Ferralsols and Plinthosols

Peter Schad

Chair of Soil Science

Technische Universität München(Munich University of Technology)

Factors of soil formation

climateparent materialsbiotatopographytime

Which ones differ largely comparing the tropics with Europe?

Ferralsols and Plinthosols

occur in the- permanently humid tropics- summer-humid tropics

Timemany parts of the old Gondwana continent:

- South American lowlands- most parts of Africa- India- western Australia

no ice in the Pleistocene

(Central and Northern Europe: nearly all soils began their formation after the Pleistocene)

Climate

high temperatures and high precipitation:

1. chemical weathering increased

2. decomposition of organic matter increased

3. ion leaching increased

Main process of soil formation: ferralitization

1. weathering of silicates, mainly by hydrolysis

2. leaching out of base cations and silicon ions

3. formation of kaolinite and oxides

Mineral constituents of Ferralsols and Plinthosols

1. quartz (residual): SiO2

2. kaolinite: 1:1 clay mineral

3. iron oxides:

hematite: red, high temperatures: Fe2O3

goethite: brown, everywhere: FeOOH

4. aluminum oxides:

gibbsite: Al(OH)3

Definition of Ferralsols

1. having a ferralic horizon at some depth between 25 and 200 cm from the soil surface and

2. lacking a nitic horizon within 100 cm from the soil surface and

3. lacking a layer which fulfills the requirements of an argic horizon and which has in the upper 30 cm, 10 percent or more water-dispersible clay (unless the soil material has geric properties or more than 1.4 percent organic carbon)

Definition of the ferralic horizon (1)

A ferralic horizon must have:

1. a sandy loam or finer particle size and less than 90 percent (by weight) gravel, stones or petroplinthic (iron-manganese) concretions; and

2. a cation exchange capacity (by 1 M NH4OAc) of 16 cmolc kg-1 clay or less and an effective cation exchange capacity (sum of exchangeable bases plus exchangeable acidity in 1 M KCl) of less than 12 cmolc kg-1 clay; and

Definition of the ferralic horizon (2)

3. less than 10% water-dispersible clay, unless the soil material has geric properties or more than 1.4 percent organic carbon; and

4. less than 10 percent weatherable minerals in the 50 - 200 µm fraction; and

5. no characteristics diagnostic for the andic horizon; and

6. thickness of at least 30 cm.

Porfile depth

often several meters, up to 100 m

deeper horizons: saprolite

chemical weathering in situ

nothing else happens:

- little physical weathering

- almost no organisms

- no translocations

-> rock structure remains unchanged

-> low bulk density

(ions washed out, but volume remains)

Physical characteristics (1)

microaggregates:

kaolinite-oxide-complexes

kaolinite: neg. charged (unless the pH is very low)

oxides: pos. charged (pH <6.5)

also called: pseudosand, pseudosilt (-> problems with the field detection of texture by feel)

stable, little erosion risk

fall to pieces if pH rises over 6.5

Physical characteristics (2)

pseudosand -> many macropores

-> good aeration, good drainage

high clay content -> many micropores

few mesopores

-> low plant available water capacity

permanently humid tropics: no problem

tropics with dry seasons: may be a problem

Chemical characteristics (1)

organic matter:

1. rapid decomposition and intensive bioturbation

- high rainfall

- high temperature

- good drainage

-> only few organic acids

pH only moderately acid (often ca. 5)

2. high biomass production

-> many plant residues

-> rel. high stocks of org. matter in the min. soil

Chemical characteristics (2)

mineral constituents:

- low CEC

- little nutrient release by weathering of primary minerals (only a few primary minerals left)

organic constituents:

- high CEC

- high nutrient release by decomposition

Chemical characteristics (3)

special problem: phosphate:

at pH < 5: bound to oxides

problem: there are many oxides in Ferralsols

available P: by mineralization of organic matter

Land use

traditional: shifting cultivation: slash and burn:

