423 after midterm readings

Question 1

soil colloids

Answer 1

• organic and inorganic matter with very small particle size
• make up the most chemically active part of the soil

Question 2

result of a water molecule’s polar structure

Answer 2

• electrostatic attraction of water to both soluble cations and soil solids

Question 3

does soil water or pure water have lower potential energy?

Answer 3

• soil water, due to the attracting forces reducing it

Question 4

The soil water potential

Answer 4

• Quantifies the energy status of water in soil relative to pure water
• has a great influence on the movement of soil water and its uptake on plants

Question 5

how is water supplied to plants?

Answer 5

• By capillary movement towards the root surfaces and by growth of the roots into moist soil areas

Question 6

soil horizon properties

Answer 6

• characterized by things like color, texture, and organic matter content
• Can greatly affect how soils can and should be used

Question 7

soil taxonomy

Answer 7

• provides a hierarchical grouping of natural soil bodies
• Uses a unique nomenclature that connotes the major characteristics of the soils in question
• Chemical, physical and biological properties used to group soils
• Ex: precipitation and temperature status throughout the year, structure, color, texture, etc

Question 8

The 6 hierarchical categories of classification in soil taxonomy

Answer 8

• 1) order 2) suborder 3) great group 4) subgroup 5) family 6) series
• Goes from most broad to most specific

Question 9

soil survey

Answer 9

• describes and classifies the soil mapping in different areas
• Provides information about spatial distribution and suitability for various uses
• Web Soil Survey (WSS) is used in the US

Question 10

erie soils

Answer 10

• remain wet late in spring

Question 11

Langford soils

Answer 11

• Wet only for brief periods during the growing season
• best sites

Question 12

Alden soils

Answer 12

• very deep, very poorly drained soils in depressions and low areas

Question 13

sloan soils

Answer 13

• Consist of very deep, very poorly drained soils formed in loamy alluvium on flood plains

Question 14

shallow muck

Answer 14

• Shallow, very poorly drained soils that form in organic matter, often in depressions or wetlands
• Classified as histisols

Question 15

soils in New York

Answer 15

• climate is cool and humid
• the bedrock exposed in New York was the main source of soil material in the state
• the main glacial material is glacial deposits

Question 16

subsoils

Answer 16

• Earthy layers immediatly below the surface soil

Question 17

skeletal soil

Answer 17

• has a volume of 35% or more of gravel, stones, or other rocks, but the spaces among them are filled with fine Earth
• low natural fertility

Question 18

patterns of soil-water state

Answer 18

• influenced by factors like soil texture, topography, and vegetation
• occasionally dry, occasionally wet, commonly wet, usually wet, continuously wet

Question 19

salinization

Answer 19

• The process that results in the accumulation of neutral soluble salts

Question 20

saline soils

Answer 20

• soils that contain sufficient salinity
• Negatively impact plant growth and crop yields

Question 21

Geomorphology

Answer 21

• The study of the physical features of the surface of the earth and their relation to its geological structures

Question 22

erosion

Answer 22

• a process that transfers soil into sediment
• soil erosion takes place naturally

Question 23

accelerated erosion

Answer 23

• Occurs when people disturb the soil or natural vegetation by overgrazing livestock, cutting forests for agricultural use, plowing hillsides, or tearing up land for road or building construction

Question 24

universal soil-loss equation

Answer 24

• Empirical model that estimates long-term average annual soil loss due to water erosion
• A = R x K x (LS) x C x P, where A is soil loss, R is rainfall erosivity, K is soil erodibility, LS is the slope length, C is cover and management factor, and P is erosion-control practices

Question 25

land capability classes

Answer 25

• Used to indicate the degree of limitation imposed on land uses
• Class I is the least limited and class VIII is the most limited

Question 26

measurments

Answer 26

• never neutral
• not an isolated process
• ex: decide to do measurments, get tools, analyze results, etc
• science is influenced by human decision

Question 27

land degredation

Answer 27

• a reduction in land’s biological or economic productivity
• not good
• a major shift is needed for this