Reference soil Italy 15: Luvisol

IT015

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 IT015: Luvisols

Dark reddish brown, clayey soil with angular blocky structure overlying, with an abrupt and irregular boundary, partly desintegrated dolomitic limestone. In the argic B horizon clay-iron(-humus) cutans (on pedfaces and as linings along pores) and common slickensides occur. Throughout the soil many fine, medium and coarse roots are found. PARENT MATERIAL: colour of the weathering limestone varies; weathering planes are red (2.5YR 4/8), C material is pink (7.5YR 7/4), rock is light grey (10YR 7/1). HUMAN INFLUENCE: frequent bush fires during the summer. ROCK OUTCROPS: at site no stones or rock outcrops, but nearby exceedingly stony and rocky. VEGETATION: dominant are Ampelodesma tenax link and Cytisus villosus. REFERENCES: Remmerzwaal A. 1978. Soil Genesis and Quarternary Landscape Development in the Tyrrhenian Coastal Area of South-Central Italy. University of Amsterdam. Fys. Geogr. en Bodemk. Lab. Publ. no. 28. Sevink J. et al. 1981. The Soils of Southern Lazio and Adjacent Campania (Agro Pontino, Volsci Range, Garigliano Basin, Valle Latina). Geologica Romana. See also references with profile IT009 (I9). PROFILE DESCRIPTION: Bt1: common small slickensides. Bt2: common small and medium slickensides. Bt3: common medium and large slickensides.

Classification

WRB 2014

Luvisol

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Chromi-Vertic Luvisol rudic

Chromic Luvisol

- cm	argic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon
-	vertic

- cm	argillic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon
-	slickensides

Local classification:	Suolo rosso mediterraneo

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Mollic Haploxeralf
USDA-SCS (1975)	Mollic Rhodoxeralf xeric very fine mixed thermic

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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
0-7	-	0.1	0.1	0.8	3.8	1.2	6	4.1	8	12.1	82
7-19	-	0	0.4	0.9	3.9	0.8	6	3.1	7.6	10.7	83.3
19-37	-	0	0.1	0.9	5.3	1.4	7.7	3.4	9.3	12.7	79.7
37-60	-	0	0.1	0.6	2.8	0.5	4	2.3	5.9	8.2	87.9
60-78	-	0	0	0.2	1.2	0.3	1.7	2.5	3.8	6.3	92.1
78-100	-	0	0	0	0.3	0.1	0.4	1.1	2.1	3.2	96.4
100-130	-	0	4.3	48.7	29.7	3.7	86.4	2.5	0.7	3.2	10.4

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-7	-	-	-	-	82
7-19	-	-	-	-	83.3
19-37	-	-	-	-	79.7
37-60	-	-	-	-	87.9
60-78	-	-	-	-	92.1
78-100	-	-	-	-	96.4
100-130	-	-	-	-	10.4

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
0-7	6.1	5.2	0.2	-	3.46	0.19	18	-	-	25.9	9.6	2.0	0.5	38
7-19	5.9	4.9	0.18	-	2.39	0.14	17	-	-	21.2	7.2	1.6	0.4	30.4
19-37	5.8	4.7	0.13	-	1.03	0.08	13	-	-	15.2	6.9	0.9	0.5	23.5
37-60	6.0	4.8	0.14	-	0.77	0.06	13	-	-	15.8	7.7	0.6	0.6	24.7
60-78	6.3	5.0	0.14	-	0.62	-	-	-	-	18.2	8.7	0.6	0.9	28.4
78-100	6.6	5.3	0.14	1.7	0.50	-	-	-	-	17.2	9.4	0.6	0.8	28
100-130	8.0	7.6	0.11	91.3	0.21	-	-	-	-	13.0	7.6	0.1	0.1	20.8

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 %
0-7	100	35.1	30	12	-	-	-
7-19	97	31.3	29	8	-	-	-
19-37	88	26.6	29	4	-	-	-
37-60	88	28.2	29	3.0	-	-	-
60-78	97	29.2	30	2.0	-	-	-
78-100	92	30.3	30	2.0	-	-	-
100-130	100	3.7	29	1.0	-	-	-

