Reference soil Pakistan 03: Calcisol

PK003

Calcisols occur in regions with distinct dry seasons, as well as in dry areas where carbonate-rich groundwater comes near the surface.

Characteristics

Soils having a (petro-)calcic horizon (horizon with accumulation of secondary calcium carbonates). In addition, they have no diagnostic horizons other than an ochric or cambic horizon, a calcareous argic horizon, or a gypsic horizon beneath a petrocalcic horizon.

Distribution of Calcisols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil PK003: Calcisol

Physiographic unit: Terrace No. 3 of Indus River Plain. Land use: Clover, wheat, oats; irrigated for about 100 years; manure added regularly. Human influence: Pottery pieces in Ap and BAt. pH-value (Thymol blue): moderately alkaline throughout. Additional notes on profile description: Ap: Also few medium continuous tubular pores and many fine roots. BAt: 10 YR 4/2 coatings on peds. Bt1+2: 10 YR 4/3 coatings on peds. 2Ck: Also 7.5 YR 4/4 common fine distinct clear mottles. 3C: Additinal moist matrix colours: 10 YR 6/4, 7.5 YR 4/4 variegated. Brief description of the soil: A silty to silty clayey, brown and light yellowish brown profile, gravelly from 94 to 117 cm. A weak, coarse subangular blocky structure turns to massive in the 2Ck and 3C horizons. Broken to continuous thin clay cutans show common clay movement in the BAt and B horizons. Mottling appears in BCt1 and 2Ck as brown to dark brown common fine distinct clear. Large hard calcite nodules and soft calcite masses are frequent in BCt1 and 2Ck. The soil material hardens when dry, is friable when moist and slightly sticky and plastic when wet. There are a few very fine to medium pores in the Ap and common to many very fine to fine below getting less with depth. A frequent biological activity and moderate alkalinity are furthe characteristics of this profile. Climate data source: FAO Agroclimatological data: Asia 2; Rome 1987. References: Directorate of soil survey, West Pakistan; Reconnaissance soil survey Lahore District; Lahore 1968. Brinkman, R.; Soil genesis in West Pakistan; Pakistan Soil Bulletin No. 4, Lahore February 1971.

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
0-16	-	0	0	0.2	1.5	8.4	10.1	32.1	41.1	73.2	16.7
16-35	-	0	0	0.3	3.5	10.5	14.3	20.6	40.8	61.4	24.2
35-56	-	0	0	0.1	1.6	11.1	12.8	4.6	44.8	49.4	37.8
56-94	-	0.6	0.4	0.1	0.9	7.6	9.6	32.9	31.6	64.5	25.8
94-130	20	1.2	0.9	0.7	1.2	7.8	11.8	34.6	32.1	66.7	21.5
130-150	23	0.8	0.6	0.3	1	7.8	10.5	36.5	33.9	70.4	19.1

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-16	-	-	-	-	16.7
16-35	-	-	-	-	24.2
35-56	-	-	-	-	37.8
56-94	-	-	-	-	25.8
94-130	-	-	-	-	21.5
130-150	-	-	-	-	19.1

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
0-16	8.0	7.5	0.29	1.9	0.72	0.10	7	-	-	27.0	3.3	0.3	0.1	30.7
16-35	8.3	7.5	0.19	3.5	0.22	-	-	-	-	35.6	2.7	0.3	0.0	38.6
35-56	8.4	7.5	0.17	1.5	0.10	-	-	-	-	24.4	2.6	0.4	0.1	27.5
56-94	8.2	7.5	0.58	3.8	0.07	-	-	-	-	34.0	2.5	0.4	0.1	37
94-130	8.6	7.7	0.14	16.7	0.05	-	-	-	-	40.5	3.1	0.3	0.1	44
130-150	8.6	7.9	0.14	21.3	0.07	-	-	-	-	36.7	5.9	0.3	0.1	43

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 %
0-16	265	11.6	69	2.5	-	-	1
16-35	324	11.9	49	0.8	-	-	0
35-56	190	14.5	38	0.4	-	-	1
56-94	252	14.7	57	0.2	-	-	1
94-130	506	8.7	40	0.2	-	-	1
130-150	551	7.8	41	0.2	-	-	1

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-16	weak	very weak	-	-	-	-	weak	weak to medium	-	very weak to weak	weak to medium	-
35-56	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-	-	weak	weak	-	very weak	medium to strong	-
94-130	weak	-	-	-	-	-	weak to medium	weak to medium	-	very weak	weak to medium	-

Profile description

Ap 0-16 cm	light brownish grey (10YR 6/2, dry) dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2, moist)silt loam,weak medium subangular blocky,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,few very fine continuous tubular pores and few continuous tubular pores,frequent coprogenic elements,clear smooth boundary to,
BA 16-35 cm	pale brown (10YR 6/3, dry) (dark) brown (10YR 4/3, moist)silt loam,weak coarse subangular blocky and weak medium subangular blocky,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,continuous thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,many fine continuous tubular pores,frequent coprogenic elements,gradual wavy boundary to,
Bt1 35-56 cm	strong brown (7.5YR 5/6, dry) (dark) brown (7.5YR 4/4, moist)silt loam,moderate coarse subangular blocky and moderate medium subangular blocky,hard friable sticky plastic,continuous thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,many fine continuous tubular pores and common continuous tubular pores,frequent coprogenic elements,gradual wavy boundary to,
Bt2 56-94 cm	light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4, dry) (dark) brown (7.5YR 4/4, moist)silty clay loam,weak coarse subangular blocky and weak medium subangular blocky,hard friable sticky plastic,continuous thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,common fine continuous tubular pores and many continuous tubular pores,very few medium irregular hard calcareous nodules,clear wavy boundary to,
BCk 94-130 cm	light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4, dry) dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4, moist)silt loam gravelly,weak coarse subangular blocky,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,common fine distinct clear mottles (7.5 YR 4/4),patchy thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,common fine continuous tubular pores,frequent large irregular hard calcareous nodules,gradual wavy boundary to,
2Ck 130-177 cm	light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4, dry) yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, moist)silt loam gravelly,massive,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,common fine distinct clear mottles (10 YR 7/4) and common fine distinct mottles (10 YR 6/4),common very fine continuous tubular pores,frequent large irregular hard calcareous nodules frequent large spherical soft calcareous nodules,clear wavy boundary to,
3C 177-195 cm	light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4, dry) yellowish brown (10YR 5/6, moist)silty clay loam,massive,hard firm slightly sticky slightly plastic,few micro continuous tubular pores,

Depth1	130cm
Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	mixed lithology
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	fluvial
Remarks on Parent Materials	from mixed material
Texture of parent material (second entry)	loamy

Major crops	fodder crops
Main type of irrigation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	continuously irrigated
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	arable farming
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	See remarks
Rotation scheme ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	crop rotation

Altitude	227m
Physiographic Unit	see remarks
Physiographic position of the site	middle slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	alluvial terrace
Slope	1%
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	moderately well
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	0-195cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	moderate
Estimated run off (class)	ponded

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Reference soil Pakistan 03: Calcisol

Characteristics

Reference soil PK003: Calcisol

Classification