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Major Soil Types

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The Soils of Japan

Part of the book series: World Soils Book Series ((WSBS))

Abstract

This chapter presents the genesis, characteristics, classification, distribution, and land uses of the 10 soil grade groups (Human-made soils, Organic soils, Andosols, Podzols, Fluvic soils, Red-Yellow soils, Stagnic soils, Eutrosols, Brown Forest soils, and Regosols) in the Soil Classification System of Japan. Human-made soils are referred to soils formed through an anthropogenic process, especially in anthropized areas such as urban, industrial, traffic, mining, and waste disposal areas. Organic soils are formed under wetland conditions where the rate of organic matter production exceeds the rate of organic matter decomposition. Andosols are mainly derived from volcanic ejecta or tephra and form during a long period of pedogenetic soil formation process have unique and distinctive properties among soils, such as their fluffy and light surface properties, high humus content, and very high phosphorus-fixing capacity. Podzols are characterized by the eluviation of aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) from the albic E horizon and their illuviation in the spodic B (Bs) horizon. Fluvic soils are young soils developed from recent alluvial deposits. Red-Yellow soils are a red or yellow color, low accumulation of organic matter, low base saturation, and strong weathering. Stagnogley soils are distributed in terraces, hills, and mountainous areas having a shallow groundwater table. Eutrosols are characterized by high base saturation, that is, with a eutric condition. Brown Forest soils are relatively young soils, are widely distributed in a rather wide range of temperate, and warm temperate zones in humid (high precipitation) climates without fresh volcanic ash deposition. Regosols are very weak weathering soils, which are divided into four groups: Volcanogenous Regosols, Sandy Regosols, Lithosols, and Terrestrial Regosols.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A gley horizons is defined as “a horizon that gives a positive reaction instantly to α,α’-dipyridyl, or is physically unripened and bluish-gray-colored.” Gley horizons are separated into groundwater gley horizons, formed under the influence of groundwater, and stagnant-water gley horizons, formed under the influence of stagnant water.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

    Yusuke Takata, Hiroshi Obara, Yuji Maejima & Kazunori Kohyama

  2. Department of Geography, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji City, Tokyo, Japan

    Masayuki Kawahigashi & Kimihiro Kida

  3. Research Center for Global Agromedicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro City, Hokkaido, Japan

    Masayuki Tani & Rintaro Kinoshita

  4. Faculty of Agriculture , Niigata Agro-Food University, Tainai City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

    Toyoaki Ito

  5. Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University , Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

    Makoto Shibata

  6. Department of Biological Environment, Faculty of Bioresource Sciences, Akita Prefectural University, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan

    Tadashi Takahashi

  7. Division of Forest Soils, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

    Kazumichi Fujii

  8. Forestry Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

    Akihiro Imaya

  9. Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan

    Taku Kato

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  1. Yusuke Takata
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  14. Taku Kato
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Correspondence to Yusuke Takata .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

    Ryusuke Hatano

  2. Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Hitoshi Shinjo

  3. National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Yusuke Takata

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Takata, Y. et al. (2021). Major Soil Types. In: Hatano, R., Shinjo, H., Takata, Y. (eds) The Soils of Japan. World Soils Book Series. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8229-5_4

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