Reference soil Kenya 53: Lixisol

KE053

Lixisols occur dominantly in the drier parts of the tropics and subtropics. Their high base status is partly due to less leaching, partly to admixture from airborne dust from adjacent desert regions.

Characteristics

Soils having an argic horizon (a subsurface horizon with a distinct higher clay content than the overlying horizon), which has a cation exchange capacity of less than 24 cmolc per kg in some part, either starting within either: 100 cm from the soil surface, or 200 cm from the soil surface if the argic horizon is overlain by loamy sand or coarser textures throughout. They have a base saturation (total amount of Ca, Mg, K and Na with respect to the cation exchange capacity) of 50 percent or more in the major part between 25 and 100 cm from the soil surface.

Distribution of Lixisols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil KE053: Lixisols

Trial area for regrowth of degraded overgrazed land. Slides: 10,142 - 10,149.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Cutanic- Lixisol (Hypereutric Chromic)

Chromic- Lixisol

10-110 cm

argic horizon

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Chromi-Haplic Lixisol

Chromic Luvisol

0-10 cm	ochric A horizon
10-110 cm	argic B horizon

0-10 cm	ochric A horizon
10-110 cm	argillic B horizon

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Udic Hapludalf
USDA-SCS (1975)	Udic Rhodustalf ustic clayey isohyperthermic

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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
0-10	-	4.4	6.3	12.5	25.4	11.0	59.6	5.6	3.9	9.5	30.8
10-30	-	3.6	5.7	10.4	19.9	8.6	48.2	6.1	5.8	11.9	39.9
30-70	-	7.0	6.3	9.5	18.4	8.5	49.7	6.3	9.5	15.8	34.5
70-80	49	15.6	9.1	10.6	17.6	7.8	60.7	1.2	9.6	10.8	28.7
80-110	-	7.5	8.3	11.8	19.7	9.0	56.3	7.3	9.7	17	26.5
110-150	-	2.6	12.9	29.4	25.0	9.3	79.2	4.7	4.4	9.1	11.8

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-10	-	-	-	9.5	30.8
10-30	-	-	-	9.9	39.9
30-70	-	-	-	9.3	34.5
70-80	-	-	-	7.1	28.7
80-110	-	-	-	-	26.5
110-150	-	-	-	-	11.8

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
0-10	7.2	6.0	0.13	0.4	0.44	0.06	7	-	-	7.7	2.4	0.4	0.0	10.5
10-30	6.7	5.5	0.21	0.6	0.41	0.06	7	-	-	8.3	2.8	0.2	0.0	11.3
30-70	6.9	5.8	0.30	0.7	0.36	0.05	7	-	-	8.3	3.4	0.1	0.0	11.8
70-80	6.9	5.7	0.25	0.6	0.26	0.04	7	-	-	7.1	2.6	0.1	0.0	9.8
80-110	6.9	5.6	0.22	0.7	0.19	0.03	6	-	-	7.5	3.0	0.0	0.0	10.5
110-150	7.7	6.1	0.09	0.9	0.10	0.01	10	-	-	5.2	1.8	0.6	0.0	7.6

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 %
0-10	114	9.2	30	1.5	-	-	0
10-30	113	10.0	25	1.4	-	-	0
30-70	126	9.4	27	1.3	-	-	0
70-80	121	8.1	28	0.9	-	-	0
80-110	121	8.7	33	0.7	-	-	0
110-150	84	9.0	76	0.4	-	-	0

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
0-10	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	3.2	0.1	-	-	-	0.2
10-30	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	4.1	0.2	-	-	-	0.3
30-70	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	4.0	0.2	-	-	-	0.2
70-80	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	3.6	0.2	-	-	-	0.2
80-110	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	3.3	0.2	-	-	-	0.1
110-150	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	1.5	0.1	-	-	-	0.1

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-10	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	weak to medium	-	-	weak	-
10-30	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	weak to medium	-	-	weak	-
30-70	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	weak	weak	-	weak	-
70-80	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	weak	weak	-	weak	-
80-110	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	weak	weak	-	weak	-
110-150	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	weak	medium	-	weak	-

Profile description

Ah 0-10 cm	red (2.5YR 4/6, dry) reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4, moist)sandy clay loam,moderate medium subangular blocky,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many very fine pores and few fine pores,many very fine roots,few fine gravel fresh quartz fragments,slightly calcareous (0-2%),gradual smooth boundary to,
10-30 cm	red (2.5YR 4/6, dry) reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4, moist)sandy clay,moderate coarse and very coarse angular blocky,hard friable sticky slightly plastic,patchy thin clay cutans,many very fine pores and few fine pores,many very fine and few fine roots,few fine gravel fresh quartz and gneiss fragmenst and few weathered fine gravel fragments,slightly calcareous (0-2%),gradual smooth boundary to,
Bw1 30-70 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, dry) red (2.5YR 4/8, moist)sandy clay,moderate coarse prismatic,hard friable sticky slightly plastic,patchy thin clay cutans,many very fine pores and few fine pores,many very fine and few fine roots,few fine gravel fresh quartz and gneiss fragments and common weathered fine gravel,slightly calcareous (0-2%),abrupt wavy boundary to,
Bw2 70-80 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, dry) red (2.5YR 4/8, moist)very gravelly sandy clay,moderate medium angular blocky,hard friable sticky slightly plastic,patchy thin clay cutans,many very fine pores and few fine pores,many very fine and few fine roots,few fine gravel fresh quartz and gneiss fragments and common weathered fine gravel,slightly calcareous (0-2%),abrupt wavy boundary to,
Bw3 80-110 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, dry) red (2.5YR 4/8, moist)sandy clay,moderate very coarse angular blocky,hard friable sticky slightly plastic,patchy thin clay cutans,many very fine pores and few fine pores,many very fine and few fine roots,few fine gravel fresh quartz and gneiss fragments and few weathered fine gravel,slightly calcareous (0-2%),abrupt irregular boundary to,
110-150 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, dry) red (2.5YR 4/8, moist)sandy clay,moderate fine angular blocky,hard friable sticky slightly plastic,broken thin clay cutans,very fine pores,common very fine and few fine roots,dominant coarse gravel and stones weathered gneiss and quartz and dominant fresh coarse gravel and stones fragments,slightly calcareous (0-2%),clear wavy boundary to,
110-150 cm	dominant fresh gneiss coarse gravel and stones

Depth1	150cm
Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	gneiss
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	residual material
Remarks on Parent Materials	Basement system, hornblende-biotite gneiss
Soil Depth	150cm
Texture of parent material	sandy clay
Weathering Resistance	high
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock	partially or moderately

Occurrence of soil aggradation (McDonald et al., 1984)	absent
Intensity of the soil erosion type	severe
Intensity of the soil erosion type (second entry)	moderate
Soil erosion type	sheet
Soil erosion type (second entry)	rill
Slope stability	stable

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	woodland, grazed
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	VEGETATION: Also millet/fallow. LAND USE: Trial area for regrowth of degraded overgrazed land
Status of vegetation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	degraded
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	deciduous woodland

Altitude	600m
Physiographic Unit	uplands
Physiographic position of the site	upper slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	plain
Slope	2%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	convex
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	undulating

Lower limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	2cm
Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Dry From - To	0-150cm
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	slow
Estimated run off (class)	rapid
Upper limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	0cm

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)	surface capped, crust on drying
Microrelief pattern	none
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 Kenya 53: Lixisol

Characteristics

Reference soil KE053: Lixisols

Classification