MIDTERM EXAMINATION COVERAGE part 2

Physical Properties of Soil and Soil Water

Introduction
Description of the soil profile and the soil horizons are often described in the field in terms
of the soil's physical properties. Horizon boundaries within a soil profile are defined based
on difference in the physical properties. Furthermore, soil physical properties are also key
determinants of the appropriate land use for an area. In this lesson, we will get to know the
different soil physical properties and understand their importance in describing soils for
classification and management purposes.

SOIL COLOR
It is the most obvious and easily determined soil physical property. It has little direct effect
on the soil, but is an indicator of soil properties. There are many things we can tell about
the soil by observing the color.
• Organic matter content -- the more organic content the darker the soil color
• Soil color and soil temperature --dark colored soils absorb more heat so they warm
up quicker and have higher soil temperatures.
• Soil color and parent material --generally dark parent material will develop into
dark soils.
• Soil color and drainage --soil drainage refers to the length of time a soil is
waterlogged. Not how fast the soil is drained.

Relationship of Soil Color to Drainage

Soil Color is very important in determining a soils drainage and depth to the water table. It
can be very important in predicting land use hazards.
Soil Drainage: refers to the length and duration of saturation and is not a measure of how
fast water drains from the soil.

Soil Drainage Classes

• Well-drained - no gray colors with the top 48 inches
• Moderately well-drained - gray colors between 24 to 48 inches from the surface
• Somewhat poorly drained- gray colors between 12 to 24 inches from surface
• Poorly drained - gray colors within 12 inches from the surface
 • Very Poorly drained – gray colors within 12 inches from the surface and has a O
horizon

SOIL COLOR MEASUREMENT

Munsell Color System:

A standardized system used by soil scientists and geologists. The system has the following
color parameters:

1. Hue: dominant spectral color

2. Value: lightness - darkness; white to black
3. Chroma: color purity or intensity
Color Notation: 10YR 5/2

• 10YR – the Hue

• 5 – the Value
• 2 – the chroma

Additional things to take note:

• red, yellow, and light brown colors – likely due to Fe oxides
• dark brown or black colors – likely due to organic matter or Mn oxides
• low color value = high organic matter content
• high chroma = well drained soil, oxidizing conditions
• chroma or 2 or less = red Fe-oxide coatings had been removed under reducing
conditions

SOIL TEXTURE
A soil's texture is then the relative proportion of SAND, SILT, and CLAY. Together, these three
SOIL SEPARATES must add up to be 100%. The organic matter is not a part of the soil's
texture. Each soil separate represents a distinct physical size group of mineral particles. We
will be using these separates the rest of the semester:
For a more detailed textural classification the sand fraction is further divided into the
following
• Very Coarse Sand 2.0 - 1.0 mm
• Coarse Sand 1.0 - 0.5 mm
• Medium Sand 0.5 - 0.25 mm
• Fine Sand 0.25 - 0.10 mm
• Very Fine Sand 0.10 - 0.05 mm
Modifiers that are used for coarse materials that are greater than 2 mm (effective
diameter).
• gravels 2mm - 3 in
• cobbles 3 in - 10 in
• stones 10 in - 24 in
• boulders > 24 in

TEXTURAL CLASSES/TEXTURAL GRADES:

Since there is such a large number of combinations that could occur, soil scientists group
similar amounts of sand, silt and clay into groups called soil textural classes or textural
grades. There are 12 textural classes and classification into a specific soil textural class uses
the Soil Textural Triangle.

Other important effects of Soil Texture:

Specific Surface Area – the amount of particle surface area exposed and available as a site
for chemical and physical processes per unit mass or volume of soil. The finer the particle
sizes of the soil mass, the larger the specific surface area.
Estimates of Specific Surface Area:
• 1g of sand = 1.5 ft2
• 1g of silt = 14.9 ft2
• 1g of clay = 262,467 ft2
Specific Surface Area affects the:
1. adsorption of water
2. area for chemical reactions
3. adsorption of nutrients
4. plasticity
5. shrink/swell

SOIL TEXTURE AND MANAGEMENT

Coarse Textured Soils (sands, loamy sands)
• Hold low amounts of water and nutrients - may have to irrigate and fertilize
frequently.
• Not highly erosize - allows water to infiltrate; less runoff.
• Very permeable - good for waste disposal only if a deep soil.
• May compact to form a hardpan.
Fine textured soils (clays, sandy clays, silty clays)
• Hold large amounts of nutrients and water - may hold things too tightly.
• Erosion - slow infiltration; high runoff means much erosion.
• Slow permeability - often unacceptable for septic tanks.
• May shrink/swell - depends upon the type of clay minerals present.
Medium Textured Soils (loams, clay loams, sandy loams, silt loams) Properties fall in
between the other two.

