Natural soil bodies are the result of climate and living organisms acting on parent material with topography or local relief exerting a modifying influence and with time required for soil forming processes to act. One of the main characteristic of the soils is their ability to support growing of living plant out-of-door. Therefore, a good knowledge of soil resources is a prerequisite condition for any good management of agricultural lands. This paper refers to an important part of the Romanian Lower Danube Plain, known as the Braila Plain or Northern Baragan. Its main goal is that to emphasize the geographical distribution of soils according to different geomorphological subunits and pedogeoclimatic microzones. For describing the studied area the Geografic Information System of the Pedogeoclimatic Microzones (GIS-MZP) was used, each microzone being characterized according to specific climate, relief and dominant soil conditions. This operation involved overlapping of soil map with that of microzones one. The use of soil cover data improved the information comprised by former microzones. So, the material elaborated earlier has been revised and up dated with new pedological and climatic information. The main limiting factor for agricultural use of soils from Braila Plain results from the persistent climatic moisture deficit that affects the whole area. Locally, risks of soil salinisation as well as wind erosion also occur. The results of this research, unequivocally underline the necessity of adequate measures for a better soil management, as well as for an improved soil and environment protection.

pedogeoclimatic microzones; Braila Plain; soil management

Presentation: oral