[en] Abstract : Planosols have been recognized as a Major Soil Group right from the beginning in the legend of the FAO Soil Map of the World. Also in WRB system it maintained that position at Reference Soil Group level on the account that a major pedogenetic process, ferrolysis, is underlaying the severe stagnic properties that characterize this group. With the recent introduction of Stagnosols in WRB it appears that a serious overlap has been introduced at Reference Soil Group level. This paper aims to throw new light on the genesis of Planosols, drawing from new soil surveys conducted in the south-western Ethiopian highlands. The conclusion is that it is highly unlikely that ‘ferrolysis’ can be called in to explain the genesis of Planosols in the Ethiopian highlands. As Ethiopia is one of the mainstays of Planosols, it is suggested that WRB rethinks its strategy on soils with stagnic properties as there is room for rationalization.
