Tuscany Region — Pedological Database

Database Pedologico — Database of soils of the Tuscany RegionContains geometric and semantic type information of the characteristics and qualities of soils, organised by types and by cartographic units, deriving from the activities carried out by LaMMA and the GeoTechnologies Centre of the University of Siena, starting in 2006, in the context of the regional pedological characterisation.The pedological database contains information on the characterisation of the soils of a territory. The study of soil can be articulated according to many parameters that characterise it, such as its origin and classified taking into account its properties.On the basis of the recognition of soil characteristics, starting from an analysis of morphological and physiographic characteristics, geology, various analyses carried out on the basis of statistical sampling criteria, and of course from an in-depth study based on photointerpretation, it was possible to comporre:Banca data of the PedopaesaggiIt is divided into 4 levels of study: The Soil Regions defined on a European scale;The Systems defined on a national scale;The Subsystems defined on a regional scale for a framework on the recognition scale;The Landscape Units defined on a regional scale for a framework on the semi-detail scale. Each level of paediatric landscape is defined by environmental components such as climate, lithology, morphology, land use, the type and extent of erosive or deposition phenomena.Bank data Pedological database The pedological database of the Tuscany Region is the result of the most important soil survey campaign conducted on the Tuscan territory and allows to equip the local information system in all areas of the territory applied to the local area. 250,000 previously realised.Therefore it was necessary to realise a greater geometric detail and a deepening of the knowledge of soils in the countryside, obtained through a number of observations on the ground equal to about 20 % of the surveys planned for the realisation of a soil map on the scale of the semi-detail. The surveys consisted of stratigraphic soil profiles, described, sampled and analysed, and drilling or exploratory wells.In some areas of strategic regional interest, however, the survey carried out was fully equal to the standards laid down for the semi-detail scale; these areas are those corresponding to the Lower Serchio Valley, the area between Montecatini Terme and Fucecchio and the Piana di Firenze — Prato — Pistoia and the Val di Chiana.Capacity of use of soils From the soil database has been established the Land Capability Classification (LCC) methodology developed by the Soil Conservation Service of the Department of Agriculture of the United States of America (USDA); it classifies the main limitations of soils that affect their management (drainage, weaving, stoneness, depth, etc.) taking into account the elements of soil agronomic fertility (weaving, pH, limestone, CSC, sodium, salinity) through the Fertility Classification (Sanchez, 1982).It is a valid and tried-and-tested territorial evaluation tool that aims to provide a series of useful and readily understandable indications for the best use of the territory for agro-silvo-pastoral purposes from a productive point of view, allowing the preservation of agronomically more suitable soils, preserving them from other uses.