cm
Drainage class - intergrade; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well

Microrelief pattern	none
Rock outcrop class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none
Surface stoniness class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none

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Reference soil Italy 03: Alisol

Characteristics

Reference soil IT003: