Russian Soil Classification System: Towards the Next Approximation

The current status of soil classification in Russia is considered: its usage; difference among variants of 1997, 2004, and 2008; and reasons, means, and methods for its updating. To reach harmonization of abundant information and maintenance of the system’s principles and structure is now the main problem. Starting from 2004–2006, many proposals have been forwarded; they concern mostly the introduction of new diagnostic horizons and genetic features and, hence, new soil types and subtypes, respectively, for tundra and taiga regions; gaps and mistakes in the system have been revealed. A considerable portion of new data serves as a basis for discussion and introduction of new genetic features providing most complete and adequate soil names in terms of taxonomy, as well as for improving the definitions of diagnostic horizons and genetic features. Moreover, to the definitions of horizons, the relationships with other diagnostic horizons having similar properties should be added, as well as some particular landscape characteristics. As for genetic features—qualifiers for subtypes—there are doubts, whether some of them should be transferred to a lower taxonomic level—that of genus, which seems underestimated in the current system. Identifying and classifying soils encounter some problems because of traditional standards for field description of soil profiles, which are insufficiently oriented on soil properties required for recognizing diagnostic horizons and genetic features.