Soil subgroup

Haplustalf vértico

It has expansive clays: dry cracks or slickensides in the subsoil. When wet it becomes sticky and difficult to work with; when dry it cracks.

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.
SuborderUstalfAlfisol from subhumid to semi-arid climate (ustic moisture regime).
Great groupHaplustalfWithin the Ustalf suborder, it It is the simplest of the suborder: it does not have a clay horizon or any other feature that places it in a more specific group..
SubgroupvérticoIt has expansive clays: dry cracks or slickensides in the subsoil. When wet it becomes sticky and difficult to work with; when dry it cracks.

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
Clay loam
Most common drainage
Imperfect
Typical effective depth
110 cm

Where it is found

According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 2.035.531 ha, spread over 16 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
Salta1.057.585 ha
Santiago del Estero900.363 ha
Chaco34.218 ha
Formosa32.857 ha
Jujuy7.254 ha
Tucumán3.253 ha

Districts where it is most common

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

How productive it is

Where it is the main soil of the map unit, the productivity index has a median of 29 (low); half of the units fall between 29 and 29.

Land capability

II

class II: 78% · class III: 7% · class IV: 7% · class VI: 3% · class VII: 4%

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 Haplustalf subgroups

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