Reference soil Pakistan 04: Solonetz

PK004

Solonetzes occur where a sodium source supplies the clay-rich subsoil with exchangeable Na, causing peptization of clay and organic substances and deterioration of the topsoil.

Characteristics

Soils having a natric horizon (a subsurface horizon with distinct higher clay content than the overlying horizon and more than 15% exchangeable sodium) within 100 cm from the soil surface.

Distribution of Solonetz (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil PK004: Solonetz

Authors: Abdulhamid, Cook, Lytle. Location: 2 km SW of of Chianwali Canal Rest House along upper Chenab Canal, Gujranwala District. Mineralogy: Mixed consisting of mica, montmorillonite, kaolinite. Physiographic unit: Terrace No. 3 on Indus River Plain (Pleistocene). Land use: Area under biological reclamation; salt tolerant grasses planted: Dib grass, Australian grass. Additional notes on profile description: Btkn1: Pockets of very fine sandy loam stratification (loclly named "in fillings"), also 10 YR 4/3 matrix colour exterior. Btkn2: Few continuous thick clay cutans in root channels and pores. BCt: Also 10 YR 3/2 matrix colour; few discontinuous thick clay cutans as bridges between sand grains. BCtc: Also 10 YR 4/3 matrix colour; common fine distinct clear mottles 10 YR 4/6; 3% 5 to 30 mm irregular hard calcite nodules. pH-value (Cresol red): horizons 1,2: extremely, 3,4: very strongly, 5,6: strongly, 7,8: moderately alkaline. Brief description of the profile: A silty over loamy textured, light gray over brown and yellowish brown soil, which is moderately well drained with slow permeability. The structure is dominatingly massive with weak, coarse prismatic, angular and subangular blocky structure in horizons 3 and 4. Evident clay movement is revealed through patchy and broken mostly thin clay cutans in horizons 2-7. A few concretions appear in horizons 4-7 as very fine small and medium soft calcite masses and hard nodules and iron-mangenese shot. Only a few medium pores were observed in horizon 6. A main characteristic of this profile is its extreme alkalinity in the topsoil turning gradually to moderately alkaline in horizons 7 and 8. Climate data source: FAO Agroclimatological data: Asia 2; Rome 1987. References: Brinkman, R.: Soil genesis in West Pakistan; Pakistan Soil Bulletin No. 4, Lahore February 1971. Directorate of soil survey, West Pakistan: reconnaissance soil survey Gujrat District; Lahore 1967. Directorate of soil survey, West Pakistan: reconnaissance soil survey Lahore District; Lahore 1968.

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
1-9	-	0.2	0.1	2.9	17.9	14.3	35.4	19.6	32.1	51.7	13
9-30	-	0.1	0.1	2.5	19	15.8	37.5	19	25.8	44.8	17.8
30-60	-	0	0.2	1.3	10.2	15.7	27.4	25.7	29.6	55.3	17.3
60-100	-	0.3	0.3	3	20.7	13.4	37.7	18.6	26.2	44.8	17.5

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
1-9	-	-	-	-	13
9-30	-	-	-	-	17.8
30-60	-	-	-	-	17.3
60-100	-	-	-	-	17.5

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
1-9	10.5	9.6	0.51	3	0.26	-	-	-	-	25.3	1.6	0.4	11.3	38.6
9-30	10.5	9.6	1.36	4.8	0.05	-	-	-	-	31.8	1.7	0.4	5.4	39.3
30-60	10.5	9.8	1.59	3.5	0.07	-	-	-	-	23.1	6.2	0.3	8.4	38
60-100	10.5	9.1	0.96	2.1	0.07	-	-	-	-	13.6	1.7	0.4	10.1	25.8

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 %
1-9	424	9.1	70	0.9	-	-	124
9-30	374	10.5	59	0.2	-	-	51
30-60	309	12.3	71	0.2	-	-	68
60-100	211	12.2	70	0.2	-	-	83

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
1-9	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-	-	weak	medium to strong	very weak to weak	very weak to weak	weak to medium	-
30-60	very weak	-	-	-	-	-	weak	medium to strong	weak	very weak to weak	strong	-
60-100	-	-	-	-	-	-	weak	medium to strong	weak	very weak to weak	strong	-

Profile description

Akn2 1-9 cm	light grey (10YR 7/2, dry) brown (10YR 5/3, moist)light grey (10YR 7/2, dry) brown (10YR 5/3, moist),silt loam,silt loam,massive,massive,slightly hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,slightly hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,few fine distinct clear mottles (7.5 YR 3/4) and few fine distinct mottles (7.5 YR 4/6),patchy thin clay around sand grains cutans,few very fine discontinuous tubular pores and few discontinuous interstitial pores,many very fine discontinuous vesicular pores and few discontinuous interstitial pores,abrupt smooth boundary to,abrupt wavy boundary to,
Btkn1 9-30 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, moist)loam,weak coarse prismatic and weak coarse angular blocky,hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,broken thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,few very fine continuous tubular pores and many continuous tubular pores,clear smooth boundary to,
Btkn2 30-60 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, moist)loam,weak coarse subangular blocky,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,broken moderately thick clay on pedfaces cutans,many very fine continuous tubular pores,very few small spherical soft calcareous soft segregations very few medium spherical soft calcareous soft segregations,gradual smooth boundary to,
60-100 cm	(dark) brown (10YR 4/3, moist)loam,massive,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,broken moderately thick clay in root channels and pores cutans,common very fine continuous tubular pores and few continuous tubular pores,very few medium spherical hard ferruginous concretions very few medium spherical hard manganiferous concretions,clear smooth boundary to,
BCc 100-154 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, moist)loam,massive,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,common fine distinct clear mottles (10 YR 4/6) and common fine distinct mottles (7.5 YR 3/4),patchy thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,many very fine discontinuous interstitial pores and few continuous tubular pores,few medium spherical hard ferruginous concretions few medium spherical hard manganiferous concretions,gradual smooth boundary to,
2C1 154-178 cm	(dark) brown (10YR 4/3, moist)fine sandy loam,massive,slightly hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,few fine faint diffuse mottles (10 YR 5/2),patchy thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,many very fine discontinuous interstitial pores and few continuous tubular pores,very few small spherical hard ferruginous concretions very few small spherical hard manganiferous concretions,gradual smooth boundary to,
2C2 178-200 cm	(dark) brown (10YR 4/3, moist)loamy fine sand,massive,slightly hard very friable non sticky non plastic,many very fine discontinuous interstitial pores,

Depth1	154cm
Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	mixed lithology
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	fluvial
Remarks on Parent Materials	from Himalayas
Texture of parent material (second entry)	loamy

Intensity of the soil erosion type	slight
Soil erosion type	sheet
Slope stability	stable

Major crops	fodder crops
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	arable farming
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	See remarks

Altitude	250m
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	2%
Slope Aspect	east
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	flat or almost flat

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	moderately well
Dry From - To	0-10cm
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Depth to groundwater table	300cm
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	apparent
Moist From - To	10-178cm
Estimated run off (class)	very slow

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	strongly alkaline
Slaking of aggregates by tillage, rainfall or frost (USDA/SCS, 1979)	surface partly slaked, round smooth aggregates
Micro relief type: small-scale differences in relief in the direct vicinity of the site (FAO, 1986)	level

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Reference soil Pakistan 04: Solonetz

Characteristics

Reference soil PK004: Solonetz

Classification