Soil mapping

Question 1

soil mapping

Answer 1

enables farmers and other land owners to understand the properties of soil in relation to their parent materials and topography and how the different properties may limit their use

Question 2

Quaternary deposits

Answer 2

• glacial drift
• river terrace and glaciofluvial drift
• plateau drift and clay flints
• alluvium
• colluvium
• peat

Question 3

Major soil group

Answer 3

presence or absence of major diagnostic horizons

Question 4

soil series

Answer 4

broad types of parent material, textural groups and distinctive mineralogy

Question 5

Major soil group example: Ground-water Gley

Answer 5

seasonally waterlogged soils affected by a shallow fluctuating ground water table. they are developed mainly within or over permeable material and have prominent mottled or greyish coloured horizons within 40cm depth. most occupy low-lying or depression sites
se

Question 6

land capability classification for agriculture

Answer 6

• ranks into 7 classes, on the basis of it potential productivity and cropping flexibility determined by the extent to which the physical characteristic of the land impose long term restrictions in its agricultural use.

Question 7

average annual soil moisture balance (MB) =

Answer 7

AP - MD

AP-available water capacity of soil profile to rooting depth
MD-balance between rainfall and potential evaporation during growing season

Question 8

AP (available water)

Answer 8

soil layer depth x available water x fine earth

mm

Question 9

Major soil group example: Brown Soils

Answer 9

with dominantly brownish or reddish subsoils and no prominent mottling or greyish colours about 40cm. they are developed mainly on permeable materials at elevations below about 300m. most are in agricultural use