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

B .Agricultural Suitability Classification for Special CropsThe Canada Land Inventory (CLI) soilcapability classification system for agriculture (17)is designed for common field crops includingforages, small grains and corn. It is not designed,however, to classify land according to itssuitability for growing other field crops as well ashorticultural crops. Fruit and vegetable crops, andfield crops such as soybeans or tobacco, are notincluded in the classification system . Crops whichfall into these categories and are dealt with furtherin this section will henceforth be referred to asspecial crops".Since a large portion of Elgin County is usedfor growing special crops, a suitability ratingsystem for a number of important agriculturalcrops was devised for the soils of the County . Theratings are based on information obtained fromfield observations, agricultural research andextension personnel, and from review of relevantliterature . The publications "Climate and soilrequirements for economically important crops inCanada" (25), and "A Compilation of Soil, Waterand Climatic Requirements for SelectedHorticultural Crops in Southern Ontario" (26),were especially helpful .(1) Suitability Classification forSpecial CropsThe classification system used to determinesoil suitability ratings is based on a systemdeveloped by the Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO) of the United Nations, whichis outlined in the FAO bulletin titled "AFramework For Land Evaluation" (27). Somemodifications of the FAO system, however, werenecessary to suit local conditions and the purposefor which the system was being applied . Theresulting modified system consists of five classeswhich is the same number as in the FAO system.The most suitable soils, with no significantlimitations for crop growth and yields, aredesignated Class Sl . Soils designated Classes S2to S4 have decreasing suitability, and soilsdesignated Class N are not suitable.The suitability ratings of soils mapped in theCounty for a number of selected special crops aregiven in Tables 6, 7 and 8 . Each table providesratings for individual crops based on the responseof the crop to various soil conditions, the surfacefeatures of the soil, and management practiceswhich may be carried out. Some crops weregrouped in the tables, however, if they weresimilar or had only subtle differences in regards tothese considerations . The crop groups identified ineach table, and the individual crops whichcompose them, are shown in Table 5.Table 5.Special crop groups in Elgin CountyCropgroupsVegetable crops(see Table 6)Special field crops(see Table 7)Fruit crops(see Table 8)1 Asparagus2 Sweet potatoes3 Irish potatoes4 Cucumbers5 Tomatoes6 Peppers7 Sweet corn8 Brussels sprouts,cauliflower,cabbageTobaccoPeanutsRutabagasSoybeansWhite beansSpring canolaWinter rapeseedRaspberries, strawberriesApples, walnutsPears, plums, heart nuts,filbert nuts