Soil

Question 1

Most of our food and fiber is obtained from…

Answer 1

cropland.

Question 1

agriculture

Answer 1

practice of raising crops and livestock for human use and consumption

Question 2

cropland

Answer 2

land use to raise crops for human use

Question 3

rangeland

Answer 3

land use for grazing livestock

Question 4

soil

Answer 4

complex mixture of inorganic material, decaying organic material, air, water, nutrients and living organisms

Question 5

Soil is derived from _____ and shaped by microorganisms.

Answer 5

rock

Question 6

It takes _____ years to develop 1 inch of topsoil

Answer 6

200-1000

Question 7

Topsoil is formed from…

Answer 7

parent material.

Question 8

parent material

Answer 8

base geologic material in particular location

Question 9

Examples of parent material include…

Answer 9

(1) hardened lava or volcanic ash
(2) sediment deposited by glaciers or flowing water
(3) wind-blown dunes
(4) bedrock

Question 10

Parent material is broken down into smaller particle by…

Answer 10

weathering.

Question 11

humus

Answer 11

partially-decomposed organic matter
productive for plant life

Question 12

Weathering and accumulation of organic matter influenced by…

Answer 12

(1) climate
(2) organisms
(3) topography
(4) parent material
(5) time

Question 13

soil profile

Answer 13

entire cross-section of soil

Question 14

leaching

Answer 14

process in which minerals dissolved/suspended in water are transported downward

Question 15

Ordering of soil layers is…

Answer 15

O Horizon: Organic
A Horizon: Topsoil
E Horizon: Eluviated (leaching layer)
B Horizon: Subsoil
C Horizon: Weathered parent material
R Horizon: Rock (parent material)

Question 16

o horizon

Answer 16

contain organic matter deposited by organisms

Question 17

a horizon (topsoil)

Answer 17

mixture of inorganic mineral components with humus from above (o horizon)

Question 18

What is the most nutritive part of soil for plants?

Answer 18

topsoil (a horizon)

Question 19

e horizon (eluviated)

Answer 19

most heavily leeched, losing minerals like iron, aluminum, and silicate clay

Question 20

b horizon (subsoil)

Answer 20

contains minerals leeched from above (e horizon)

Question 21

c horizon (weathered parent material)

Answer 21

partially weathered parent material

Question 22

r horizon (bedrock)

Answer 22

parent material

Question 23

Soil’s color indicates its…

Answer 23

fertility.

Question 24

Soil texture determined by the...

Answer 24

size of its particles.

Question 25

loam

Answer 25

soil with an even mixture of each particle

Question 26

Examples of particles in soil include...

Answer 26

(1) clay (2) sand (3) silt

Question 27

Clay soils have few pore spaces and are sticky, making it difficult for...

Answer 27

air and water to pass through.

Question 28

Sandy soils allow water to...

Answer 28

pass through too quickly, requiring frequent irrigation.

Question 29

Loam soils with medium-sized pores are...

Answer 29

considered best for agriculture.

Question 30

waterlogging

Answer 30

occurrence in which irrigation oversaturates soil to point where water drowns plant roots, depriving them of gases and suffocating them

Question 31

irrigation

Answer 31

artificial provision of water beyond what is received by precipitation

Question 32

salinization

Answer 32

buildup of salts in surface soil layers

Question 33

The only solution for waterlogging and salinization is...

Answer 33

flushing land with less saline water or plant salt-tolerant plants (i.e. barley).

Question 34

inorganic fertilizers

Answer 34

mined or synthetically manufactured

Question 35

organic fertilizers

Answer 35

made of remains/wastes from organisms, (i.e. manure, compost, crop residue)

Question 36

precision agriculture

Answer 36

practice of monitoring soil nutrient levels and only apply fertilizer when it is needed

Question 37

land degradation

Answer 37

deterioration of land that diminishes its productivity and biodiversity and impairs the functioning of its ecosystems

Question 38

Land degradation results in...

Answer 38

(1) increased soil erosion (2) nutrient depletion (3) water scarcity (4) pollution

Question 39

soil degradation

Answer 39

deterioration in quality and productivity of soil

Question 40

Soil degradation caused by...

Answer 40

(1) forest removal (2) cropland agriculture (3) overgrazing of livestock

Question 41

Erosion caused by...

Answer 41

(1) Overcultivating fields (2) Overgrazing rangeland (3) Clearing forests on steep slopes

Question 42

sheet erosion

Answer 42

uniform layers of soil peeled off across a field

Question 43

rill erosion

Answer 43

fast flowing water cuts small channels in soil

Question 44

gully erosion

Answer 44

extreme form of rill erosion in which small channels merge and become deeper to form gullies/ditches

Question 45

What are the three types of soil erosion caused by water?

Answer 45

(1) sheet (2) rill (3) gully

Question 46

desertification

Answer 46

a land degradation where more than 10% of productivity is lost

Question 47

What are the biggest causes of desertification?

Answer 47

(1) Wind (2) Water

Question 48

Soil Conservation Act (1935)

Answer 48

Established agency that worked with farmers to combat erosion following Dust Bowl

Question 49

crop rotation

Answer 49

process of alternating type of crop grown from one season to next

Question 50

contour plowing

Answer 50

plow sideways across a hillside

Question 51

terracing

Answer 51

creation of level platforms on very steep terrain slowing water erosion

Question 52

intercropping

Answer 52

planting alternating bands of different crops

Question 53

shelterbelts

Answer 53

row of trees/shrubs that serve as windbreaks

Question 54

conservation tillage

Answer 54

reduces amount of plowing leaving soil surfaces bare and exposed to wind

Question 55

no-till farming

Answer 55

eliminates tilling altogether