Land Unit Delineation Based on Soil-Forming Factors: A Tool for Soil Survey in Mountainous Protected Areas

William Trenti, Mauro De Feudis (), Massimo Gherardi, Gilmo Vianello and Livia Vittori Antisari
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William Trenti: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Via Fanin, 40, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Mauro De Feudis: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Via Fanin, 40, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Massimo Gherardi: Boreal Mapping, Via Casella, 23/a, 40030 Grizzana Morandi, Italy
Gilmo Vianello: Accademia Nazionale di Agricoltura, Via Castiglione 11, 40124 Bologna, Italy
Livia Vittori Antisari: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Via Fanin, 40, 40127 Bologna, Italy

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-19

Abstract: The present study applied a GIS-based methodology for assessing soil diversity in a protected mountain area of Italy. Using QGIS, morphological (i.e., altitude and slope), lithological, climatic, and land use layers were intersected to delineate 16 land units (LUs), each representing relatively homogeneous conditions for soil formation, according to Jenny’s equation. To obtain the soil map units, a total of 112 soil profiles were analyzed, including 79 from previous studies and 33 that were newly excavated during 2023–2024 to fill gaps in underrepresented LU types. Most soils were classified as Inceptisols/Cambisols, occurring in both Dystric and Eutric variants, mainly in relation to lithology (i.e., arenaceous or pelitic facies). Alfisols, Umbrisols, and hydromorphic soils were also identified. The physicochemical properties showed marked variability among LUs, with sand content ranging from 39 to 798 g kg −1 , pH from 4.4 to 7.9, and organic carbon content from 1.6 to 6.1%. This LU-based framework allowed efficient field sampling, if compared to grid-based surveys, while retaining information on fine-scale pedodiversity. No quantitative accuracy assessment (e.g., boundary precision, internal homogeneity metrics) was conducted, even if the spatial coherence of the delineated LUs was supported by the distribution of soil profiles, which provided empirical validation of the LU framework.

Keywords: land units; soil diversity; soil profiles; Italian mountain area; geographic information system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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