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SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BROWN FOREST SOILS OF SCOTLAND
Author(s) -
RAGG J. M.,
BRACEWELL J. M.,
LOGAN J.,
ROBERTSON L.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 0022-4588
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1978.tb02054.x
Subject(s) - podzol , soil water , altitude (triangle) , environmental science , soil science , environmental chemistry , chemistry , mathematics , geometry
Summary This paper considers the constitution of the freely drained brown forest soils both as a whole and divided on the basis of their field properties into podzolic and non‐podzolic groups, and their relationship to classes within the soil taxonomies used by other soil surveys. A study of 86 profiles collected in Scotland and regarded as brown forest soils, shows that, of the various physical, chemical, and environmental characteristics examined, those relating to temperature, altitude, base status, pyrolysis ratio, and the ratio of pyrophosphate to dithionite‐extractable iron show the most significant ‘between‐group’ differences; these also distinguish the podzolic group from the podzols. The ratio of extractable sesquioxides to clay content which has been used as a criterion in some soil taxonomies is an ineffective discriminant because of the low clay content of many of these soils.