Which of the following is NOT a suborder of Entisols?

Correct option is A

The correct answer is (A) Aqualfs

Explanation:
• Soil classification names in the USDA taxonomy are built using 'formative elements'. The end of the word indicates the Order.
• Entisols are soils with little development, and their suborders always end with the suffix '-ents'.
• Common suborders of Entisols include: 1. Fluvents (alluvial deposits), 2. Orthents (typical/shallow), 3. Arents (disturbed by humans/plowing), 4. Aquents (wet), and 5. Psamments (sandy).
• Aqualfs ends with the suffix '-alfs', which identifies it as a suborder of the Alfisols order (soils with a subsurface clay accumulation and high base saturation).

Information Booster:
• [Image showing the 12 soil orders and their representative suffixes]
• Understanding suffixes is key to soil taxonomy: '-epts' for Inceptisols, '-olls' for Mollisols, '-ists' for Histosols, etc.
• Aqualfs refers specifically to Alfisols that are saturated with water for long periods (indicated by the prefix 'Aqu-').

Additional Knowledge:
• Fluvents (Option B): Entisols formed in recent water-deposited sediments.
• Orthents (Option C): 'Ordinary' Entisols found on recent erosional surfaces.
• Arents (Option D): Entisols that have had their natural horizons mixed or destroyed by human activity (like heavy deep-plowing).