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
0-7	-	-	-	0.3	0	3.5	0.3	-	-	-	0.2
7-19	-	-	-	0.3	0	3.7	0.3	-	-	-	0.1
19-37	-	-	-	0.3	0	3.5	0.3	-	-	-	0.1
37-60	-	-	-	0.3	0.1	3.7	0.3	-	-	-	0.2
60-78	-	-	-	0.3	0.1	3.9	0.3	-	-	-	0.2
78-100	-	-	-	0.4	0.1	3.7	0.3	-	-	-	0.2
100-130	-	-	-	0	0	0.4	0	-	-	-	0

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-7	-	-	-	-	-	-	medium to strong	weak to medium	weak	-	-	-
19-37	-	-	-	-	-	-	medium to strong	weak to medium	weak	-	weak	-
60-78	-	-	-	-	-	-	weak to medium	weak	weak	-	very weak to weak	-
100-130	-	-	-	-	-	-	weak to medium	weak	weak	-	very weak to weak	-

Profile description

Ah1 0-7 cm	dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2, dry) dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2, moist)clay,moderate medium subangular blocky,slightly hard friable sticky plastic,few very fine fine discontinuous inped tubular random pores,very few small spherical soft manganiferous nodules,few pedotubules,abrupt smooth boundary to,
Ah2 7-19 cm	dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3, dry) dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3, moist)clay,moderate coarse and very coarse subangular blocky,slightly hard friable sticky plastic,patchy thick clay and humus on pedfaces cutans,common very fine fine discontinuous exped and inped tubular random pores,very few small spherical soft manganiferous nodules,clear wavy boundary to,
19-37 cm	dark red (2.5YR 3/6, dry) dark red (2.5YR 3/6, moist)clay,moderate to strong coarse and very coarse subangular blocky,hard firm sticky plastic,broken thick clay and humus on pedfaces cutans,common very fine fine discontinuous inped tubular random pores and few discontinuous inped tubular random pores,very few medium gravel weathered dol. limestone few charcoal fragments,frequent pedotubules,gradual wavy boundary to,
Bt1 37-60 cm	dark red (2.5YR 3/6, dry) (2.5YR 3/5, moist)clay,moderate medium angular blocky,hard firm sticky plastic,broken thick clay and sesquioxide on vertical pedfaces cutans,common very fine medium discontinuous inped tubular random pores,frequent pedotubules,gradual wavy boundary to,
Bt2 60-78 cm	(2.5YR 3.5/6, moist)clay,moderate medium and coarse angular blocky,firm sticky plastic,thick clay and sesquioxide on vertical pedfaces cutans,common very fine fine discontinuous inped tubular random pores and few discontinuous inped tubular random pores,few pedotubules,gradual smooth boundary to,
Bt3 78-100 cm	(2.5YR 3.5/6, moist)clay,moderate medium and coarse wedge-shaped angular blocky,friable sticky plastic,patchy thick clay and sesquioxide on pedfaces cutans,common very fine fine discontinuous inped tubular random pores and few discontinuous inped tubular random pores,few small spherical soft manganiferous nodules,abrupt irregular boundary to,
C/R 100-130 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, moist)Description sand very gravelly,structureless,loose non sticky non plastic,patchy thick clay and sesquioxide around sand grains cutans,many fine discontinuous interstitial pores,very frequent coarse gravel weathered dol. limestone very frequent coarse gravel weathered dol. limestone fragments,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	dolomitic limestone
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	residual material
Soil Depth	130cm
Texture of parent material (second entry)	clayey

Occurrence of soil aggradation (McDonald et al., 1984)	absent
Intensity of the soil erosion type	moderate
Soil erosion type	gully
Slope stability	stable

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	semi-natural grassland, grazed
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	grass/shrubs; extensive cattle grazing
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	grassland

Altitude	200m
Physiographic Unit	complex slope in mountains
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.	mountain
Slope	14%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	concave
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	steeply dissected

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	moderately well
Dry From - To	0-60cm
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Moist From - To	60-130cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	moderate
Estimated run off (class)	medium

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)	no surface slaking/crusting observed
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 Italy 15: Luvisol

Characteristics

Reference soil IT015: Luvisols

Classification