The study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the SOIL SCIENCE
earth including soil
formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical,
biological, and fertility properties of soils;
and these properties in relation to the use and management of
soils.
Assess adverse effects on soil health and soil quality that SOIL FERTILITY
arise from
nutrient imbalances in soil, excessive fertilization,
consequences of environmental pollution, trace elements and
organic amendments.
Provide adequate guidance for the needed SOIL CONSERVATION AND
approaches using biological and mechanical conservation MANAGEMENT.
measures that help improve soil
quality for sustained productivity.
Study of the soil physicochemical properties and SOIL CHEMISTRY AND
processes that influence the bioavailability, mobility and MINERALOGY.
distribution of plant essential
elements and pollutants in the environment.
Studies the factors of soil formation SOIL MORPHOLOGY,
namely: parent materials, organisms, topography, climate and GENESIS AND
time, the same set of factors that CLASSIFICATION
govern the development of different kinds of soils. In this
regards they will have the mastery
about the uniqueness in terms of physical and chemical
properties of each of the major kinds
of soils.
Studies the dynamic processes occurring in soils with SOIL PHYSICS.
emphasis on the
transient water, solute gas, and heat.
Studies the different kinds of soil microorganisms and their SOIL MICROBIOLOGY.
role in
enhancing the growth of agricultural crops.
Formulate land use plans especially towards improvements of LAND USE.
existing agricultural systems under varying environmental
conditions.
Studies the unique features and
behavior of land/soil resources and the interaction of climate
as well as the prevailing political
situation in an area, he can be an effective partner towards the
preparation of Comprehensive
Land Use Plan which is mandated by law at the municipal
level.
Composition of the soil 5% ORGANIC MATERIAL
25% AIR
25% WATER
45% MINERAL MATTER
Sand is visible to the naked eye, consists of SAND (GRITTY)
particles with low surface area, and permits
excessive drainage.
Silt is not visible to the naked eye and SILT (BUTTERY)
increases the water holding capacity of soil.
Clay has a high surface area, high water CLAY (STICKY)
holding capacity, many small pores, and
possesses charged surfaces to attract and hold
nutrients.
Process that breaks up and disintegrates parent rock, or PHYSICAL WEATHERING
primary minerals, within the earth. In the tropics, physical
weathering is caused by the wetting
and drying of rocks; erosion; actions of plants and animals; or
the falling, smashing, or
breaking of rock materials into smaller pieces.
involves the change, or CHEMICAL WEATHERING
transformation, of primary minerals into secondary minerals.
Secondary minerals serve as the
basic building blocks of the small particles with the soil. As a
result, new materials may be
synthesized, residual material may accumulate from materials
(such as oxides) which cannot
be furthered weathered, or materials can be lost as the result
of leaching.
SOIL MINERAL
Soil organic matter not only stores nutrients in the soil, but is SOIL ORGANIC MATTER
also a direct source of
nutrients.
Acts as a binding agent for mineral particles. This is
responsible for producing
friable (easily crumbled) surface soils.
Increases the amount of water that a soil may hold.
Provides food for organisms that inhabit the soil.
Humus is an integral component of organic matter
because it is fairly stable and
resistant to further decomposition. Humus is brown or
black and gives soils its dark
color. Like clay particles, humus is an important source
of plant nutrients.
One of the main functions of soil is to store moisture and SOIL WATER HOLDING
supply it to plants between CAPACITY
rainfalls or irrigations. Evaporation from the soil surface,
transpiration by plants and deep
percolation combine to reduce soil moisture status between
water applications
Integral part of the molecular structure of soil minerals. It can CHEMICAL WATER
be held tightly by electrostatic forces to the surfaces of clay
crystals and other minerals and is
unavailable to plants.
held in large soil pores and rapidly drains out under the action GRAVITATIONAL WATER
of gravity within a day or so after rain. Plants can only make
use of gravitational water for a
few days after rain.
Held in CAPILLARY WATER
pores that are small enough to hold
water against gravity, but not so
tightly that roots cannot absorb it.
soil aeration influences the availability of many nutrients. SOIL AIR
Particularly, soil air is needed by many of the microorganisms
that release plant nutrients to
the soil.
The soil atmosphere is not uniform throughout the soil SOIL AIR/ ATMOSPHERE
because there can be localized pockets of air.
The relative humidity of soil air is close to 100%, unlike
most atmospheric humidity.
