LOCATION BRUELLA CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Ultic Palexeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Bruella sandy loam on a less than l percent slope at an elevation of 100 feet in a vineyard. (When described January 18, 1985, the soil was moist throughout. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).
Ap--0 to 11 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots and few medium roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
BA--11 to 18 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium, common coarse roots; many very fine and common fine interstitial and tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--18 to 24 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine, common medium roots; many very fine and common fine interstitial and tubular pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--24 to 31 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial, and many very fine and common fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on ped faces and lining pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
Bt3--31 to 47 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine, common coarse roots; few very fine interstitial, common very fine and few fine tubular pores; common thin clay films as bridging mineral grains; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; many black (10YR 2/1) few medium and coarse iron manganese stains on ped faces and fractures; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 21 inches thick)
Bt4--47 to 63 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, variegated reddish brown (5YR 4/4) and yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine, common fine interstitial and tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films as bridging mineral grains, on faces of peds and lining pores; iron manganese concretions; few to common fine and medium iron manganese stains on faces of peds and fractures; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Bt5--63 to 67 inches; variegated strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and medium roots; common very fine interstitial, many very fine, few fine tubular pores; few moderately thick clay films lining pores and common thin clay films bridging mineral grains; neutral (pH 6.9).
TYPE LOCATION: San Joaquin County, California; about 7 miles northeast of Lodi; 800 feet west and 20 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 11, T. 4 N., R. 7 E., MDBM, Lockeford Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 62 to 65 degrees F. The soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is above 47 degrees F. the entire year. The soil moisture control section, 6 to 19 inches, is dry in all parts from June 1 to September 30, unless irrigated, and is moist in some or all parts from November 1 to May 31. Base saturation is 50 to 75 percent to a depth of 60 inches or more. Clay content of the Bt horizon does not drop 20 percent from the maximum within a depth of 60 inches.
The A horizon has color of 7.5YR 6/4, 5/6, 5/4, 5/2; 10YR 6/3, 5/4, 5/3. Moist color is 7.5YR 4/4, 3/4, 3/2; 5YR 4/4,3/4; 10YR 4/4, 3/4, 3/3. Clay content is 12 to 25 percent. It is slightly acid to neutral, but the range includes moderately acid as a result of long term applications of sulfur for disease control. It is sandy loam or loam.
The Bt horizon has color of 7.5YR 6/4, 5/6, 5/4, 4/6, 4/4; 5YR 5/6, 4/6. Moist color is 7.5YR 5/4, 4/6, 4/4, 3/4; 5YR 5/6, 4/6, 4/4, 3/4. The upper part is sandy loam, loam, or sandy clay loam with 18 to 30 percent clay. The lower part is sandy clay loam or clay loam with 27 to 35 percent clay. Content of coarse plus very coarse sand is 10 to 20 percent. It is slightly acid or neutral.
A Btq horizon is present below 40 inches in some pedons, it is weakly cemented soil material (but not a duripan) that will slake in water after prolonged wetting. It has similar colors and reaction as the Bt horizon. It is sandy clay loam, or sandy clay with 30 to 40 percent clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Manzanita and Natomas (T) soils. Manzanita soils have a soil temperature of 59 to 62 degrees F. and an abrupt boundary within the Bt. Natomas soils have less than 10 percent coarse plus very coarse sand in the Bt horizon and have 27 to 35 percent clay content in the upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bruella soils are on low terraces and fans and have slopes of 0 to 5 percent. They formed in alluvium derived mainly from granitic rock sources. Elevation is 30 to 150 feet. Climate consists of hot dry summers and cool moist foggy winters. Mean annual precipitation is 15 to 22 inches. Mean annual temperature is 60 to 63 degrees F. Average January temperature is 45 degrees F. and average July temperature is 77 degrees F. The frost-free period is 250 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kingdon, San Joaquin and Tokay soils. Kingdon and Tokay soils have coarse-loamy texture control sections and have more than 75 percent base saturation throughout. San Joaquin soils have claypan subsoils over duripans and are moderately deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well and moderately well drained; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability (hard substratum phase has slow permeability below a depth of 40 inches). Some areas are subject to rare flooding.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for irrigated row, field, tree and vine crops, irrigated pasture and dryland grain crops. Vegetation in uncultivated areas consists of annual grasses, forbs, and California White Oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Bruella soils occur in the northern San Joaquin Valley and the Sacramento Valley. The series is of moderate extent in MLRA-17.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sacramento County, California l987.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in January of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to a depth of about 11 inches (Ap horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 18 to 67 inches (Btl, Bt2, Bt3, Bt4, Bt5 horizon)
Ultic subgroup feature - Base saturation is 62 to 74 percent throughout the argillic horizon-LINCOLN NSSL Sample No. 85T7508-12)