Stuttgart (soil)
Encyclopedia
Stuttgart soil series is an officially designated state symbol
, the State Soil of Arkansas
.
Stuttgart soils are named for the City of Stuttgart
in southeast Arkansas. They are used primarily for crops
, mainly rice
, soybeans, small grains
, and corn
. The Stuttgart area is also famous for its large fall and winter population of ducks and geese (Stuttgart bills itself as "The Rice and Duck Capital of the World"). These waterfowl feed heavily on the crops grown on the Stuttgart soils. Stuttgart soils have been mapped on about 200000 acres (809.4 km²) in Arkansas.
The Stuttgart series consists of very deep, moderately well drained or somewhat poorly drained soils formed in silty and clayey alluvium
. These level to gently sloping soils are on the Grand Prairie in the Lower Mississippi
Valley. They are classified as alfisols
, but their high content of montmorillonite
puts them close to the vertisol
class. Because of the surface layer of silt loam and slow permeability in the clayey subsoil, the soils are ideal for rice production.
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
, the State Soil of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Stuttgart soils are named for the City of Stuttgart
Stuttgart, Arkansas
Stuttgart is a city in and the county seat of the northern district of Arkansas County, Arkansas, United States. It is located on U.S. Route 79 about miles southeast of Little Rock. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 9,376.The town proclaims itself the "Rice...
in southeast Arkansas. They are used primarily for crops
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, mainly rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, soybeans, small grains
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
, and corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
. The Stuttgart area is also famous for its large fall and winter population of ducks and geese (Stuttgart bills itself as "The Rice and Duck Capital of the World"). These waterfowl feed heavily on the crops grown on the Stuttgart soils. Stuttgart soils have been mapped on about 200000 acres (809.4 km²) in Arkansas.
The Stuttgart series consists of very deep, moderately well drained or somewhat poorly drained soils formed in silty and clayey alluvium
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
. These level to gently sloping soils are on the Grand Prairie in the Lower Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
Valley. They are classified as alfisols
Alfisols
Alfisols are a soil order in USDA soil taxonomy. Alfisols form in semiarid to humid areas, typically under a hardwood forest cover. They have a clay-enriched subsoil and relatively high native fertility. "Alf" refers to aluminium and iron . Because of their productivity and abundance, the...
, but their high content of montmorillonite
Montmorillonite
Montmorillonite is a very soft phyllosilicate group of minerals that typically form in microscopic crystals, forming a clay. It is named after Montmorillon in France. Montmorillonite, a member of the smectite family, is a 2:1 clay, meaning that it has 2 tetrahedral sheets sandwiching a central...
puts them close to the vertisol
Vertisol
In both the FAO and USA soil taxonomy, a vertisol is a soil in which there is a high content of expansive clay known as montmorillonite that forms deep cracks in drier seasons or years. Alternate shrinking and swelling causes self-mulching, where the soil material consistently mixes itself, causing...
class. Because of the surface layer of silt loam and slow permeability in the clayey subsoil, the soils are ideal for rice production.