Strengths and Weaknesses of the New Classification System of Russian Soils

摘要

Strengths and weaknesses of the new classification system of Russian soils are discussed. It is argued that the diversity of Russian soils and the ecological conditions of their formation are incompletely represented in this system, In particular, several specific groups of soils in the south of European Russia cannot be adequately classified within the framework of the new classification system. Several important tasks have to be solved before its adoption as an official document, First, it is necessary to compile correlation tables between the soil taxa of the previous classification (1977) and the new classification (2004). Second, a key for the field diagnostics of soils within the framework of the new system has to be developed. Third, the soils that are missing in the new system have to be introduced into it.