Soil Flashcards
What is soil formed from?
soil is formed from weather action of water, wind and ice on underlying parent rocks
What is soil consist of?
particles surrounded by water and air spaces
What soil is most fertile and what is it used for?
Loam soil is more fertile and its used in agriculture.
What makes a soil fertile?
rich in minerals and adequate water supply.
How can a soil lose fertility?
Leaching
Soil compacting
Soil Erosion
Loss of organic matter
What is leaching?
The removal of soluble salt. This causes deficient minerals and unable for plant growth.
What is soil compacting?
The soil particles are packed closely together. The oxygen
becomes little in the plant roots.
What is soil erosion?
movement of soil due to water of wind.
What is loss of organic matter.
when the exposure of forest soils is caused by the cutting down of trees. Burning dead soil causes a reduced in sulfur in plant roots.
How can you improve soil fertility?
Adding fertilizer to counteract leaching
Addding Lime
Prevent soil erosion
Irrigation
How can adding lime improve soil fertility?
Has the element calcium that is essential for plant growth
Joins small particles into larger crumbs thus preventing drainage.
What are the components of soil?
Air
Rock particles
Living Organisms
Humus
Soil Water
Mineral Salts
What is the function of air in soil?
Oxygen- respiration in plant roots and soil organisms
Nitrogen- for nitro fixing bacteria to form nitrogen compounds
What is the function of rock particles in soil?
Form soil crumbs thats used to determine the degree of water retention, drainage and pH of soil
What is the function of living organisms in soil?
Part of the food web
Improve crumb structure
Decompose matter to form humus
What is the function of humus in soil?
Makes the soil fertile by binding a darkening it.
What is the function of the soil water?
Dissolves mineral salt and determines plant turguidity.
What is the function of mineral salts?
to provide essential elements for plant growth.
