Module 1 Fundamental Concepts and Definitions

Lesson 1

Basic Principles in the Study of Soils

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Objectives Introduction
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At the end of this lesson, you ……
are expected to: It takes a genius to study the obvious, hence
……
demystifying the secrets of the Earth’s skin requires
Explain the components of the ……
unsurmountable efforts and devoted desires to
global ecosystem ……
understand and explain perplexing contexts that no
Define and describe the
……
one has ever tried. In this, you are one of the few who
importance and function of ……
have the courage to know the tangled web of truth
soil …… behind the soil. To begin with your journey, this
Differentiate between …… lesson is specifically designed to let you explore the
pedological and edaphological …… dynamic nature of soils and the importance of
approach in studying soil ……
science
studying soils. It will also lead you to know when and
…… how the study of soils begin, the networks of
Discuss the history and …… scientific field of studies it has today, and its role in
classify the division of soil
science
…… addressing issues of the modern times. Upon
…… culmination of your voyage in this lesson, you will
Key Concepts …… reflect the importance of soils to the perpetuation of
a. Components of Global …… life in the planet where we live. Enjoy and do not
Ecosystem …… forget the dirt while you learn.
b. Soil ……
c. Soil Boundaries Time frame
…
d. Landscape  August 24-August 28, 2020- Lesson 1
e. Ecosystem  Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-5:00pm
f. Functions of Soil

Section 1.1
and
Observe Reflect Soil: A Living or Non-living Entity
Is it living or nonliving? In this activity, you will observe soil in the environment to evaluate if it
is living or nonliving and watch video to reflect the nature and importance of soil.

Procedure

1. In your locality, observe the status and use of soil.

2. Record your observation.
3. Visit [Link] and search the video of FAO-UNESCO entitled, “Let’s talk about
soil”, and watch it.
4. Upon finishing watching the video and observing soil in your locality, evaluate whether
soils is a living or non-living body and reflect the nature and importance of soils in a
brochure formatted output.

Analysis

1. Compare and contrast your observation and reflection to your classmates.

2. Explain why we need to study soils.

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Components of Global Ecosystem ……………
……………
……………
1. Atmosphere: air surrounding the Earth. ……………
……………
2. Biosphere: environment in which living
……………
organisms are found, and with which they
interact ……………
……………
3. Hydrosphere: total body of water that exists on
……………
or close to the surface of the Earth.
……………
4. Lithosphere: upper (oceanic and continental)
…..………
layer of the solid Earth
……………
5. Pedosphere: The envelope of the Earth where ……………
soils occur and where soil-forming processes are ……………
active. ……………
……………
…………….
Horizon
Soil
Figure 1. Imagine the pedosphere to
Properties of the pedosphere affect the other components the peelings of the orange. The
orange peel is the outermost part of
of the global ecosystem. For example, accelerated the orange that is exposed to the
decomposition of organic matter in the pedosphere causes elements.
abnormally high CO2 levels in the atmosphere (note CO2
is a greenhouse gas)

Soil

 living, dynamic system which forms at the interface

between the atmosphere and lithosphere in Note:highlighted words are the
response to forces exerted by climateandliving five factors of soil formation and
organisms acting on parent will be discussed separately.
materialasconditioned by topography/reliefover
a period of time

 collection of porous natural bodies on the earth's

Dirt your Mind!
surface, containing living matter, and supporting or
capable of supporting plants.
 As a rule, particles are considered
 An independent 3-dimensional natural body “soil particles” if they pass through
the 2-mm sieve.
occupying the earth’s surface and capable of  Traditionally, soil scientists focus
supporting plant growth. Its properties are result on the porous material that are
from integrated effects of climate and living within 2 m from the surface
organisms acting upon a parent material as
conditioned by topography and time.

Reminder Soil horizon is used in this module as word denoting important concepts in soil
science.

