Citation: To use information from this web resource in your work, please cite this as follows:
Cranfield University 2020. The Soils Guide. Available: www.landis.org.uk. Cranfield University, UK. Last accessed 29/03/2020

World Reference Base for England and Wales

The World Reference Base (2006) has 32 Reference Soil Groups (RSG) and thirteen of these are recognised in England and Wales. The following table details the RSG and the links correlate to the National Soil Associations in England and Wales.

AR	Arenosol	Relatively young soils or soils with little or no profile development; Sandy soils.
CM	Cambisol	Relatively young soils or soils with little or no profile development; Moderately developed soils.
FL	Fluvisol	Soils influenced by water; Floodplains, tidal marshes.
GL	Gleysol	Soils influenced by water; Groundwater affected soils.
HS	Histosol	Soils with thick organic layers.
LP	Leptosol	Soils with limited rooting due to shallow permafrost or stoniness; Shallow or extremely gravelly soils.
LV	Luvisol	Soils with a clay-enriched subsoil; High base status, high-activity clay.
PH	Phaeozem	Accumulation of organic matter, high base status; Transition to more humid climate.
PL	Planosol	Soils with stagnating water; Abrupt textural discontinuity.
PZ	Podzol	Soils set by Fe/Al chemistry; Cheluviation and chilluviation.
RG	Regosol	Relatively young soils or soils with little or no profile development; Soils with no significant profile development.
ST	Stagnosol	Soils with stagnating water; Structural or moderate textural discontinuity.
UM	Umbrisol	Relatively young soils or soils with little or no profile development; With an acidic dark topsoil.

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IUSS Working Group WRB. 2006. World Reference Base for Soil Resources. World Soil Resources Report No 103. FAO Rome.