Soils
Very well drained, moderately deep soil (depth 55-65 cm) with a silty clay loamy texture on the Ap and Bw horizons. Subsurface horizons have been exposed in the soil surface mainly due to high tillage erosion rates. Fertility is characterized as moderate due to the type of parent material (marl deposit) which is rich in basic cations (Ca2+, Mg2+) and 2:1 phyllo-silicate minerals with high cation exchange capacity (CEC). The organic matter is relatively low on the surface horizon (lower than 2.%). Hydraulic conductivity of the surface horizon is relatively low favoring high rates of water runoff when the sol is bare and wet. When there is no annual vegetation cover, the soil is prone to crusting under heavy rainfall due to low organic matter content and weak structure development on the surface horizon. There is no ground water.