SOIL STRUCTURE
Structure is the arrangement of primary sand, silt and clay particles into secondary
aggregates called peds or structural units which have distinct shapes and are easy to
recognize. These differently shaped aggregates are called the structural type.
TYPES: There are 5 basic types of structural units:
1. Platy: Plate-like aggregates that form parallel to the horizons like pages in a book.
• This type of structure may reduce air, water and root movement.
• common structure in an E horizon and usually not seen in other horizons.
 2. Blocky: Two types--angular blocky and subangular blocky
• These types of structures are commonly seen in the B horizon.
• Angular is cube-like with sharp corners while subangular blocky has rounded
corners.

3. Prismatic: Vertical axis is longer than the horizontal axis. If the top is flat, it is
referred to as prismatic. If the top is rounded, it is called columnar.

4. Granular: Peds are round and porous, spheroidal. This is usually the structure of A
horizons.

5. Structureless: No observable aggregation or structural units.

• Single grain-sand
• Massive-solid mass without aggregates

GRADES: Grade of structure – relates to the degree of inter-aggregate adhesion and to

aggregate stability.
1. structureless- particles are not arranged to aggregates or peds
2. weak – poorly formed peds or aggregates that are barely observable in place
3. moderate – well-formed and moderately durable peds that are not very distinct in
undisturbed soils
4. strong – durable peds that are quite evident in undisturbed soil but may be
separated when the soil is disturbed.
CLASS: Class of structure - Describes size of the aggregates.
1. very fine
2. fine
3. medium
4. coarse
5. very coarse
Note: the exact dimension for each class varies from one type to another
Processes involved in formation of soil structure
1. wetting / drying
2. root pressure
3. microorganisms – effect of fungal hypha or mucilaginous bacterial exudates
4. cementing by clay, organic matter, iron and aluminum compounds
Importance of Soil Structure
1. Increases infiltration of water, thus reducing runoff and erosion and increases the
amount of plant available water.
2. Improves seedling emergence, root growth and rooting depth.
3. Large continuous pores increase permeability.

SOIL CONSISTENCY
Expresses cohesive and adhesive forces holding soil particles together; varies with
moisture content. Describes the resistance of a soil at various moisture contents to
mechanical stress or manipulation. . It refers to the degree of plasticity and stickiness of the
soil. Soil consistence is affected by the type and amount of clay that is in the soil.
Soil consistence indicates:
• where are zones that may restrict root growth and seedling emergence.
• whether a soil is likely to develop compacted zones; ruts, crusts, hardpans etc...

Description of Consistence: Described at three moisture levels:

1. Wet Stickiness (non-sticky, slightly sticky, sticky,very sticky) Plasticity (non-plastic,
slightly plastic, plastic, very plastic)
2. Moist Very friable, friable, firm, very firm
3. Dry Loose, soft, slightly hard, hard, very hard, extremely hard
SOIL DENSITY
Two Expressions of Soil Density:
1. Particle Density (Dp) - the density of the soil solids alone (volume of pores
excluded in computation) - determined by the mineralogy of the soil material
• Dp = mass of Oven-dried Soil ÷ volume of soil solids or
• Dp = mass Soil Solids ÷ volume of soil solids
Note: For most soils, this assumed to be 2.65 g-3 which is the Dp for quartz.

2. Bulk Density (Db) - density of the bulk soil (volume of pores included in the
computation) - determined by mineralogy as well as packing and sorting of soil
particles - index of compaction. Soil of a given texture is considered compact if its
bulk density is close to the bulk densities outlined in the table below.
• Db = mass of oven-dried Soil ÷ bulk volume volume of soil material Or
• Db = mass soil solids ÷ (volume of soil solids + volume of pores)

Bulk density is affected by the solids and pore space:

• high pore space = low bulk density
• low pore space = high bulk density
o fine textures silt loams, clay, clay loam - generally lower bulk density 0.9-1.6 g/cc
o sandy soils may range 1.2 - 1.8 g/cc
o strong structure (well granulated topsoil) - low bulk density
o high organic matter = low bulk density

As bulk density increases:

• soil strength increases
• pore space decreases
• soils become more compact
Other Important Soil Physical Properties:
1. Porosity (f) = a soil physical property which indicates how much of the bulk volume
of the soil is occupied by pores. This can be expressed as a decimal or as a
percentage. Porosity values normally range from 0.35 to 0.65. Non-compacted
tmedium-textured soils may be assumed to have porosity of 0.5 or 50%.
• f= volume pores ÷ bulk volume or total volume of soil

By doing a simple derivation, porosity can also be computed as:

• f= 1- (Db/Dp)

Soils with a high porosity means:

1. The soil can accommodate a large volume of air and water.
2. Air and water movement may be effective.
3. Limited or no problem of root penetration.
4. Soil is relatively less prone to erosion.

2. Penetration Resistance (PR) – this a measure of the resistance offered by the soil
against root penetration. This is largely a function of the soil bulk density and
consistency.
• Penetration resistance is measured using a standardized penetrometer. Units of
the measurements are units of pressure.

3. Hydraulic Conductivity (K) – a parameter describing the soil’s ability to transmit

water - to be discussed further under “Soil Water”