ABSTRACT
Taxonomy is that branch of science dedicated to discovering, characterizing, naming, and classifying objects or organisms so as to understand relationships between them and with the factors of their formation. Taxonomy is about identification and recognition, as well as the establishment of a hierarchy of classes which allows an orderly overview of the diversity of the objects concerned. Soil surveys started well before the creation of soil taxonomies. In the United States, the phrase “soil types” was adopted as a label for mapping units set apart in the first surveys made in 1899. Interpretation of soil surveys and predictions of the effect of management practices require that soils be grouped according to their qualities and limitations for different types of use. It is assumed that basic taxonomic classes can be grouped, or subdivided and regrouped, to permit specific predictions. The continuum of the soil cover at the earth’s surface can hardly be apprehended in its entirety.