Air in the soil often contains several hundred times more
carbon dioxide.
can be combinations of gravity, flowing water or air, and TRANSPORTATION AGENTS
moving ice.
SOIL TEXTURE DETERMINATION THE JAR SEDIMENTATION
METHOD
DETERMINATION OF SOIL
TEXTURE BY FEEL METHOD
the arrangement of soil particles into groupings. These SOIL STRUCTURE
groupings are called
peds or aggregates, which often form distinctive shapes
typically found within certain soil horizons.
Soil microorganisms excrete substances that act as cementing SOIL AGGREGATE
agents and bind soil particles
together.
the capacity to receive, store and transmit energy to support SOIL FERTILITY
plant growth.
capacity of the soil to supply nutrients to plants in adequate
amounts and in suitable proportions.
It is the component of overall soil productivity that deals with
its available nutrient status, and its ability to provide nutrients
out of its own reserves and through external applications for
crop production
the capacity of the soil to produce crops SOIL PRODUCTIVITY
with specific systems of management and is expressed in
terms of yields
the physical movement of soil particles from one location to SOIL EROSION
another, primarily due
to forces of water or wind
When the top soils are gradually removed under NATURAL OR GEOLOGICAL
normal conditions of physical, biotic and hydrological OR NORMAL SOIL EROSION
equilibrium it is called normal erosion.
It occurs due to disturbance in natural equilibrium by the ACCELERATED SOIL
activity of EROSION
men and animal through land mismanagement, destruction of
forests, over grazing etc.
Moving air has energy that can detach and transport soil WIND EROSION
particles.
Raindrops falling on the soil surface can WATER EROSION
cause particles to detach and splash upward.
Upon returning to the soil, splashed particles disperse and
clog
soil pores, causing surface crusting and a reduction in the
soil’s infiltration [Link] water is applied in excess of the
soil’s
infiltration rate, water will puddle and run off, leading to
additional detachment and transport of particles by the force of
flowing water. Particle transport by water requires a critical
speed to effectively carry
sediment; when water velocity slows below this speed,
deposition occurs.
estimates average annual soil loss by sheet and rill erosion on UNIVERSAL SOIL LOSS
those portions of EQUATION
landscape profiles where erosion, but not deposition, is
occurring
powerful tool that is widely used by soil
conservationists in the United States and many other
countries.
defined as a system of grouping land in to various LAND CAPABILITY
classes based on inherent limitations imposed on sustained CLASSIFICATION
use by soil attributes, topography, drainage and
climate.
device is used for measuring the soil loss occurring from rill PORTABLE RILL METER
section
prevention and reduction of the amount of soil lost through SOIL CONSERVATION
erosion.
It seeks to increase the amount of water seeping into the soil,
reducing the speed and amount of water running off.
are the most active portion of the soil and largely determine SOIL COLLOIDS
the physical and
chemical properties of a soil.
Humus is the product of ORGANIC COLLOIDS
decomposition of plant and animal residues
The chemical analysis of clay indicates the presence of four INORGANIC COLLOIDS
main constituents; silica,
alumina, iron and combined water.
Bacteria are tiny, one-celled organisms BACTERIA
Consume simple carbon compounds, such as root exudates DECOMPOSERS
and fresh plant
litter. By this process, bacteria convert energy in soil organic
matter
Form partnerships with plants. MUTUALISTS
Most well-known of these are the nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Bacterial pathogens include Xymomonas and Erwinia species, PATHOGENS
and species
of Agrobacterium that cause gall formation in plants
Obtains its energy from compounds of nitrogen, sulfur, iron or LITHOTROPHS OR
hydrogen CHEMOAUTOTROPHS
instead of from carbon compounds.
form symbiotic associations with the roots of legumes like NITROGEN-FIXING
BACTERIA
clover and lupine, and trees such as alder and locust. Visible
nodules are created where bacteria
change ammonium (NH4+) to nitrite (NO2-) then to nitrate NITRIFYING BACTERIA
(NO3-
) – a preferred form of nitrogen for grasses and most row
crops.
convert nitrate to nitrogen (N2) or nitrous oxide (N2O) gas. DENITRIFYING BACTERIA
Denitrifiers are anaerobic, meaning they are active where
oxygen is absent, such as in saturated
soils or inside soil aggregates.
large group of bacteria that grow as hyphae like fungi. They ACTINOMYCETES
are
responsible for the characteristically “earthy” smell of freshly
turned, healthy soil.