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Site LS23


Location: Woorak

Australian Soil Classification: Hypercalcic, Subnatric, Red SODOSOL (sandy)

Northcote Factual Key: Dr 4.33
Great Soil Group: solodized solonetz

General Landscape Description: Upper slope on the eastern side of a north-south trending gently undulating rise.

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A110-15 cmDark reddish brown (5YR3/2); loamy sand; weakly structured; weak consistence dry; pH 7.1:

Image: LS23 Profile
LS23 Profile
A1215-25 cmDark reddish brown (5YR3/4); sand; structureless; firm consistence dry; sharp and wavy change to:
Subsoil

B2125-50 cmYellowish red (5YR4/6); medium clay; weak coarse columnar (with hard bleached capping), parting to moderate prismatic structure; very firm consistence dry; pH 8.6:

B2250-100 cmYellowish red (5YR4/6); medium clay; moderate medium blocky structure; contains few (< 10%) soft calcareous segregations, increasing to many (20 - 50%) from 80-100 cm:

C100 cm +Weathered sandstone.

Key Profile Features:
  • Strong texture contrast between sandy surface horizons and clay subsoil.
  • Coarse columnar structure with cemented capping in upper subsoil.

Soil Profile Characteristics:


pH
Salinity
Surface
(A1 horizon)
Slightly Alkaline
Low
Non-Sodic
--
Subsoil
(B21 horizon)
Strongly Alkaline
Low-Medium
Strongly Sodic
Complete

Image: LS23 graphs

The surface soil is slightly alkaline. The subsoil is strongly alkaline.The salinity rating is low in the surface becoming moderate with depth.

Management Considerations:

Surface (A) Horizons
      • The sandy textured surface horizons have a low water holding capacity. The low wilting point value (ie. 5%), however, indicates that plants will be able to utilise light rains falling on relatively dry soil.
      • The sandy surface horizons are prone to wind erosion. Organic carbon levels are reasonable and need to be maintained along with surface cover to promote aggregation and reduce erodibility. Soil organic matter is also important in terms of soil fertility and water holding capacity.
Subsoil (B) Horizons
      • The dense and coarsely structured subsoil is strongly sodic and dispersive which is likely to restrict water and plant root movement down the profile.
      • The strongly alkaline conditions indicate that some nutrients (eg. iron, manganese, copper and zinc) may be poorly available to plants.
Comments from Landholder:
      • Clover and oats/clover and oats/pasture/beans rotation has been used.
      • Gypsum, zinc and superphosphate applied.
Profile Described By: Mark Imhof, John Martin, Sonia Thompson (May 1994).
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