Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
16
CHAPTER
Advances in the South African Soil
Classification System
Michiel C. Laker
CONTENTS
Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................201
Introduction: The Pioneer and Leaders of Soil ClassiÝcation in South Africa............................202
The ÑThird Major Soil RegionÒ.....................................................................................................202
Historical Review of Soil ClassiÝcation in South Africa .............................................................203
Development of ÑSoil ClassiÝcation: A Binomial System for South AfricaÒ..............................204
Soil ClassiÝcation: A Binomial System for South Africa ............................................................205
Development of ÑSoil ClassiÝcation: A Taxonomic System for South AfricaÒ...........................211
Soil ClassiÝcation: A Taxonomic System for South Africa..........................................................212
Advances in Soil ClassiÝcation in South Africa since 1991 ........................................................216
The Road Ahead.............................................................................................................................218
References ......................................................................................................................................219
ABSTRACT
South Africa is part of the relatively unknown ÑThird Major Soil RegionÒ of the world. The
dominant soils of this major soil region differ signiÝcantly from those of the other two major
soil regions, namely, the soils of the high latitude big continents of the northern hemisphere and
the soils of the humid tropics. Development of a systematic soil classiÝcation system for South
Africa started about 1960 and culminated in the publication of ÑSoil ClassiÝcation: A Binomial
System for South AfricaÒ in 1977. The system had two categories: the soil form and the soil
series. The form was the higher category. The system was based on a number of well-deÝned
diagnostic horizons. Easy to determine, mainly morphological criteria were used to deÝne
diagnostic horizons. Each soil form had a speciÝc diagnostic horizon sequence. A revised version
of the system, ÑSoil ClassiÝcation: A Taxonomic System for South Africa,Ò was published in
1991. The soil family became the lower category, instead of the series. A series category is
supposed to be developed below the family, but this has become totally bogged down, and thus
no progress is being made because of a decision that series should represent natural soil bodies
and not pragmatic entities. In the interest of efÝcient land use planning and sustainable land use,
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