Reference soil Pakistan 05: Luvisol

PK005

Luvisols occur mainly in temperate regions, particularly in areas with a Mediterranean-type of climate.

Characteristics

Soils having an argic horizon (a subsurface horizon with a distinct higher clay content than the overlying horizon) with a cation exchange capacity equal to or more than 24 cmolc per kg clay throughout.

Distribution of Luvisols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil PK005: Luvisol

Authors: Abdulhamid, Yousaf, Cook, Lytle. Location: W of Ajuwal Union Council Office, about 850 m from Fateh Jang Chowk on Talajang Pacca Road adjacent to a SCAN site, about 4 km E of Fateh Jang. Physiographic unit: Broad loess plain in plateaus and tablelands. Soil aggredation: slight. Crops: Wheat, millet, maize (semi-drought resistant). Land use: Dryland, harvested wheat field; level loess plain 10,000 years in age; cultivated for four or five thousand years. pH-value (Cresol red): whole profile moderately alkaline. Additional notes on profile description: 0-25 cm: Pottery fragments. Ck: 5% 5-25 mm irregular hard calcite nodules. Brief description of the soil: A silty to silty clayey textured, yellowish brown soil with a good drainage. The consistence is evenly hard when dry, friable when moist and slightly sticky and slightly plastic when wet. Patchy and continuous thin clay cutans in root channels and pores are distinct signs for clay particles washed downwards. In horizons 2-6 appears very fine rounded hard iron-mangenese shot; common soft calcite masses and medium and large hard calcite nodules below. Worm casts and insect nests are common from horizon 2 down to 7. Roots appear throughout the profile. The soil is further on characterized by moderate alkalinity. 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.

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
0-12	-	0	0.1	0.2	1.3	4.2	5.8	42.8	32.3	75.1	19.1
12-25	-	0	0.1	0.1	0.6	2.6	3.4	35.2	37.1	72.3	24.4
25-56	-	0	0	0.1	0.4	1.3	1.8	25.8	39	64.8	33.5
56-83	-	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.3	1.2	1.8	28.6	37.6	66.2	32.3
83-117	-	0	0.1	0.1	0.3	1.2	1.7	28.5	40.1	68.6	29.8
117-140	-	0	0.1	0.1	0.2	1.3	1.7	28.5	42.2	70.7	27.7
140-155	20	0.2	0.5	0.3	0.4	1.6	3	33.2	41.9	75.1	21.9

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-12	-	-	-	-	19.1
12-25	-	-	-	-	24.4
25-56	-	-	-	-	33.5
56-83	-	-	-	-	32.3
83-117	-	-	-	-	29.8
117-140	-	-	-	-	27.7
140-155	-	-	-	-	21.9

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
0-12	8.2	7.3	0.18	1.3	0.41	0.05	8	-	-	16.7	1.3	0.3	0.1	18.4
12-25	7.9	6.6	0.12	1.0	0.43	0.05	9	-	-	16.6	1.4	0.2	0.1	18.3
25-56	7.6	6.1	0.1	1.0	0.52	0.06	9	-	-	19.6	2.1	0.3	0.1	22.1
56-83	7.6	6.2	0.09	1.0	0.42	0.05	8	-	-	18.2	2.4	0.3	0.1	21
83-117	7.9	6.5	0.1	1.1	0.28	-	-	-	-	17.4	2.4	0.3	0.1	20.2
117-140	8.0	6.7	0.13	1.5	0.22	-	-	-	-	16.7	2.4	0.2	0.1	19.4
140-155	8.3	7.3	0.15	12.8	0.17	-	-	-	-	41.5	2.0	0.2	0.1	43.8

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 %
0-12	138	13.3	70	1.4	-	-	1
12-25	112	16.3	67	1.5	-	-	1
25-56	107	20.7	62	1.8	-	-	0
56-83	112	18.7	58	1.5	-	-	1
83-117	125	16.2	54	1.0	-	-	1
117-140	120	16.2	58	0.8	-	-	1
140-155	402	10.9	50	0.6	-	-	1

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-12	-	-	-	-	-	-	weak	weak to medium	very weak to weak	very weak to weak	-	very weak
25-56	-	-	-	-	-	-	weak	weak to medium	very weak to weak	very weak to weak	-	very weak to weak
83-117	-	-	-	-	-	-	weak	weak to medium	very weak to weak	very weak to weak	-	weak
140-155	-	-	-	-	-	-	weak	weak	very weak to weak	very weak to weak	-	weak

Profile description

Ap 0-12 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, dry) (dark) brown (10YR 4/3, moist)silt loam,weak coarse subangular blocky,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,few fine discontinuous interstitial pores and common interstitial pores,abrupt smooth boundary to,
BA 12-25 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, dry) (dark) brown (10YR 4/3, moist)silt loam,weak coarse and very coarse prismatic,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,patchy thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,many very fine continuous tubular pores and few continuous tubular pores,very few small spherical hard ferruginous concretions very few small spherical hard manganiferous concretions,frequent termite channels and coprogenic elements,clear smooth boundary to,
Bt1 25-56 cm	(dark) brown (10YR 4/3, dry) dark brown (10YR 3/3, moist)silty clay loam,weak fine prismatic to moderate medium subangular blocky,hard friable sticky plastic,continuous thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,many fine continuous tubular pores and few tubular pores,very few small spherical hard ferruginous concretions very few small spherical hard manganiferous concretions,frequent termite channels and coprogenic elements,gradual smooth boundary to,
Bt2 56-83 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, dry) (dark) brown (10YR 4/3, moist)silty clay loam,weak fine prismatic to moderate medium subangular blocky,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,continuous thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,many very fine continuous tubular pores and few continuous tubular pores,very few small spherical hard ferruginous concretions very few small spherical hard manganiferous concretions,frequent termite channels and coprogenic elements,diffuse smooth boundary to,
BC1 83-117 cm	light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4, dry) dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4, moist)silt loam,weak medium subangular blocky,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,patchy thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,common fine continuous tubular pores and few continuous tubular pores,very few small spherical hard ferruginous concretions very few small spherical hard manganiferous concretions,frequent termite channels and coprogenic elements,gradual smooth boundary to,
BC2 117-140 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, dry) dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4, moist)silt loam,weak coarse subangular blocky,hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,patchy thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,common fine continuous tubular pores,few medium dendritic soft calcareous soft segregations very few medium irregular hard calcareous nodules,frequent termite channels and coprogenic elements,abrupt wavy boundary to,
Ck 140-190 cm	light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4, dry) yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, moist)silt loam,massive,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,few fine distinct clear mottles (10 YR 5/6) and few fine distinct mottles (10 YR 5/8),few fine continuous tubular pores and common tubular pores,very few medium spherical soft calcareous soft segregations few small spherical soft calcareous soft segregations,

Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	eolian loess
Remarks on Parent Materials	from Himalayas
Texture of parent material (second entry)	loamy

Occurrence of soil aggradation (McDonald et al., 1984)	present
Intensity of the soil erosion type	slight
Slope stability	stable

Major crops	wheat
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	arable farming
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	Dryland, harvested wheatfield
Rotation scheme ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	crop rotation

Altitude	485m
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.	plain
Slope	1%
Slope Aspect	south-east
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	well
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	0-190cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	slow
Estimated run off (class)	slow

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	moderately alkaline
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 05: Luvisol

Characteristics

Reference soil PK005: Luvisol

Classification