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Soil-Sci-1-Module-1

This module from Veritas College of Irosin introduces the basic concepts of soil, including its definition, components, and significance as a non-renewable resource. It outlines the different approaches to studying soil, such as pedological and edaphological, and highlights various fields within soil science, including soil fertility and conservation. Additionally, the document details the composition of soil, emphasizing the roles of soil solids, pore spaces, and water in supporting plant growth.

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7 views

Soil-Sci-1-Module-1

This module from Veritas College of Irosin introduces the basic concepts of soil, including its definition, components, and significance as a non-renewable resource. It outlines the different approaches to studying soil, such as pedological and edaphological, and highlights various fields within soil science, including soil fertility and conservation. Additionally, the document details the composition of soil, emphasizing the roles of soil solids, pore spaces, and water in supporting plant growth.

Uploaded by

balidoycatherine3
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Veritas College of Irosin

San Julian, Irosin, Sorsogon

SOIL SCI 2:
Principles of Soil
Science
MODULE 1
________________________________________
(Name of Student)

2nd Year – Block _____

Ms. AIMEE ROSS M. AREOLA


Instructor
Page |2
Page |3
Chapter I: Concept of Soil
OVERVIEW
In this module, we will have a discussion about the basic concept of soil.

OBJECTIVES
At the end of this module, the students should be able
to be familiar with soil. Furthermore, the students should be
able to:
a. Conceptualize their own definition of soil; and
b. Know the different components of soil.

Introduction
SOIL a mixture of organic and inorganic
materials which developed on the earth's
surface weathering process of rocks and
minerals and through whose properties are
conditioned in various degrees by the influence
of climate, living organisms, and topography
acting on the parent material over a period of
time.
It serves as a medium of
plant growth (physical support for
anchorage of plant roots; water and
nutrient supplier). Moreover, it is
considered a non-renewable
resource because it takes about a
hundred years for natural processes
to form an inch of soil.
It is a natural body with
dimensions of thickness and width with indistinct horizontal boundaries enabling it
to blend with other soils and vertical the above it and boundaries of the air
unweathered rocks below it

Soil Surface
This term is based on the upper limit of soil which is the boundary between
soil and either air, shallow water, live plants, or plant materials that have not begun
to decompose
Page |4
Soil Individual
i. Pedon is a hexagonal
column of soil measuring
from 1 to 10 m in top surface
area; the basic sampling unit
used in soil surveys
ii. Polypedon is an essential
soil individual, comprising
an identifiable series of soils
in an area; made up of
multiple pedons and has
distinctive characteristics
that differentiate it from
surrounding polypedons

Approaches in the study of soil:


a. Pedological approach (Greek: pedon, soil or
earth) the study of soils with principal interest on
characterization and differentiation of their properties
and with only minor emphasis on their practical use Ex.
Study of soils for their taxonomic classification; soil as
a natural body

b. Edaphological approach (Greek: edaphos, soil or


ground) the study of soils with emphasis on their
practical use, particularly the relationship of soil
properties to plant growth Ex. Study of soil fertility; Variability of soil
productivity; Methods of conserving and improving productivity

Fields of study in Soil Science


i. Soil Fertility: quality of a soil to provide optimum level of nutrients for
plant growth
ii. Soil Physics: characteristics, processes, or reactions of a soil caused by
physical forces
iii. Soil Chemistry: interactions of solid, liquid, and gaseous phases or
components of soil
Page |5
iv. Soil Microbiology: soil biochemical reaction carried out primarily by
microorganisms
v. Soil Conservation and Management: protection of soil against
physical loss by erosion or chemical deterioration; totality of all tillage
operations, cropping practices, fertilization, liming etc. conducted on a
soil for crop production
vi. Soil Survey and Classification: deals with the structural
characteristics, mode of origin, and systematic arrangement of soils
vii. Soil Mineralogy: structural chemistry of the solid components of soil
viii. Land use: deals with the allocation of lands for general purposes such
as agriculture, forestry, vii. or broad settlement and military reservations

Different Components of Soil


➔ the proportion of the different components varies in properties among soils

i. Soil solids
 Mineral matter, 45%
 Comes from the weathering of rocks and minerals
 Composed of sand, silt, and day particles vary among soils
 Major source of all nutrient elements (except nitrogen,
carbon, and oxygen) needed for plant growth
 Organic matter, 5%
 Derived from the decayed and decaying remains of plants
and animals intimately mixed with the mineral matter
 The chief natural source of nitrogen; indicative of the
nitrogen status of the soil
Page |6
 Also contributes phosphorus, sulfur, and micronutrients but
in smaller amounts compared to mineral sources
 Enables the soil to store cations
 Promotes the formation and stabilization of aggregates,
giving the soil greater permeability and porosity
 Organic soils contain more than 20% organic matter; most
soils contain less than 20% organic matter, thus classified
as mineral soils

ii. Pore spaces Air, 20-30%


 Occupies the pore spaces of the soil
 Composed largely of elemental nitrogen (78%), oxygen
(20%), carbon dioxide (0.5%), and traces of other gases
 Provides oxygen for respiration of plant roots
 For dryland or upland crops, it is ideal that at least half of
the pore spaces be occupied by air.
 There must be enough aeration at the root zone for easy
exchange of CO₂ and O₂ between the soil pores and the
aboveground atmosphere so that CO₂ would not build up to
high levels which can be toxic to plant roots.
 The CO₂ in soil air is typically higher in concentration than
that aboveground because of the accumulation from CO₂,
evolution from organic matter decomposition, plant root
respiration, and reaction products of carbonate materials.

iii. Water 20-30%


 Also occupies the pore spaces of the soil
 Contains dissolved compounds as well as dissociated ions
of gases and salts or various nutrient elements
 Carries the nutrients to the proximity of roots where they
can be absorbed
 Also serves as a weathering agent of minerals to constantly
renew the nutrient supply in the soil
 Needed by the plant in large amounts for their metabolic
functions
Page |7
 In paddy soils such as in lowland rice fields, the pore spaces
are nearly filled with water.
 The dissolved CO₂ in soil water forms carbonic acid which
is a solvent that can release nutrients from minerals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Don’t give up, there’s no shame in


falling down. True shame is to never
stand up again…”
~Shintaro Midorima [Kuroko no Basket]

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