Soil great group

Natrixeralf

Of the Xeralf suborder; it has a natric horizon: accumulation of clay with a lot of exchangeable sodium, which disperses the clay and blocks the passage of water and roots.

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.
SuborderXeralfAlfisol with a Mediterranean climate (xeric moisture regime).
Great groupNatrixeralfWithin the Xeralf suborder, it has a natric horizon: accumulation of clay with a lot of exchangeable sodium, which disperses the clay and blocks the passage of water and roots.

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
Loamy sand
Most common drainage
Well drained
Typical effective depth
90 cm

Where it is found

According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 265.330 ha, spread over 7 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
Neuquén265.330 ha

Districts where it is most common

How productive it is

Where it is the main soil of the map unit, the productivity index has a median of 61 (Well); half of the units fall between 61 and 61.

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.

Subgroups on the maps

  • Natrixeralf cálcico
  • Natrixeralf típico

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