Acrisol

Group 4 | BSA III- G

 Definition
O Latin word: acris- very acid.
O One of the 30 soil groups in the
classification system of the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO).
 Definition
O Defined by the presence of a subsurface
layer of accumulated kaolinitic clays where
less than half of the ions available to plants
are calcium, magnesium, sodium, or
potassium and also by the lack of an
extensively leached layer below the surface
horizon (uppermost layer).
 Definition
O Clay-rich.
O Have poor chemical properties, low levels of
plant nutrients, high levels of aluminium and
high susceptibility to erosion.
O Form on old landscapes that have an
undulating topography and a humid tropical
climate.
 Definition
O Their natural vegetation is woodland, which
in some areas has given way to tree
savannah maintained by seasonal burning.
O They occupy just under 8 percent of the
continental land surface on Earth, covering
areas throughout central and northern Latin
America, Southeast Asia, and West Africa.
 Definition
O Internationally known as:
O Brazil = Podzolicos vermelho-amarello
distroficos a argila de ativitade baixa.
O Soil Taxonomy (USA) = Oxic subgroups of
Alfisols and Ultisols.
O France = Sols ferralitiques fortement ou
moyenment desatures.
O SE-Asia= Red-Yellow Podzols.
Physical Characteristics
O Low structural stability.
O Most Acrisols have weak microstructure and
massive macrostructure, especially in the
surface and shallow subsurface soil that have
become depleted of sesquioxides.
O Bonding between sesquioxides and negatively
charged low activity clays is less strong than in
Ferralsols.
Chemical Characteristics
O Acrisols and Arenosols have low nutrient levels and
are characterized by permeability/ leaching, which,
being problematic for agriculture, necessitate
careful/ special management.
O Levels of plant nutrients are low and aluminium
toxicity and P-sorption (Phosphorus sorption) are
strong limitations.
O As biological activity is low in Acrisols, natural
regeneration, e.g. of surface soil that was degraded
by mechanical operations, is very slow.
 Occurrence, Uses, and
Compatibilities
O A general paucity of plant nutrients.
O Aluminum toxicity.
O Strong phosphorus sorption.
 Occurrence, Uses, and
Compatibilities
O Slaking/crusting.
O High susceptibility to erosion imposes
severe restrictions on arable land uses.
O Large areas of Acrisols are used for
subsistence farming, partly in a system of
shifting cultivation.
 Occurrence, Uses, and
Compatibilities
O By and large, Acrisols are not very productive
soils.
O They perform best under undemanding,
acidity-tolerant crops such as pineapple,
cashew, oil palm or rubber.
Other Distinct Characteristics
O Mineralogical characteristics
O Acrisols have little weatherable minerals left.
O The contents of Fe-, Al- and Ti- oxides are
comparable to those of Ferralsols or somewhat
lower.
O The SiO2/Al2O3 ratio is 2 or less.
O The clay fraction consists almost entirely of
well-crystallized kaolinite and some gibbsite.
Other Distinct Characteristics
O Hydrological characteristics
O Under a protective forest cover, have porous
surface soils.
O Many Acrisols in low landscape positions show
signs of periodic water saturation. Their surface
horizons are almost black whereas matrix
colors are close to white in the eluvial albic
horizon.
 Morphology
O Most Acrisols have a thin, brown, ochric
surface horizon, particularly in regions with
pronounced dry seasons.
O Darker colors are found where (periodic)
waterlogging retards mineralization of soil
organic matter.
 Morphology
O The underlying albic subsurface horizon has
weakly developed structure elements and
may even be massive.
O It is normally whitish to yellow and overlies a
stronger colored yellow to red argic
subsurface horizon.
 Morphology
O The structure of this sesquioxide-rich
illuviation horizon is more stable than that of
the eluviation horizon.
O Gleyic soil properties and/or plinthite are
common in Acrisols in low terrain positions.
Geography
 Geography
O Worldwide are about 1 billion hectares of
Acrisols.
O They are most extensive in Southeast Asia,
the Southern fringes of the Amazon Basin,
the Southeastern USA and in both East and
West Africa.
 References
O http://www.isric.org/isric/webdocs/docs/major_soils_of_the_
world/set6/ac/acrisol.pdf
O https://www.bodenkunde-projekte.hu-
berlin.de/tropics/pcboku10.agrar.hu-
berlin.de/cocoon/tropen/acrisolsda3f.html?section=14
O https://ees.kuleuven.be/africa-in-profile/dig-deeper/profile-
database/Reference%20soil%20Nigeria%2015.pdf
O http://www.tankonyvtar.hu/hu/tartalom/tamop425/0032_tal
ajtan/ch12.html
O https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrisol
O https://www.britannica.com/science/Acrisol
Submitted by:
O Henorio, Lyka Jamille
O Nuguid, Christine
O Diaz, Candelaria
O Arances, Jaya
O Ver, Ian Timothy