AN OVERVIEW ON THE MAIN PROPERTIES OF A GLEYIC PHAEOZEM LOCATED IN MITOC, BOTO˘ ANI COUNTY, ROMANIA

The present scientific paper focuses on morphological description and characterization of one of the most representative soil types in Romania, in terms of natural fertility – the phaeozem. In order to emphasize its main physical and chemical features, a soil profile was digged on a plane arable surface located in Mitoc locality, Botosani county – a region situated in Romania's north-eastern part. The field characterization of soil, as well as the laboratory analysis, were made in order to evaluate its current agricultural potential, especially because the land occupied by phaeozems that corresponds to the investigated area has been used as pasture in the past, but it's intended to be intensively cultivated in present. The indicators that were analysed refer to both physical and chemical soil features, such as: particle size distribution (soil texture), carbonates content, soil reaction, organic matter content, C/N ratio, macronutrients content (total nitrogen, mobile phosphorus, mobile potassium), as well as a few of the micronutrients (such as zinc, copper, iron and manganese). All the soil samples collected from the field were analysed at National Research and Development Institute for Soil Science, Agro-Chemistry and Environment (ICPA Bucharest), in early 2012. The interpretation of data was made in accordance to the Methodology of Soil Studies Elaboration. The results indicated that the phaeozem investigated in Mitoc is a loamy soil, with moderate soil reaction, medium humus content, medium nitrogen, but very low phosphorus content on the entire soil profile; also, due to the particularity of the relief in the area, it is highly influenced by the ground water level, an aspect which led to frame it as a gleyic phaeozem subtype.