Soil classification

  Categories: There are six categories of classification in Soil Taxonomy (i) order (ii) sub-order (iii) great group (iv) sub-group (v) family (vi) series. Order: The order is based on the soil-forming process. In a given order, soil properties are similar in their genesis. There are the following twelve soil orders in soil taxonomy 2. Sub-order: It is composed of a Formative element of order + any differentiating character like  temperature, moisture, drainage, diagnostic horizon, etc.  e.g. Aquolls Wet soil-Mollisols (lol).  Aquents Wet soil – Entisols (ent)  Argid Aridisol (id) 3. Great group: It is composed of order + sub-order + one or more specific characters which  modify the sub-order.  e.g. Argiaqoll Mollisol - order  all - sub-order wetness  Arg - argillic horizon 4. Sub-group: The sub-groups are sub-divisions of the great groups. There are more than  1200 sub-groups. 5. Family: The family is differentiated on the basis of te...

 Urvara v  Users  •In India, the soil had been classified from the ancient period itself even though it was not as detail as the modern classifications. •In the ancient period, the classification was based on only two things; whether the soil is fertile or sterile. Thus the classification was: 1.Urvara [fertile] 2.Usara [sterile] Soil Classification – Agencies involved •In the modern period, when men started to know about the various characteristics of soil they began to classify soil on the basis of texture, color, moisture, etc. •When the Soil Survey of India was established in 1956, they studied the soils of India and their characteristics. •The National Bureau of Soil Survey and the Land Use Planning, NAGPUR an institute under the control of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research did a lot of studies on Indian soil. Category 1: Early Systems of Soil Classification: Early systems of soil classification were very simple and practical. 1. Economic Classification: One...