Gumbo (soil)

Gumbo soil is a mixture which often has some small amounts of sand and/or organic material, but is typically defined by the overwhelming presence of very fine particles of clay [1]

Missouri Gumbo Soil w/Soybean Seedlings

Although gumbo soils are exceptional at water retention, they can be difficult to farm, as precipitation will turn gumbo into a unique muddy fiasco that is challenging to work using large commercial farming equipment. Avoiding tillage of this type of soil, thru "no-till" farming, appears strongly correlated to higher yields versus more traditional tilling practices[2].

References

  1. http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/there-s-science-behind-sticky-gumbo-soil/article_8c6c31ef-2b94-5122-b52c-7113644c656c.html
  2. http://www.dakotafarmer.com/story-drought-tested-till-9-131661


Northern Missouri "No-Till" Soybean Crop in Gumbo Soil
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.