LOCATION FRUITFIELD IAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Entic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Fruitfield coarse sand with an east-northeast-facing slope of about 2 percent - cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) coarse sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; about 1 percent fine gravel; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
A1--8 to 18 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) coarse sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; about 1 percent fine gravel; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
A2--18 to 27 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) coarse sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; about 2 percent fine gravel; medium acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 20 to 30 inches.)
AC--27 to 36 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) coarse sand, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; single grain; loose; about 2 percent fine gravel; medium acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
C1--36 to 42 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sand; single grain; loose; about 2 percent fine gravel; medium acid; gradual smooth boundary.
C2--42 to 48 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sand; single grain; loose; about 2 percent fine gravel; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
C3--48 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) coarse sand; single grain; loose; about 4 percent fine gravel; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Muscatine County, Iowa; about 1/2 mile east of Fruitland; 2,515 feet south and 880 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 29, T. 76 N., R. 2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 30 to 42 inches. Carbonates are absent to depths of 5 feet or more. Reaction in the solum ranges from slightly acid to strongly acid in the most acid part. Texture of the soil is sand or coarse sand throughout. The control section averages more than 70 percent medium sand and coarser particles and 35 percent or more coarse sand or very coarse sand. Gravel content ranges from 0 to about 5 percent by volume. The gravel typically is less than 1 cm in diameter. The mollic epipedon typically is more than 24 inches thick but ranges in thickness from about 18 to more than 36 inches.
The Ap or A horizon has 10YR or 7.5YR hue, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2.
The AC horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR with value and chroma of 3 or 4. The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 3 through 6.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bellechester, Finchford, Hawick, Hononegah, Lasa, Sparta, Trempe, and Zumbro series in the same family and the Burkhardt and Flagler series. Bellechester soils have carbonates in the lower part of the solum. Finchford soils have less coarse and very coarse sand and contain more gravel. Hawick and Hononegah soils contain more coarse fragments and have free carbonates in the C horizon. Lasa soils have texturally stratified B horizons and contain more fine and very fine sand. Sparta soils have less than 20 percent coarse and very coarse sand, more than 30 percent fine sand or finer, and have thinner mollic epipedons and typically lack coarse fragments. Trempe soils typically have redder hue in the control section, contain less coarse and very coarse sand, and have a thinner mollic epipedon. Zumbro soils are shallower to carbonates. Burkhardt soils have less sand in the upper part of the solum, have a cambic horizon, and have more gravel in the substratum. Flagler soils are coarse-loamy and have more gravel in the substratum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fruitfield soils are on nearly level to gently sloping areas on flood plains. Some areas are subject to rare flooding unless protected by levees. Slope gradients range from 0 to 5 percent. They formed in coarse-textured alluvium. Mean annual temperature ranges from about 47 to 54 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from about 32 to 35 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Elrick and Toolesboro soils and the Coland and Shaffton series. Elrick soils contain less sand in the solum. They are on slightly lower lying positions on the flood plains. Toolesboro, Coland, and Shaffton soils have more clay in the solum and are more poorly drained. They are on lower lying positions on the flood plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Fruitfield soils are excessively drained. Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is very rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Commonly used for irrigated corn, soybeans, potatoes, melons, and tomatoes. Non-irrigated areas are used for wheat. Native vegetation was drought-tolerant prairie plants.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The flood plains of the Mississippi River in southeastern Iowa and possibly western Illinois and northeastern Missouri. They are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Louisa County, Iowa, 1984.
ADDITIONA DATA: Particle size data for the typical pedon obtained at the Iowa State University Soil Survey Laboratory are available.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 18 inches(Ap and A1 horizons). Udic moisture regime