Thirteen soil profiles, representing four different land use patterns viz., barren uncultivated, cultivated unmanaged, cultivated well managed and forest lands from Kandi belt in Jammu region of J&K state were studied in terms of morphological, physico-chemical and physical characteristics to elucidate their genesis. Formation of these soils appeared to have been governed mainly by the parent material as was apparent from similarity in colour and texture. Based on the criteria stipulated in respect of epipedons and subsurface diagnostic horizons as given in Soil Taxonomy of USDA (Soil Survey Staff) [1], the studied soil profiles have been classified into Entisols, Alfisols and Inceptisols orders. Depending upon the moisture and temperature and other profile characteristics, the soil profiles 1 to 4 and 8 to 9 belong to order Entisols, suborder Orthents and Ustorthents and Typic Ustorthents at great group and subgroup levels. Soil profile 13 was placed under Entisols, Fluvents, Udifluvents and Typic Udifluvents at order, suborder, great group and subgroups levels. Profiles 5, 6, 7, 10 and 11 belonging to the order Alfisol were placed as Udalfs, Hapludalfs and Typic Hapludalfs (Profiles 5, 7, 7), Ustalfs, Paleustalfs and Typic Paleustalfs (Profile 10) and Udalfs, Paleudalfs and Typic Paleudalfs (Profile 11) at suborder, great group and subgroup levels, respectively. The soils of the order Inceptisol (Profile 12) further qualified for suborder Ochrepts great great Eutrochrepts and subgroup Typic Eutrochrepts.
