Brown earth (luvisol)

Brown earth (hnědozem) is a soil type formed mainly on loess, loess loams and slope loams in Czech lowlands and hills of warm and moderately warm areas (mainly climatic regions 1-5 in the BPEJ code). Its typical process is clay illuviation: clay moves slightly from the surface layer into the subsoil, which is therefore heavier. Brown earths are usually deep to very deep, medium-textured and stone-free, and rank among the best soils for cereals. In the international WRB classification they correspond to Luvisols.

How to recognise it in the BPEJ code

The second and third digits of the BPEJ code give the main soil unit. Under Decree No. 227/2018 Coll., brown earths appear mainly in these units:

• 10: brown earths on loess, with favourable to drier moisture conditions
• 11: brown earths on loess and solifluction loams
• 12: brown earths and cambisols on slope loams
• 42 and 45: gleyed brown earths, prone to temporary waterlogging (see gleyed soil)

What it means for a buyer

Under Decree No. 48/2011 Coll., codes with main soil units 10 and 11 almost always fall into protection class I, unit 12 most often into class II or III. That is excellent for a garden, but for building on agricultural land it means stricter conditions for removal from the agricultural land fund and a higher levy.

Watch out for

The soil type in a BPEJ code applies to the whole mapped unit. The actual soil in a particular garden may differ, for example because of fill, compaction during construction or topsoil washed off a slope. On slopes, brown earths may also be eroded; such soils are covered by main soil unit 08. Descriptions of individual codes are in the VÚMOP BPEJ e-catalogue.