Humus accumulation soils

Humus accumulation soils are deeply humus soils (often 60–80 cm) of an almost black color . They are typical of warm temperate and continental regions with a semi-humid to semi-arid climate ( steppes ).

If the conditions are sufficiently moist, they are among the most profitable locations in the world and are used intensively for demanding crops ( cotton , wheat , soy ...). The soils have excellent nutrient and water conditions as well as rich soil life. However, they are often more susceptible to drought and soil erosion .

Soil types

The humus accumulation soils are considered in many soil classification systems . The soil types mentioned correlate with each other, but have slightly different properties due to different classification criteria:

• Germany (German soil systematics): Black earth (Tschernosem) and Kalktschernosem
• USA ( USDA soil classification ): Types of the Mollisol group
• International ( WRB ): Chernozem , Kastanozem and Phaeozem

Soils with a similar structure

In nature there are no other soils with such thick humus layers. Due to the influence of humans, there are certainly locations with a visually similar structure:

• Kolluvisol : Soil on which a lot of humus topsoil was deposited due to unnaturally strong erosion
• Rigosol : Soils that are deeply tilled several times
• Plaggenesch : Soils that have been fertilized with pests for a long time
• Terra preta : Soils in Amazonia that are deeply humus due to human activity
• Soils that have been mechanically relocated.

These soils all differ significantly from the natural humus accumulation soils in terms of formation, distribution and properties.

literature

• FAO: World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2006 , German edition, 2008, Hanover, Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials.