General info
Iowa is located near the center of the continental United States from east to west, somewhat nearer the northern boundary than the southern. The climate, continental in character, is subject to considerable variations in temperatures in short periods of time and to unpredictable droughts with considerable variations in time and distribution of precipitation. In general, the climate is favorable for forage crops, small grains, Indian corn maize, and soy beans, a wide range of vegetables, and a very satisfactory range of temperate zone ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers. Both fruit trees and small fruit call for adjustments of variety, protection, and cultural practices to overcome the vicissitudes of climatic extremes, particularly of unseasonable low temperature. In central Iowa, snowfall and rainfall together average 762 mm annually. The average length of the growing season is 156 days. Northwest Iowa has an average of 140 frost-free days, the south border of the state has 170. Twenty-five percent of the soil of the United States, rated grade 1 on the basis of productiveness, is located in Iowa, and the state contributes about 10 percent of the total national food supply. Commercial vegetable production in Iowa centers in potatoes, onions, cabbage and melons for the fresh market; sweet corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots for processing. Home gardening is practised everywhere in both town and country. The commercial crops are consumed both within and beyond the borders of the state. The largest production of potatoes, onions and carrots occurs in drained lake beds of peat or organic soils in the north central counties. Sweet corn for canning is scattered throughout the state. Tomatoes and cucumbers for canning and pickling are largely grown in the Mississippi Valley. Melons for local markets appear in isolated small plantings over a wide area of the state but those grown for shipment are produced mostly in Muscatine and Lee counties in the southeast corner of the state on the sandy soils of the Mississippi Valley. Apples are the major fruit grown commercially in Iowa and most of them are marketed in the state. The majority of orchards grown on the loess soils of the Mississippi Valley. Many are also located near cities and large towns. Equally favorable sites and locations may be found in most of the southern two thirds of the state but planting is limited by economic factors. Iowa is noted for the wholesale production of nursery plants covering a very wide range of hardy and semi hardy perennial flowers, shrubs, shade trees. ornamentals, and fruit trees. The largest wholesale nursery operators in the country are located here largely because of excellent soils, partly because of a combination of other fortuitous circumstances. Commercial floriculture is represented chiefly by the glasshouse culture of cut flowers and pot plants. Nearly every city and town has a greenhouse range. The search for climatically adapted varieties of flowers, vegetables, ornamental shrubs, shade, and shelter trees, and particularly for fruit trees, was the first and greatest horticultural research undertaking in Iowa. These were followed by early variety testing techniques with the introduction of plant breeding to produce new varieties. The uncertain distribution of summer rainfall requires investigations in irrigation. Problems of' soil management and fertilization for specific crops are in constant study. Storage for the preservation of apples, cut flowers, potatoes, and nursery stock to prolong their seasons of usefulness has a large place in horticultural research in Iowa. Growing in importance in its research efforts are investigations in marketing, involving packaging, quality control. and determination of standards of excellence for nursery, fruit, vegetable, and flower products. Literature relating to the above investigations is contained in bulletins of the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station and of the Iowa State Horticultural Society, State House, Des Moines, Iowa. Organisations / Institutes:
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Last updated: Wed Dec 17 16:14:51 NFT 2003