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    Lecture 6 - Introduction To Soils

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    Alicia August
    Soil is composed of minerals, organic matter, living organisms, gas, and water. The three main soil minerals are clay, silt, and sand which determine the soil texture. Soil organic matter comes from decomposing plants and animals and indicates soil quality. There are four main types of soil - sandy soil which drains well but has low nutrients; silt soil which holds water better than sand; clay soil which stores water but is too dense for plant roots; and loamy soil which is a beneficial combination of sand, silt and clay making it most suitable for agriculture.

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    Lecture 6 - Introduction To Soils

    Uploaded by

    Alicia August
    19 views2 pages
    Soil is composed of minerals, organic matter, living organisms, gas, and water. The three main soil minerals are clay, silt, and sand which determine the soil texture. Soil organic matter comes from decomposing plants and animals and indicates soil quality. There are four main types of soil - sandy soil which drains well but has low nutrients; silt soil which holds water better than sand; clay soil which stores water but is too dense for plant roots; and loamy soil which is a beneficial combination of sand, silt and clay making it most suitable for agriculture.

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    introduction to soils

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    Lecture 6_ Introduction to soils

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    Soil is composed of minerals, organic matter, living organisms, gas, and water. The three main soil minerals are clay, silt, and sand which determine the soil texture. Soil organic matter comes from decomposing plants and animals and indicates soil quality. There are four main types of soil - sandy soil which drains well but has low nutrients; silt soil which holds water better than sand; clay soil which stores water but is too dense for plant roots; and loamy soil which is a beneficial combination of sand, silt and clay making it most suitable for agriculture.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    19 views2 pages

    Lecture 6 - Introduction To Soils

    Uploaded by

    Alicia August
    Soil is composed of minerals, organic matter, living organisms, gas, and water. The three main soil minerals are clay, silt, and sand which determine the soil texture. Soil organic matter comes from decomposing plants and animals and indicates soil quality. There are four main types of soil - sandy soil which drains well but has low nutrients; silt soil which holds water better than sand; clay soil which stores water but is too dense for plant roots; and loamy soil which is a beneficial combination of sand, silt and clay making it most suitable for agriculture.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Introduction to soils

    Soil ​is a material composed of five ingredients — minerals, soil organic matter, living
    organisms, gas, and water. Soil minerals are divided into three size classes — ​ clay​,​
    silt​
    ,
    and ​sand​ ; the percentages of particles in these size classes is called ​ soil texture​. The
    mineralogy of soils is diverse. For example, a clay mineral called smectite can shrink and
    swell so much upon wetting and drying that it can knock over buildings. The most common
    mineral in soils is quartz; it makes beautiful crystals but it is not very reactive. ​
    Soil organic
    matter is plant, animal, and microbial residues in various states of decomposition; it is a
    critical ingredient — in fact the percentage of soil organic matter in a soil is among the best
    indicators of agricultural ​soil quality​
    . Soil colors range from the common browns, yellows,
    reds, grays, whites, and blacks to rare soil colors such as greens and blues.
    Sandy Soil
    The first type of soil is sand. It consists of small particles of weathered rock. Sandy soils are one
    of the poorest types of soil for growing plants because it has very low nutrients and poor water
    holding capacity, which makes it hard for the plant’s roots to absorb water. This type of soil is
    very good for the drainage system. Sandy soil is usually formed by the breakdown or
    fragmentation of rocks like granite, limestone and quartz.

    Silt Soil
    Silt, which is known to have much smaller particles compared to sandy soil and is made up of
    rock and other mineral particles, which are smaller than sand and larger than clay. It is the
    smooth and fine quality of the soil that holds water better than sand. Silt is easily transported by
    moving currents and it is mainly found near the river, lake and other water bodies. The silt soil is
    more fertile compared to the other three types of soil. Therefore, it is also used in ​agricultural
    practices​ to improve soil fertility.

    Clay Soil
    Clay is the smallest particle amongst the other two types of soil. The particles in this soil are
    tightly packed together with each other with very little or no airspace. This soil has very good
    water storage qualities and makes it hard for moisture and air to penetrate into it. It is very sticky
    to the touch when wet, but smooth when dried. Clay is the densest and heaviest type of soil
    which does not drain well or provide space for plant roots to flourish.

    Loamy Soil
    Loam is the fourth type of soil. It is a combination of sand, silt and clay such that the beneficial
    properties from each is included. For instance, it has the ability to retain moisture and nutrients;
    hence, it is more suitable for farming. This soil is also referred to as an ​agricultural soil as it
    includes an equilibrium of all three types of soil materials being sandy, clay, and silt and it also
    happens to have humus. Apart from these, it also has higher calcium and pH levels because of
    its inorganic origins.

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