engleski

SOIL MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION AS A TOOL FOR ASSESSING THE SOIL WATER REGIME

The quantity, retention, and movement of soil water make the main components of the soil water regime (SWR). Because of its importance for the overall soil fertility, SWR is often measured and/or monitored by expensive devices and/or time- consuming procedures. However, SWR can also be readily assessed from soil morphological properties. Excessively wetted soils have a characteristic SWR-related morphology, which is why they are usually labeled as hydromorphic soils. These soils display distinct redoximorphic features (RMFs) that form by reduction, translocation, and oxidation of iron (manganese) oxides. Hydromorphic soils mostly comprise Gleysols and Stagnosols (but also Gleyic Fluvisols), as the soils that are excessively wetted by groundwater, precipitation, and/or flood water. Given their global occurrence, the morphology of these soils is often described using various terms and criteria. This hinders the comparison, classification, and use of such soils. Therefore, in this submission we first show and describe the common RMFs, while explaining their formation. Then, we propose the revised Croatian terms for these features (following the terminology of the WRB-FAO and/or Soil Taxonomy international systems). We also critically review the criteria used for diagnosing RMFs and classifying hydromorphic soils according to various systems. Lastly, we show that, when a valid methodology is used, the description and quantification of RMFs may readily provide valuable information regarding the SWR (which soil portion was saturated and for how long, where did the excess soil water come from, is the excessive soil wetting recent or relict, etc.).

Gleysols, Stagnosols, hydromorphic soils, soil redoximorphic features, soil classification

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