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SFS17

Location: Woorndoo

Australian Soil Classification: Vertic, Mottled-Hypernatric, Black and Grey SODOSOL

General Landscape Description: Gently undulating basalt plain
Site Description: Relatively elevated position near the crest with gilgai 4 m wide.
Land Use: Wheat cropping
Geology: Quaternary - Newer Volcanics

Image:  SFS 17 landscape
SFS17 Landscape


Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

Ap0-10 cmBrown (10YR5/3); fine sandy clay loam; cracking surface; apedal to weakly pedal; weak consistence dry; pH 5.8; abrupt change to:
Image:  SFS17 profile

SFS17 Profile
A21e10-20 cmLight brownish grey (10YR6/2) conspicuously bleached (10YR7/3d); fine sandy loam; apedal but with platy pan in upper part of horizon; weak to firm consistence dry; pH 5.1; clear change to:
A22c20-35 cmLight brownish grey (10YR6/2) conspicuously bleached (10YR7/3d); gravelly loam; very many medium to coarse (3-20 mm) buckshot (the coarser buckshot fraction is comprised of cemented smaller buckshot, the finer fraction is magnetic); pH 6.0; sharp change to:

NOTE: horizon varies in thickness, can go as deep as 60 cm.
Subsoil
B21t35-60 cmDark grey to very dark grey (10YR4/1 – 3/1) with fine strong red mottles (sometimes yellower and becoming dull yellow with depth); heavy clay; strong coarse prismatic, parting to medium blocky structure; strong consistence dry; pH 7.1-7.7.

Image:  SFS 17 subsoil peds Subsoil B21 ped
Image:  SF168S 17 crop root development
Crop root development


Key Profile Features:
  • Strong texture contrast between surface (A) horizons and subsoil (B21) horizon.
  • Conspicuously bleached subsurface (A2) horizon.

Soil Profile Characteristics:


pH
Salinity Rating
Surface
(A1 horizon)
Moderately Acid
Low
Non-Sodic
None
Subsoil
(B21 horizon)
Near Neutral
Low
Strongly sodic
Strong-Complete
Deeper Subsoil
(at 50-60 cm)
Slightly Alkaline
Low
Strongly Sodic
Strong


Image:  SFS17 graphs
Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
pH
(water)
pH
(CaCl2)
EC
dS/m
NaCl
%
Organic Carbon
%
Nitrogen
%
Exchangeable Cations
Ca
Mg
K
Na
meq/100g
Ap
0-10
5.8
5.8
0.25
2.9
0.25
6.5
1.6
0.31
0.33
A21
10-20
5.1
4.7
0.17
1.9
0.66
0.10
0.12
A22
20-35
6.0
5.7
0.19
1.5
0.73
0.14
0.28
B21 (upper)
35-45
7.1
6.3
0.35
0.04
5.4
9.0
0.7
5.6
B21 (lower)
50-60
7.7
7.0
0.39
0.04
4.9
8.4
0.6
5.3

Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
Exchangeable Aluminium
mg/kg
Exchangeable Acidity
meq/100g
Field
Capacity
pF2.5
Wilting Point
pF4.2
Coarse Sand
(0.2-2.0 mm)
Fine Sand
(0.02-0.2 mm)
Silt
(0.002-0.02 mm)
Clay
(<0.002 mm)
Ap
0-10
<10
8.8
29.2
9.8
8
43
26
17
A21
10-20
<10
4.6
22.4
4.4
8
49
27
14
A22
20-35
<10
7.4
15.8
6.5
55
22
13
9
B21 (upper)
35-45
41.2
26.6
7
13
7
69
B21 (lower)
50-60
37.2
22.9
17
16
28
30


Management Considerations:

Whole Profile


NOTES: Property owner reports that this paddock has crabhole features with A2 and buckshot of very variable thickness, some places the clay B horizon may be at 60 cm depth while in others the clay is almost at the surface. Generally around 4 metres between crabholes. Soil shows cracking to surface on “clay banks” and crickets are plentiful.

Profile Described By: Richard MacEwan (December 1999).
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