Soil subgroup

Albacualf típico

It is the central concept of the great group: it has its features and none that brings it closer to another group.

What the name says

Soil Taxonomy names are built from parts, and each part says something about the soil. From general to specific:

Taxonomic orderAlfisolSoil with a clay accumulation horizon (argillic or natric) and good base saturation, but without the thick, dark surface of a Molisol.
SuborderAcualfAlfisol with excess water: saturated near the surface part of the year, with redox depletions.
Great groupAlbacualfWithin the Acualf suborder, it has a albic horizon (clear and washed) about a sudden change in texture.
SubgrouptípicoIt is the central concept of the great group: it has its features and none that brings it closer to another group.

What it means for farming

Acceptable fertility, but the surface layer is thinner and poor in organic matter. In the Pampas region many Alfisoles are sodic or floodable (Natracualfes) and are left for livestock.

Most common surface texture
Silt clay loam
Most common drainage
Poor
Typical effective depth
75 cm

Where it is found

According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 1.353.127 ha, spread over 20 districts.

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National map units that list it. The scale is 1:500.000: good for seeing the region, not a single property.

ProvinceArea
Formosa1.010.396 ha
Corrientes249.569 ha
Chaco37.911 ha
Córdoba25.245 ha
Santa Fe22.998 ha
Santiago del Estero4.322 ha
Neuquén2.688 ha

Districts where it is most common

It also appears on the detailed maps of: Entre Ríos, Santiago del Estero.

How productive it is

Where it is the main soil of the map unit, the productivity index has a median of 32 (low); half of the units fall between 13 and 32.

Taken from the maps that include this data. A map unit with several soils has a single index, and it is only attributed to the dominant soil.

Other Albacualf subgroups

Soil series

Series are the specific soils, named after places, that detailed maps describe under this name. Two properties with the same series have the same soil.

Entre Ríos

General Nazar

Soils it shares map units with

Several soils share each map unit. These are the ones most often found alongside this one: on a property, you will likely find them in the nearby low ground or on the next rise.

The definitions are a plain-language summary of the USDA Keys to Soil Taxonomy. The formal definition includes thickness, color and percentage thresholds that are left out here.

Sources