Reference soil Benin 01: Lixisol

BJ001

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 BJ001: Lixisols

REFERENCE: Fritz (1996): catena IIa/7 (ISRIC Library S50-29)

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Cutanic- Lixisol (Chromic)

Chromic- Lixisol

48-100 cm

argic horizon

0-10 cm	ochric horizon
48-100 cm	argic horizon

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Chromi-Haplic Lixisol

Ferric Luvisol

0-10 cm	ochric A horizon
48-100 cm	argic B horizon
-	nitic

0-10 cm	ochric A horizon
48-100 cm	argillic B horizon
20-116	ferric

Local classification:	Terre de barre

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Paleudalf udic fine-loamy siliceous isohyperthermic

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
0-9	0	1.8	15.0	36.3	26.5	5.3	84.9	1.5	3.1	4.6	10.5
9-20	0	1.4	14.1	40.6	28.5	4.1	88.7	1.5	2.9	4.4	6.9
20-35	0	1.9	12.8	35.1	27.1	5.0	81.9	1.9	2.6	4.5	13.6
35-60	0	2.3	12.5	28.3	17.8	3.1	64	1.8	2.3	4.1	32.0
60-90	0	3.7	16.2	24.9	12.8	2.5	60.1	1.9	0.7	2.6	37.2
90-116	0	2.1	13.5	21.8	12.4	2.9	52.7	2.5	0.2	2.7	44.5

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-9	-	-	-	-	10.5
9-20	1.46	-	-	-	6.9
20-35	1.49	-	-	-	13.6
35-60	-	-	-	-	32.0
60-90	1.56	-	-	-	37.2
90-116	-	-	-	-	44.5

Other physical data

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	pF 0 % v/v	pF 1.0 % v/v	pF 1.5 % v/v	pF 2.0 % v/v	pF 2.3 % v/v	pF 2.7 % v/v	pF 3.4 % v/v	pF 4.2 % v/v
9-20	1.46	41	38.6	19.5	10.5	8.3	7.4	5.1	4.7
20-35	1.49	42.1	40.1	20.8	12.0	9.7	8.7	7.9	7.5
60-90	1.56	34.5	33.3	28.9	24.6	22.4	21.1	19.8	19.0

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
0-9	5.5	5.3	0.16	-	0.81	-	-	-	-	2.6	1.3	0.1	0.1	4.1
9-20	5.5	5.2	0.06	-	0.42	-	-	-	-	2.7	1.6	0.1	0.0	4.4
20-35	5.6	5.0	0.03	-	0.31	-	-	-	-	1.4	0.7	0.1	0.0	2.2
35-60	4.8	4.1	0.02	-	0.28	-	-	0.7	0.4	1.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	2
60-90	4.3	4.0	0.02	-	0.25	-	-	1.3	1.1	1.1	1.1	0.0	0.0	2.2
90-116	4.4	4.0	0.01	-	0.21	-	-	1.3	1.1	0.8	0.3	0.0	0.0	1.1

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 %
0-9	73	5.6	53	2.8	-	-	2
9-20	105	4.2	61	1.5	-	-	0
20-35	73	3.0	22	1.1	-	-	0
35-60	77	2.6	8	1.0	-	15	0
60-90	92	2.4	6	0.9	-	46	0
90-116	32	3.4	8	0.7	-	32	0

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-9	-	-	-	-	-	-	very strong	very weak	very weak	very weak	-	-
9-20	-	-	-	-	-	-	very strong	-	very weak	very weak	-	-
35-60	-	-	-	-	-	-	very strong	-	very weak	very weak	-	-
90-116	-	-	-	-	-	-	very strong	-	very weak	very weak	-	-

Profile description

Ah 0-10 cm	dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4, dry)Description sand,porous massive,soft,highly porous (>60 vol%),many roots,non calcareous 10% HCl,abrupt smooth boundary to,
10-48 cm	yellowish red (5YR 4/6, dry)Description sand,porous massive,soft,highly porous (>60 vol%),common roots,non calcareous 10% HCl,gradual smooth boundary to,
Bt 48-100 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, dry)sandy clay,fine and medium subangular blocky,patchy thin clay cutans in root channels and pores,highly porous (>60 vol%),few roots,non calcareous 10% HCl,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	sediment, unconsolidated
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	marine sediments
Remarks on Parent Materials	"Continental Terminal" deposits
Soil Depth	100cm
Texture of parent material	sandy

Land improvements ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	land clearing
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	fallow
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	LAND USE: fallow for 8 years; many bushes with some palm trees.
Rotation scheme ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	shifting

Altitude	100m
Physiographic Unit	long interfluve
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.	marine terrace
Slope	2%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	concave
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	undulating

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Dry From - To	0-100cm
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	moderate
Estimated run off (class)	medium

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Reference soil Benin 01: Lixisol

Characteristics

Reference soil BJ001: Lixisols

Classification