LOCATION HOLDREGE NE+KS

Established Series
Rev. CWL, LGR, RRZ
06/2018

HOLDREGE SERIES

The Holdrege series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils formed in calcareous loess. These upland soils have slopes ranging from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 54 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation is about 23 inches at the type location.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Holdrege silt loam - on a 2 percent convex west-facing slope in a cultivated field. When described, the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and very fine granular structure; soft, very friable; moderately acid, abrupt smooth boundary.

A--6 to 12 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) light silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizon is 5 to 16 inches.)

Bt1--12 to 15 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; slightly hard, friable; shiny surfaces on most peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--15 to 24 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm; few thin discontinuous clay films in pores; shiny surfaces on most peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons is 7 to 18 inches.)

BC--24 to 30 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)

C--30 to 80 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; soft, very friable; violent effervescence; few soft white accumulations of carbonate and some cleavage planes coated with free carbonates; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Phelps County, Nebraska; two miles northwest of Holdrege; 325 feet north and 250 feet east of the southwest corner, sec. 25, T. 6 N., R. 19 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The soil moisture control section is moist in some part from October through April; intermittently moist from May through July; driest in July through September
Depth to secondary carbonates: 20 to 40 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 8 to 20 inches; and includes the upper part of the argillic horizon in some pedons
Thickness of the solum: 20 to 40; the lower part of the solum contains free carbonates in some pedons

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2
Texture: silt loam, but includes very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loam in the upper part and silt loam or light silty clay loam in the lower part
Some eroded Holdrege soils have silty clay loam Ap horizons
Reaction: neutral to moderately acid

Bt horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silty clay loam
Clay content: 28 and 35 percent clay; some pedons have thin sub-horizons containing as much as 38 percent clay
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline

BC horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silt loam, loam, or silty clay loam
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silt loam or very fine sandy loam
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Agar, Eakin, Fairlo, Highmore, Monticello, Northdale, and Paka series. Agar and Highmore soils typically contain free carbonates in the lower part of the solum and have mean annual soil temperatures of less than 50 degrees F. In addition, the Highmore soils are stratified in the lower part, having formed in silty glacial drift. Eakin soils contain free carbonates within a depth of 18 inches and in addition, are underlain by loamy till within a depth of 20 to 38 inches. Fairlo soils have clayey textures within a depth of 40 inches. Monticello and Northdale soils have redder hue. Paka soils have soft siltstone at a depth of 40 to 60 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Holdrege soils are on uplands with a plane or convex surface. Slope gradients are most commonly 0 to 4 percent and range from 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in calcareous loess. The mean annual temperature ranges from 50 to 56 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 18 to 24 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Butler, Coly, Crete, Fillmore, Hall, Harney, Kenesaw, Scott and Uly soils. Butler soils are in slight depressions and have a fine textured argillic horizon. Coly soils lack a mollic epipedon and typically are on steep side slopes. Crete and Harney soils are on similar topographic positions but have fine textured argillic horizons. In addition, Crete soils have a thicker mollic epipedon. Fillmore and Scott soils are in shallow depressions within areas of Holdrege soils. Hall soils are in slightly lower areas and have a thicker mollic epipedon. Kenesaw soils lack an argillic horizon and have a coarse-silty control section. Uly soils lack an argillic horizon, are shallower to free carbonates and commonly are on steeper slopes below the Holdrege soils.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is low to moderately high. Permeability is moderate.

USE AND VEGETATION: Almost all of the Holdrege soils are cultivated and much is irrigated. Sorghum and corn are the principal row crops. Wheat is the principal small grain. Native vegetation was mid and tall prairie grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Nebraska and north central Kansas. The series is of large extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Phelps County, Nebraska, 1917.

REMARKS: Severely eroded Holdrege soils will no longer classify as Mollisols and will need to be recorrelated to a new series. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon--the zone from 0 to 15 inches (Ap, a and Bt1 horizon); argillic horizon--the zone from 12 to 24 inche4s (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons) and typic-ustic moisture regime. A sandy overblown phase is recognized.

ADDITIONAL DATA: The Holdrege pedon described in Soil Survey Investigations Report number 5, pp.. 72 to 75 is from the same general area as the typical pedon described here.

OSD Modification: RRZ07/2002;

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.