The Soils of Elgin County - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Land Use/Management CommentsMuirkirk soils require tile drainage in order toreach their potential capability -for common fieldcrop production . They are rated Class 2W . If theyare tile drained, they are suitable for a wide rangeof special crops . Suitability ratings for selectedspecial crops are given in Tables 6, 7, and 8.Conservation tillage practices, particularly notillpractices for fall crops, should be consideredfor these soils.Muriel Soils (MU)Landform and TopographyMuriel soils have developed on blankets offine to very fine textured morainal materials whichare commonly referred to as Port Stanley till. Themorainal materials usually have been deposited asground or terminal moraines . Muriel soilsgenerally occur on upper and crest slope positionsin landscapes which most often have very gentlyor gently undulating topography. Occasionallythey also occur in landscapes which havehummocky topography . Slopes range from 2 to20%, with slopes of 2 to 9% being most common .Soil Moisture CharacteristicsMuriel soils are moderately well drained, andmoderately to slowly permeable . Saturatedconditions may occur in the surface horizons forbrief periods during the growing season. Murielsoils have high water holding capacities andmoderate to rapid surface runoff. They can bedroughty during dry periods due to waterretention by the clayey soil materials.General Soil CharacteristicsMuriel soil materials contain 27% or more clay.The Ap horizons most often have silty clay loamor clay loam textures, but silty clay or claytextures are also quite common. Clay enriched Bthorizons usually occur above the calcareous Ck orCkgj horizons . The subsoil B horizons and Ck orCkgj horizons usually have higher clay contentsand silty clay loam or silty clay textures . The Ckor Ckgj horizons usually occur at depths whichare less than 50 cm from the surface.Distinct yellowish brown mottles occur at adepth of 50 to 100 cm from the surface. Soilreaction ranges from slightly acid to neutral in theAp horizons, to mildly alkaline in the Ck or Ckgjhorizons. Soil classification is typically BrunisolicGray Brown Luvisol.Soil VariabilitySeverely eroded Muriel soils occupysignificantportions of some landscapes . Muriel soils occurwhere thin caps of medium textured materialsoverly the fine to very fine textured till materials .Muriel loamy phase (MU.L) soils were mappedwhere 15 to 40 cm of loam or silt loam texturedsurface materials overly till materials. Murielwashed phase (MU.W) soils were mapped where40 to 100 cm of silt loam or loam textured,lacustrine modified till materials overly the clayeytill materials . Occasionally surface stones mayoccur in these soils which are large enough toaffect tillage or harvesting operations . Muriel soilsoften occur in combination with Gobles (GO) soils.Land Use/Management CommentsMuriel and Muriel loamy phase soils are ratedClass 2D for common field crops whentopography is not a limitation. Muriel washedphase soils are rated Class 1 . Muriel and Murielloamy phase soils are suitable for a fairly widerange of special crops. Muriel washed phase soilsare generally better suited for an even wider rangeof special crops. Suitability ratings for selectedspecial crops are given in Tables 6, 7, and 8 .Muriel, Muriel loamy phase, and - Murielwashed phase soils are all susceptible to watererosion . A crop rotation which includes a foragecrop, planting cover crops, and maintaining highcrop residue levels will aid in reducing the risk oferosion by water.Muriel loamy phase and Muriel washed phasesoils should be considered for conservation tillagepractices. Conventional tillage practices, however,may be best on Muriel soils to improve structureand enhance drainage.Nonnandale Soils (NO)Landform and TopographyNormandale soils have developed on blanketsof medium to coarse textured lacustrine materialswhich frequently have been modified by wind .They usually occur on upper and crest slopepositions in landscapes which have nearly level orvery gently undulating topography. Occasionallythey also occur in landscapes which have verygently undulating topography. Slopes range from2 to 9%, with slopes of 2 to 5% being mostcommon.