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 ……
……
……
……
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…… Dimensions involved in the study of soils
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…… 1. Classic Concept:
……  Soil is a 3-dimensional body
…… o Length
Note: These are space dimensions …… o Breadth
…… o Depth
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……
…… 2. Modern Concept:
……  Soil is a space-time structure
o Length
……
Note:Addition of time dimension. o Breadth
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o Depth
……
……
……
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……. Soil Boundaries
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……  Upper Boundary - generally considered as air-
….… solid surface interface or free water-solid
…… surface interface.
……
Dirt your Mind!  Lateral Boundary- deep water or barren areas
…… of rock, ice, salt, or shifting desert sand dunes
…..
……  Lower Limit - difficult to define, but generally
…… thought of as the common rooting depth
 Sediments at depths (shallow in deserts, deep in humid tropics) of
……
greater than where the native perennial plant
emergent plants grow is ……
not considered as soil. ……

Soil as part of Landscape & Ecosystems

Landscape-Three-dimensional section of the Earth’s

surface with specific pattern of topography, rocks, soil,
water, and flora and fauna
Ecosystem - Is an interacting system of biologic
community and its non-living environment

Study Tips
Review Where in the landscape is there significant growth of biota?

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 ……
……
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Importance of the Soil
……
……
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Civilization depends on soil and water resources for
……
food production
……
 Soil resources were and are an important factor ……
in shaping history and development. Survival of ……
humans and animals is dependent on light, ……
water, air, and soil. ……
 Cultivation of plants for food allowed humans to …….
convert from a nomadic hunting and gathering .……
lifestyle to a more settled existence. …… “History is largely a record of human
…… struggle to wrest land from nature,
 Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates because man relies for sustenance on the
…….
River in what is now Iraq shows evidence of products of the soil. So direct is the
.…… relationship between erosion, the
very early civilization. Writings dating to 2500
…… productivity of the land and the history of
B.C. mention fertility of the land. Fertility was the people that the history of mankind to
……
due to annual flooding of the land, and a system a degree at least, may be interpreted in
……
of canals were built for irrigation of crops. terms of the soil and what has happened
…… to it as a result of human use”.
Hugh H. Bennett circa, 1930’s

Functions of Soil

1. Production Function
• Soil acts primarily as a medium for the growth of natural vegetation.
• Soil assures the supply of food, feeds, energy, and raw materials
2. Ecological Regulator
• Soil resists sudden change in its chemical balance thereby protecting the
multitude of organisms living in it.
• Soils acts as buffer, filter, and transformer of various substances in or that are
added to the soil
3. Habitat and Living space
• Soil is a habitat of a multitude of flora and fauna.
• The largest quantity of organisms on the earth is in the soil.
4. Engineering Function
• Support for building foundations
• Construction materials for roads and dams
5. Cultural Heritage Function
• Conceals and preserves remnants of past civilizations, plants and animal life
which are of great value for understanding history of civilization and history of
the earth

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 ……
……
…… Two Concepts of Soils
……
……  Pedology -study of soil as a natural entity -
…… origin, classification, and description
Why Study Soils? ……  Edaphology - study of soil from the standpoint
…… of plant growth
 To understand how
soil chemical and ……
physical properties ……
affect various uses …… A person's concept of soil depends on his/her
of soils …… viewpoint and experiences...
 To learn how to …….
conserve and utilize .…… 1. Engineer- loose or broken rock material at the
soils properly. …… earth's surface. This material can be used for
 To understand how
…… building purposes.
……. 2. Geologist - highly weathered rock. Part of the
soil properties can
.…… material that makes up outer mantle of the
be modified to
…… earth.
improve their 3. Horticulturist - material that needs sterilizing
quality for a ……
and modification before using for plant growth
particular use ……
in greenhouses.
…… 4. Farmer and Agronomist- material at earth's
surface with biological, chemical, and physical
properties that enable it to support plant
growth.

