Keywords
soil formation
soil map
soil classification
muck soils
Categories
How to Cite
Abstract
This factsheet presents a comprehensive overview of Histosols, also known as organic soils, in South Florida, focusing on their distribution, formation, properties, and significance. Histosols cover significant areas in Florida, especially within the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), and are pivotal in supporting the region's sugarcane production. Their formation is influenced by organic parent materials, the tropical climate, vegetation types, topography, and time, which together shape their unique chemical, physical, and biological properties. Moreover, this publication reviews past developments and anticipates future changes in Histosol classification and management. By revealing the past, present, and future of Histosols in South Florida, this publication can help improve land management in the region and enhance the understanding of Histosols for audiences including agricultural producers, Extension agents, state and local agencies, decision-makers, researchers, and students.
References
Bai, X., S. J. Smidt, Y. Fan, et al. 2024. “Farming Shallow Soils: Impacts of Soil Depth on Crop Growth in the Everglades Agricultural Area of Florida, USA.” Field Crops Research 316: 109523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. fcr.2024.109523
Bhadha, J. H., A. L. Wright, and G. H. Snyder. 2020. “Ever¬glades Agricultural Area Soil Subsidence and Sustainability: SL311/SS523, rev. 3/2020.” EDIS 2020 (2). https://doi. org/10.32473/edis-ss523-2020
Bhadha, J. H., L. Trotta, D. Cavazos, and M. VanWeelden. 2024. “Trends in Rice Production and Varieties.” EDIS 2024 (4). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-ss653-2024
Boelter, D. H. 1969. “Physical Properties of Peats as Related to Degree of Decomposition.” Soil Science Society of America Journal 33 (4): 606–609. https://doi.org/10.2136/ sssaj1969.03615995003300040033x
Conchedda, G., and F. N. Tubiello. 2020. “Drainage of Organic Soils and GHG Emissions: Validation with Coun¬try Data.” Earth System Science Data Discussions. https:// doi.org/10.5194/essd-2020-202
Cox, S., D. Lewis, S. McCollum, M. Bledsoe, and R. Mar¬rotte. 1988. Subsidence Study of the Everglades Agricultural Area. USDA, Soil Conservation Service.
Everett, K. R. 1983. “Chapter 1 Histosols.” In Developments in Soil Science, edited by L. P. Wilding, N. E. Smeck, and G. F. Hall. Vol. 11, Part B. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/ S0166-2481(08)70612-3
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). 2017. Digital Elevation Model 2009. ArcGIS Hub. Last updated November 20, 2018. https://hub.arcgis.com/ datasets/FDEP::digital-elevation-model-2009
Glaz, B. 1995. “Research Seeking Agricultural and Ecologi¬cal Benefits in the Everglades.” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 50 (6): 609–612. https://www.jswconline.org/ content/50/6/609
Glaz, B., and R. Gilbert. 2007. “Sugarcane Variety Census: Florida 2005: SS AGR 268/SC083, 6/2007.” EDIS 2007 (19). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-sc083-2007
Inglett, P. W., and K. S. Inglett. 2013. “Biogeochemical Changes During Early Development of Restored Calcare¬ous Wetland Soils.” Geoderma 192: 132–141. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2012.07.009
Kats, N. Y. 1966. “Bogs of the Subantarctic and Cold Temperate Zone of the Southern Hemisphere.” Soviet Soil Science 2: 180–188.
Kolka, R., S. D. Bridgham, and C. L. Ping. 2016. “Soils of Peatlands: Histosols and Gelisols.” In Wetland Soils: Genesis, Hydrology, Landscapes, and Classification, edited by M. J. Vepraskas and C. L. Craft. CRC Press/Lewis Publishing. https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/49906
Kolka, R. K., M. C. Rabenhorst, and D. Swanson. 2011. “Histosols.” In Handbook of Soil Sciences Properties and Processes, edited by P. M. Huang, Y. Li, and M. E. Sumner. 2nd ed. CRC Press.
McCray, J. M., H. S. Sandhu, R. W. Rice, and D. C. Odero. 2023. “Nutrient Requirements for Sugarcane Production on Florida Muck Soils.” SS-AGR-226. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. https://edis.ifas. ufl.edu/publication/SC026
Mylavarapu, R., W. Harris, and G. Hochmuth. 2016. “Agricultural Soils of Florida: SL441/SS655, 10/2016.” EDIS 2016 (9). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-ss655-2016
Reddy, K. R., J. Hu, O. Villapando, R. K. Bhomia, L. Vardanyan, and T. Osborne. 2021. “Long‐Term Accumula¬tion of Macro‐and Secondary Elements in Subtropical Treatment Wetlands.” Ecosphere 12 (11): e03787. https://doi. org/10.1002/ecs2.3787
Rodriguez, A. F., S. Gerber, and S. H. Daroub. 2020. “Modeling Soil Subsidence in a Subtropical Drained Peatland. The Case of the Everglades Agricultural Area.” Ecological Modelling 415: 108859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. ecolmodel.2019.108859
Sanchez, C. A., and P. S. Porter. 1994. “Phosphorus in the Organic Soils of the EAA.” In Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA): Water, Soil, Crop, and Environmental Management, edited by A. B. Bottcher and F. T. Izuno. University Press of Florida.
Shi, J., W. Liu, R. Li, et al. 2024. “Research Progress in the Field of Peatlands in 1990–2022: A Systematic Analysis Based on Bibliometrics.” Land 13 (4): 549. https://doi. org/10.3390/land13040549
Shober, A. L., and T. A. Obreza. 2009. “Soils & Fertil¬izers for Master Gardeners: Soil Formation in Florida: SL274/MG455, rev. 1/2009.” EDIS 2009 (1). https://doi. org/10.32473/edis-mg455-2009
Snyder, G. H. 2005. “Everglades Agricultural Area Soil Subsidence and Land Use Projections.” In Soil and Crop Science Society of Florida Proceedings 64. https://original-ufdc.uflib.ufl.edu/AA00067243/00049
Soil Survey Staff. 2022. Keys to Soil Taxonomy. 13th ed. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service.
USDA-NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service). 2024a. “2023 State Agriculture Overview.” Accessed June 5, 2024. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Over-view/stateOverview.php?state=FLORIDA
USDA-NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service). 2023b. “CroplandCROS.” Accessed December 12, 2024. https://croplandcros.scinet.usda.gov/
Wanless, H. R., R. W. Parkinson, and L. P. Tedesco. 1994. “Sea Level Control on Stability of Everglades Wetlands.” In Everglades: The Ecosystem and Its Restoration, edited by S. Davis and J. C. Ogden. CRC Press.
Watanabe, K., K. Seike, R. Kajihara, S. Montani, and T. Kuwae. 2019. “Relative sea‐level change regulates organic carbon accumulation in coastal habitats.” Global Change Biology 25 (3): 1063–1077. https://doi.org/10.1111/ gcb.14558
Wright, H. E., B. Coffin, and N. E. Aaseng. 1992. The Patterned Peatlands of Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press.
Wright, A. L., and G. H. Snyder. 2010. “Soil Subsidence in the Everglades Agricultural Area: SL311/SS523.” EDIS 2010 (2). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-ss523-2009
Zelazny, L. W., and V. W. Carlisle. 1974. “Physical, Chemi¬cal, Elemental, and Oxygen‐Containing Functional Group Analysis of Selected Florida Histosols.” In Histosols: Their Characteristics, Classification, and Use, edited by A. R. Aandahl. Vol. 6. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaspecpub6.c6
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 UF/IFAS