Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ppt 1 - Intro
BHS Envirothon Competition
Team
Anchors roots
Supplies water
Provides air
Furnishes minerals for plant nutrition
Soil
fraction
Diameter
Descriptio
n
Gravel
Larger
than 2
mm
Coarse
Sand
0.05 - 2
mm
Gritty
Silt
0.002
0.05 mm
Floury
Clay
Smaller
Sticky
than
when wet
0.002 mm
Soil Texture
Texture relative proportion of the
various grain sizes in a soil.
To describe soil texture, names, such as
loamy sand, silt loam, clay loam and
silty clay are used.
The best soils are generally those which
contain 10 to 20% clay, with silt and sand
in approximately equal amounts, and a fair
amount of organic matter.
The content of
sand, silt, and clay
for the twelve main
soil texture classes
can be found on this
triangle. Ex. Point A
is in the sandy loam
texture class with
65% sand, 25% silt,
and 10% clay. Not
that soils with
relatively small clay
contents (<40) are
in the clay texture
class bc the
properties of clay
readily predominate
over the coarser
fractions.
Surface Area
Kind of
Particle
Diameter of # of
Surface
Particle
Particles in area of 1
1 gram
gram
Sand
2 mm
90
Silt
0.02 mm
Clay
0.0002 mm 9x1013
11 cm2
113,000
cm2
Soil Structure
Structure arrangement of individual particles in
relation to each other. Soil structure is the arrangement
of particles into small groups, or aggregates.
Aggregates may be bound together with other
aggregates in larger masses called peds.
Peds come in different shapes that roughly resembel
sphere, blocks, columns and plates.
If the individual particles are arranged in small
aggregates with rounded edges, we speak granular
structure. This is very desirable for plant growth bc it
provides both large and small pores.
Some soils lack structure. Sandy soils the individual
grains act independently of each other. No binding
substances hold the particles together, so the soil has no
peds.
Pore Space
Large pores are readily drained of water and
filled by air after a heavy rain. They are valuable
as an aeration system.
Small pores hold water against gravity and pull
water up from a water table by capillary action.
They are necessary for the water supply of
plants.
Ideal structure includes large and small pores in
proportions that corresponds to the water/air
needs of the crop plants given for that culture or
climate.
Soil Temperature
Just as important to plant growth as air temp.
The temp of the surface soil fluctuates greatly
both during a 24 hr period and with the seasons.
Where soil is covered by a dense growth of
plants or a thick layer of mulch, temperature
variations are much less severe and do not
penetrate deeply
Soil temperature has a direct effect on plant
growth and also influences microbial activity.
Freezing and thawing of the soil water also
affects soil structure. Slow and occasional
freezing and thawing (like under mulch) is
beneficial for soil structure.
Soil Color