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EGS262

Location: Clifton Creek

Australian Soil Classification: Sodic, Dystrophic, Yellow CHROMOSOL

Map Unit: Tambo (Component 2)
Previous Site Name: EG262

General Landscape Description: Undulating to rolling low hills.
Site Description: Mid-slope, north aspect, 10 % slope
Land Use: Grazing
Native Vegetation: Shrubby dry forest
Geology: Ordovician sediments

Soils and lanforms of the Bairnsdale Dargo region - a guide to the major agricultural soils of East Gippsland 2011 - Tambo EG262 landscape


Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A10 – 5 cmDark brown (10YR3/2); loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm dry; abrupt change to:
Soils and lanforms of the Bairnsdale Dargo region - a guide to the major agricultural soils of East Gippsland 2011 - Tambo EG262 profile
EG262 Profile
Subsoil
B215 – 20 cmBrown (7.5YR4/2), light brown (7.5YR6/3 dry); medium clay (subplastic); moderate coarse prismaticstructure; firm dry; few (<10%) angular medium pebbles (<20 mm); clear change to:
B22*20 – 30 cmBrown (7.5YR4/2), few coarse reddish yellow (7.5YR6/6) mottles; light clay; moderate coarse prismatic structure; common (10-20%) angular stones (200-600 mm); clear change to:
C30 -70 cmYellowish brown (10YR5/4); light clay; massive; abundant (>90%) angular soft rock.
*This horizon is discontinuous

Key Profile Features:
  • Shallow depth of surface soil.
  • Marked increase in soil texture between the A1 and B21 horizon.
  • Shallow depth to soft decomposing rock.

Soil Profile Characteristics:
Surface soil
Strongly Acid
Non-Sodic
None
Subsoil
(B22 horizon)
Moderately Acid
Sodic
None1
Deep subsoil
(C horizon)
Slightly Alkaline
Non-Sodic
Moderate2
1 Moderate dispersion after remoulding. 2 Strong dispersion after remoulding.

Chemical and Physical Analysis:


Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
pH
(water)
pH
CaCl
2
CE
dS/m
Organic Carbon
%
Total
Nitrogen
%
Exch. Al
Exch. Acididty
meq/100g
Exchangeable Cations
Coarse Sand
(0.2-2.0 mm)
%
Fine Sand
(0.02-0.2 mm)
%
Silt
(0.002-0.02 mm)
%
Clay
(<0.002 mm)
%
Field cap.
% w/w
Wilt. point
% w/w
Ca
Mg
K
Na
meq/100g
A1
0-5
5.1
4.4
5.1
8.3
0.6
140
21
3.2
2.1
0.3
0.2
21
29
20
14
36.4
17.4
B21
5-20
5.7
4.7
5.7
2.3
0.11
100
12
0.3
1.2
<0.1
0.4
18
28
7
41
26.9
10.3
B22
20-30
6.7
5.3
6.7
13
6.1
0.1
2.6
0.1
0.6
17
26
28
25
24.1
10.8
C
30-70
7.6
6.4
7.6
<5
1.7
<0.1
3.4
<0.1
0.3
19
18
38
23
21
10.3


Management Considerations

Whole profile
  • On the assumption the roots can extract the water in the top 25 cm of the soil, the plant available water capacity is estimated at 38 mm. The high amounts of organic matter in this surface soil have added to the soil’s ability to retain water.

Surface (A) horizons
  • The surface soil is strongly acidic but in the subsoil it is moderately acidic. Lime is unlikely to show any economic benefit.
  • Potassium is deficient and a response to potassium fertiliser is likely. This would particularly apply if the pasture was removed and baled.
  • The nutrient holding capacity of the soil is low (based on the sum of the basic cations) and the depth of surface soil is shallow.

Subsoil (B) horizons
  • Based on the sum of the basic cations, the subsoil has a very low nutrient holding capacity.
  • The subsoil is non-sodic and only slightly dispersive. Given the presence of increasing amounts of rock down the profile, gully and tunnel erosion is unlikely.


Profile Described By: Ian Sargeant (2011).
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