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SFS6

SFS6 landscape
Buckshot in A2 and B21 (scale = 1 cm intervals)

    Site Code
SFS6
SFS6 profile
Manganic, Mottled-Mesonatric, Yellow Sodosol
(View in surface drain, depth 1.2 metre)
Learmonth road ‘Avenue of Honour’ on the horizon.

    Location
Learmonth Road: Cardigan
    Landform
Gently undulating plain
    Geology
Quaternary Volcanics: basalt
    Element
Plain
    Slope
<1%
    Aspect
South west
Horizon
Depth (cm)
Description
Ap
0– 15 Brown (10YR4/3); fine sandy clay loam; weak surface seal (powdery); apedal; large (>10%) amount of coarse (5–20 mm) buckshot gravel on the ground surface, <10% magnetic; firm consistence; pH 5.7; clear boundary to:

A2c
15–40/45 Pale brown (10YR6/3 moist), conspicuously bleached (10YR7/3 dry); fine sandy loam, gravelly; apedal structure; abundant (50%), medium (5–25 mm) buckshot gravel with black manganiferous centres, becoming cemented at base of horizon; buckshot can be broken with some finger force; pH 5.4; clear boundary to:

B21c
45–60 Gravelly clay loam with abundant (80%) coarse to very coarse (10–40 mm) manganiferous buckshot/ironstone gravel; pH 6.7; abrupt boundary to:

B22tg
60–120 +Light yellowish brown (2.5Y6/4 moist); light medium clay; with prominent, small tending to linear, dark red (2.5YR4/8) mottles with brownish yellow (10YR6/8) fringes; 30–50%, fine (5-10 mm) polyhedral structure; pH 7.2.

Management considerations
The soil at this site is highly variable with strongly developed gilgai features. The topsoil is susceptible to waterlogging, wind and water erosion and compaction. The high gravel content limits water availability for plants and the sodic clay subsoil restricts drainage. Acidity should be raised for crop and pasture production. Organic carbon of the topsoil (1.3%) represents the lowest recorded from the south west cropping sites, this should be increased to improve structure and protect the soil from erosion.

Analytical data
Site SFS6
Sample
depth
pH
EC
NaCl
Ex Ca
Ex Mg
Ex K
Ex Na
Ex Al
Ex acidity
FC
(-10kPa)
PWP
(-150kPa)
KS
FS
Z
C
Horizon
cm
H2O
CaCl2
dS/m
%
cmolc/kg
cmolc/kg
cmolc/kg
cmolc/kg
mg/kg
cmolc/kg
%
%
%
%
%
%
Ap
0–10
5.7
4.9
0.09
N/R
3.1
0.81
0.38
0.14
<10
6.9
29
7
4.4
45.8
24.5
19
A2
20–35
5.4
4.6
<0.05
N/R
1.9
0.51
0.17
0.08
18
6.5
27.9
18.5
7.8
46.1
25
15.5
B21c
45–60
6.7
5.7
0.05
N/R
2.1
2.6
0.17
0.51
N/R
6.3
27.3
9.9
11.4
38.9
20
27
B22tg
65–85
7.2
6.3
0.17
N/R
3.9
10
0.35
2.6
N/R
9.4
46
25.1
2.8
16.3
11.5
65.5


SFS6 image3
View of “hollow” and “puff” gilgai features in drain excavation
Depth to clay, presence of A2 and distribution of buckshot are all highly variable in this soil

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