De Brabantse Biesbosch : een studie van bodem en vegetatie van een zoetwatergetijdendelta

Vegetation in an almost natural landscape influences soil formation. The reverse is also true. The author investigated soils and vegetation and their mutual relation in a region where human occupation had not yet disturbed natural vegetation. Initial soil formation was the main process involved and may also have been the first stage of soil genesis in the older polders. Tidal movements and rivers caused sedimentation as a low tidal marsh, dissected by some big and many small creeks. During and after sedimentation soil formation started ('ripening). Loss of water (physical ripening) caused shrinkage and subsidence, which could be measured by observations on water and humus content and grain-size distribution. Important was the 'water factor' n, distinguishing stage of ripening.Chemical ripening was concerned mainly with the behaviour of Fe, Mn, S, CaCO ₃ , K and organic matter. Changes in nature of these components were also used as ripening characteristics. Biological ripening started also with penetration of oxygen into the soil and controlled development of structures and homogenization. Soils were described and classified according to genesis. Geological history was reconstructed from old maps. Plant communities, their classification, development, importance in soil genesis, value as indicators of soil differences were extensively studied and the tidal river landscape was reconstructed.