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Properties and Genesis of Soils Developed in Very Firm Till in Northeastern Iowa¹

ABSTRACT

The Cresco and closely associated soil series in northeastern Iowa are known to be less productive than soils formed from similar but less firm parent materials. Lack of information on the properties and genesis of these soils has been an obstacle to assessment of production potential and formulation of management recommendations. Principal soil genesis questions are the nature, origin, and age of the components of a two-storied parent material and the degree to which each of two kinds of vegetation—trees and grass—have influenced morphology.

This paper presents mainly basic morphological, physical, and chemical data on these soils as an aid to a better understanding of the soils themselves. Two profiles each of five soil series were studied, representing a moderately well-drained biosequence, part of a prairie toposequence, and part of a transition forest-prairie toposequence. In the prairie toposequence increasing wetness is associated with increasing base saturation. Base saturation relationships suggest that trees probably have occupied all but the poorly drained sites at some time during soil formation. The degree of textural B horizon development increases with increasing evidence of tree occupancy.

¹ Contribution of the Soil Conservation Service, USDA, and the Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University. Journal Paper No. J-4140 of the Iowa Agr. and Home Econ. Exp. Sta., Ames. Project No. 1151.

² Senior Soil Correlator, Soil Conservation Service, USDA, now State Soil Scientist SCS, USDA, Champaign, Ill.; Professor of Soils, Iowa State University, Ames; and Soil Scientist, Soil Survey Laboratory, Soil Conservation Service, USDA, Lincoln, Nebr.

Received for publication June 29, 1961. Accepted for publication September 29, 1961.