Victorian Resources Online (archived)

GP52

Location: Bass Hill	*Aust. Soil Class.:* Basic, Lithic, Bleached-Orthic TENOSOL
General Landscape Description: Midslope of hill (18% slope) (north-north easterly aspect)
Geology: Cretaceous sediments.

GP52 Landscape

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A1	0-20 cm	Very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2); fine sandy clay loam; hardsetting surface condition; weak blocky, parting to moderate coarse blocky structure; very firm consistence dry; pH 5.9; clear change to:	GP52 Profile
A2	20-40 cm	Yellowish brown (10YR5/4) bleached (10YR7/3d); fine sandy loam; massive to weak coarse blocky structure; firm consistence dry; pH 5.5; gradual change to:
Subsoil
B21	40-65 cm	Light yellowish brown (10YR6/4) with fine yellowish brown (10YR5/8) mottles; sandy loam; weakly structured; firm consistence dry; pH 5.8; smooth and wavy change to:
C	65+ cm	Sandstone.

Key Profile Features:

Hardsetting surface condition.
The profile has a high fine sand content (>40%) throughout.
The subsurface (A2) horizon is bleached.

Soil Profile Characteristics:

	pH	Salinity Rating	Sodicity	Dispersion
Surface (A1 horizon)	Moderately Acid	Very Low	Non-Sodic	-
Subsoil (B21 horizon)	Moderately Acid	Very Low	Non-Sodic	-

The profile is moderately acid throughout.

The profile has a very low salinity
rating throughout.

The exchangeable aluminium levels within the surface are insignificant becoming low in the subsurface (A2) horizon.

The clay content remains fairly constant
throughout the profile.

Horizon	Horizon Depth	pH (water)	pH CaCl2	EC 1:5	NaCl	Exchangeable Cations
						Ca	Mg	K	Na
						Meq/100g
A1	0-20	5.9	5.1	0.05		6.5	1.1	0.23	0.16
A2	20-40	5.5	4.7	<0.05		2.1	0.48	0.07	0.11
B21	40-65	5.8	4.9	<0.05		3.5	1.1	0.1	0.12

Horizon	Horizon Depth	Ex Al mg/kg	Ex Ac meq/100g	Wilting Point pF4.2 g/100g	Coarse Sand (0.2-2.0mm) %	Fine Sand (0.02-0.2mm) %	Silt (0.002-0.02mm) %	Clay (<0.002mm) %


A1	0-20	<10	10	9.3	9	42	27	16
A2	20-40	40	7.7	6.8	8	46	29	16
B21	40-65	23	5.1	6.7	10	54	25	13

Management Considerations:

Surface (A) Horizons

The surface soil is hardsetting and requires organic matter for maintaining soil aggregation. Currently, organic matter levels are moderate but this will decline if cropping takes place and can be improved by adopting practices such as residue retention, minimum tillage and utilising pasture rotations.
The inherent fertility of the surface (A1) horizon (based on the sum of the exchangeable calcium, magnesium and potassium cations) is low. The nitrogen levels are moderate.

Subsoil (B) Horizon

The subsoil has a relatively low inherent fertility throughout (based on the sum of the exchangeable basic cations).

This page contains material sourced from the Victorian Resources Online (VRO) website, originally published by the State Government of Victoria.

The content is provided under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia licence (CC BY 4.0 AU).

This material is presented in an archived form and is no longer maintained or updated. It is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon as current advice.

This site is hosted by the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI), Federation University Australia. It is not endorsed by Agriculture Victoria.

Agriculture Victoria does not accept liability for any loss, damage or consequences arising from the use of, or reliance on, this material.