Reflections Check Explain the components of the global ecosystem and how does it influence with each other.
Give your own definition of soil.
Discuss the importance of the soil and why we need to study.

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Soil Science History in a Nutshell ……
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 Starting in the 19th century, Soil Science was already …… Soil Horizon
considered as a natural science that deals with a ……
natural body –the soil. …… Soil science is originally a
…… branch of Geology that
 Major applications were initially toward addressing …… developed into an
agricultural concerns and has greatly contributed to …… independent natural
the increased food production worldwide. science
……
 Worsening environmental problems and the ……
increased realization that the soil can treat ……
contaminants has dramatically changed the focus of …….
soil science. .……
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Periods in the Development of Soil Science ……
…….
Ancient Pre-Soil Science .…… Early Soil Science
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 Soil Science History in a Nutshell
Chinese attempted to 4,000 Years Ago
classify the soil

2,000 years Greeks and

ago Romansstarted simple
soil studies

Theophrastus gave the 371-286 BC

soil the name “edaphos”
and described soil
properties that affect
growth

371-286 BC Catodeveloped a
classification system of
arable soils and
emphasized the Henri
suitability of soils for Darcydeveloped
farming the key law in Soil
Physics (Darcy’s
Law) that
1803-1873 describes water 1817-1901
flow in soils
J. Von 1803-1929 Joseph Henry Gilbert
Liebigestablished established first
agricultural chemistry systematic long-term
and formulated the field fertilizer
mineral theory of plant experiment in the
nutrition –The Law of world-famous
Minimum Rothamsted
1794 – 1877 F. A Fallou - in his book
Experimental Station
“Pedology or General
and Special Soil
Science” (1862), he
argued for the
recognition of Soil
Science as an
independent natural
science. Founder of
Soil Science

V.V. Dokuchaev- in his 1846-1903

book “Russian Chernozem”
(1883), he discussed the
factors of soil formation
and he introduced the ABC
horizon nomenclature
system. Father of Modern
Hans Jenny- in 1941 published “Factors of Soil Science
Soil Formation”s = f (cl, o, r, p, t, ...)
1833-1893

1899-1992 E. W. Hilgard- one of the first to apply soil

science to solve problems in agriculture
and is considered the “Father of
American Soil Science”

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 ……
…… Divisions of Soil Science
……
Soil Horizon ……
……  Soil genesis
Soil Science has ……  Soil survey & classification
international
……  Soil physics
organization entity
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The International Union of  Soil microbiology and biochemistry/ soil
……
Soil Sciences (IUSS) ecology
……
 The global scientific ……  Soil fertility
organization of soil ….…  Soil mineralogy and chemistry
scientists and soil ……
science practitioners ……  Soil and water conservation
 A full member of the
……
International Council
for Sciences (the
……
governing body for the …….
sciences composed of .……
25 international …… Reflections Check Share your thoughts on the development
science unions) …… of soil science as a natural science.
……. Explainthe relevance of understanding
.…… the history of soil science
……
……
……
…… Section 1.2 Application

Understand Soil Horizons

Think like a Scientist! Soil Horizon
1. Define pedosphere?
2. Provide a definition of the soil that
includes all the five factors of soil
7. Explain the science behind of the study soils. formation.
3. Discuss the boundaries of the three-
8. Soil Science dimensional body that is considered
WRITINGin the soil?
4. Differentiate the pedological and
Write a Newsletter featuring key
edaphological concepts of the study of
issues relevant to modern soil science the soil.
as well as the functions of soil in the 5. Share your thoughts on the
context of sustainable agriculture and recognition of Dokuchaev as the
development. Father of Soil Science
6. Discuss the different roles and scope
of the division of soil science.

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References ……
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Brady, N.C. and Weil, R. R. 2017. The Nature and Properties of Soils, 15th edition. Pearson
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Education Limited, Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex CM20 2JE, England, 1105 pp.
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Recommended Website to Explore
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[Link]; [Link]; [Link]
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