Soil types specified in the bonitation classification and their analogues in the sixth edition of the Polish Soil Classification

Abstract The aim of the paper was to present the correlation between soil types specified in the sixth edition of the Polish Soil Classification (SGP6 2019) and Polish bonitation classification. The comparisons included two categories of agricultural land: arable soils and soils of permanent grasslands. In Poland bonitation maps are one of the oldest documentations regarding soil cover. They were elaborated in an uniform manner and based on the field examination of soil profiles. Soil information reflected specific rules adopted in the soil quality classification, including identification of soil types based on genetic criteria and recognition of appropriate sequence of specific horizons in the soil profile. Publication of the sixth edition of the Polish Soil Classification enabled the attempt to adjust soil units (soil types) specified in both systems. Despite the distinction of new soil units in the Soil Classification of Poland (SGP6 2019), the usage of bonitation maps and classification protocols should not pose major difficulties in reinterpretation of soil types. This indicates on the possibility to introduce, similarly to year 2012, the terminology adapted to the requirements of modern soil science knowledge without causing significant changes in the soil-valuation table.