Abstract:Based on the information from the 2nd national soil survey and the diagnostic criteria of Vertosols in Chinese Soil Taxonomy, this paper discusses the taxonomic classification of the soil-species of Shajiang black soils in its main distribution regions in China, i.e., Anhui, Henan, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces. The preliminary results showed that among the total 54 soil-species of Shajiang black soils, 34 soil species, with an area of 228′104 hm2, could be classified as Vertosols, among of which, 26 as Shajiang Calci-Aquic Vertosols and 8 as Typical Calci-Aquic Vertosols respectively, the other soil-species of Shajiang black soils could be categorized as Shajiang-Aquic Cambosols or Aqui-Alkalic Halosols. The diagnosis of these kinds of soils should focus more on the black clay layer rather than the carbonate concrete layer which determines only the lower categories.