2 – 4 years of agriculture

10 – 20 years of forest fallow

modern intensive agriculture: possible if:

- large amounts of mineral fertilizers

(-> expensive)

- no tillage

(avoid too fast mineralization and erosion)

modern alternative: agroforestry systems

Distribution of Ferralsols

Ferralsol in Burkina Faso under Tectona grandis

Ferralsol in Brazil under soybean

Ferralsol in Bolivia with saprolite in greater depth

the soils are physically stable

savanna (above)forest (below)

Formation of Plinthosols (1)

1. ferralitization: relative enrichment of Fe in situ

2. some Plinthosols: absolute enrichment of Fe:

in depressions:

- laterally flowing water

- capillary rise of groundwater

3. iron distribution by redox processes:

groundwater (gleyic properties):

Fe oxides accumulate at the aggregate surfaces

rainwater or floodwater (stagnic properties):

Fe oxides accumulate in the centres of the aggregates

Formation of Plinthosols (2)

groundwater: processes 2 and 3 together

groundwater: under the enriched horizon:pallid zone:

white (pure kaolinite, Fe-depleted)former horizon with permanently reduced cond.

most Plinthosols:redox processes actually not ongoing

Hardening in Plinthosols (1)first result: soft horizon with special colour pattern: plinthite

then: may harden:

- hard concretions: pisolithespossible if originated by stagnic properties

- continuously cemented horizon: petroplinthitepossible in both cases (originated by stagnic or gleyic properties)

hardening:

if enough crystalline iron oxides accumulate

may harden under water-logged conditions

may harden deep in the soil

but it always hardens :

- when exposed near to the surface

- and subject to alternating drying and wetting over a long time

Definition of Plinthosols

Soils having either

1. a petroplinthic horizon starting within 50 cm from the soil surface; or

2. a plinthic horizon within 50 cm from the soil surface; or

3. a plinthic horizon starting within 100 cm from the soil surface when underlying either an albic horizon or a horizon with stagnic properties

Definition of the plinthic horizon (1)

A plinthic horizon must have:

1. 25 percent (by volume) or more of an iron-rich, humus-poor mixture of kaolinitic clay with quartz and other diluents, which changes irreversibly to a hardpan or to irregular aggregates on exposure to repeated wetting and drying with free access of oxygen; and

Definition of the plinthic horizon (2)

2. a. 2.5 percent (by weight) or more citrate-dithionite extractable iron in the fine earth fraction, especially in the upper part of the horizon, or 10 percent in the mottles or concretions; and

b. ratio between acid oxalate (pH3) extractable iron and citrate-dithionite extractable iron of less than 0.1; and

3. less than 0.6 percent (by weight) organic

carbon; and

4. thickness of 15 cm or more

Definition of the petroplinthic horizon (1)

A petroplinthic horizon must have:

1. a. 10 percent (by weight) or more citrate-dithionite extractable iron, at least in the upper part of the horizon; and

b. ratio between acid oxalate (pH3) extractable iron and citrate-dithionite extractable iron of less than 0.1; and

Definition of the petroplinthic horizon (2)

2. less than 0.6 percent (by weight) organic carbon; and

3. cementation to the extent that dry fragments do not slake in water and it cannot be penetrated by roots

4. thickness of 10 cm or more

We regard as plinthic horizon

- plinthite (soft)

- horizon with pisolithes

- petroplinthite missing the iron oxide requirements (criterion 1) of the petroplinthic horizon

(diagnostic criteria of the plinthic horizon have to be met)

Characteristics

physical characteristics:

dominated by plinthite, petroplinthite or pisolithes

chemical characteristics:

like Ferralsols

land use:

do not expose the plinthite to the surface

-> risk of hardening

Distribution of Plinthosols

Plinthosol in Bolivia with a soft plinthic horizon

Soil in Bolivia with pisolithes

Soil in Bolivia with a petroplinthic horizon

Soil in South Africa with a petroplinthic horizonand a pallid zone underneath

Petroplinthic horizons at the surface