ZQMS-ARC-REC-002

ASSIGNMENT COVER

REGION: Mashonaland Central

_________________________________________________________________

PROGRAM: _BEDS. AGRIC_______________________________________________INTAKE:

16__________

FULL NAME OF STUDENT: __DZAMBWA

BLESSMORE____________________________________PIN:P1987841D___________

MAILING ADDRESS:______________________________________________________________

CONTACT TELEPHONE/CELL: __0775618773__________________________ ID. NO.:45-

173248F-45 _________________

COURSE NAME: APPLIED SOIL SCIENCE __________________________________________

COURSE CODE:_BSAM105______

ASSIGNMENT NO. e.g. 1 or 2: __________2______________ DUE DATE:

___05/04/20________________

ASSIGNMENT TITLE: Questions 1 and

2________________________________________________________________________________
_

_________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

MARKER’S COMMENTS: ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
OVERALL MARK: _____________ MARKER’S NAME: ________________________

MARKER’S SIGNATURE:_______________________________ DATE: ___________

Question 1

(a)

(b)Benefits of liming

The primary reason of liming is to correct the high levels of acidity in the soil by neutralizing the acid soil
so that the highest yield can be obtained(www.famersweekly.co.za).

Liming serves to improve and maximize nitrogen fixation in legumes.This is accomplished by promoting
the activity of nitrogen fixing bacteria and earthworms that help to breakdown organic matter to release
nitrogen,phosphorous,sulphur and microelements(www.nrcs.usda.gov).This also implies that liming
promotes microbial activity by providing a favourable environment in terms of pH which allows soil
microbes to thrive.

Application of lime in cropping lands help to reduce built up of aluminum and manganese toxicity as well
as correcting the calcium and magnesium deficiencies.Liming also improves fertilizer and herbicide
efficiency(www.bakerlime.com).

Since lime promotes and strengthens the root system,it implies that the uptake of nutrients and
fertilizers is also maximized.The development of the root system is essential for crops to withstand
environmental challenges like rain, wind and drought.

The other importance of liming is that it encourages flocculation, aiding soil structure and workability of
soils. This works to permit improved water penetration for acidic soils. Moreover,other than being a
mere soil conditioner,lime provides a source of calcium and magnesium to crops.

(c)Reclamation of sodic soils

Temporarily,the proces begin by removal of salt crust on the soil surface by ploughing the salt surface
crust deep into the soil. Neutralization can also be done by adding some salts.

For long term solution,the water table is lowered and infiltration improved.This is followed by addition
of gypsum to replace exchangeable sodium ions and also increase permeability by increasing electroyte
concentration. Suitable management practices are then implemented like addition of organic matter
which help to dissolve the calcium compounds.

(d) Clay soils have closely packed soil particles which slows down the percolation of water through its
pore spaces.Though the pore spaces are numerous in clay,they are minute and this accounts for slow
rate of infiltration in clay.

Unlike clay, sandy soils have fewer pore spaces that are slightly bigger in size than those of clay. This
allows them to accommodate large volumes of downward prrcolation leading to faster rate of
infiltration.
Question 2

(a) Irrigation scheduling is the process of planning when and how much to irrigate.It provides answers to
questions like why irrigate, when to irrigate, how to irrigate and how much water to apply. In general, it
avoids the dangers of overirrigation and underirrigation.

(b) Advantages of drip irrigation

High level of water efficiency is guaranteed. The water application is highly efficient because it applies
water where it is needed. Water efficiency is also due to its immunity against spray drift.

Drip irrigation guarantees the maintenance of a constant soil moisture level which encourages healthier
plant growth.This system has reduced evaporation and deep percolation losses.Sprouting of weeds in
regions between plants is discouraged. Due to localized application of water around the root area of the
crop, leaving the interow space dry, the drip system inhibits the development of weeds.

Fertilizer and nutrient loss is minimized due to localized application and reduced leaching. Soil erosion
due to surface run off is greatly reduced.

The installation of drip irrigation system doesn't require any special land levelling.This means that the
landscape doesn't require excavation and destruction of the land bed's integrity. The system also have
low operational costs due to low energy requirement.

Reduced labour requirements is also a merit of the system.Higher water efficiency and low energy
requirements translates to overall water bill saving .

c(i)Mechanical control of erosion consists of some land surface modifications for retention and disposal
of run off. Their purpose is to control run off before it flows downslope increasing in velocity and
amount as it goes. Mechanical structures are used in arable lands because of their value and
vulnerability to surface run off. This involves construction of structures like storm drains,contour ridges
and terraces. Mechanical methods are generally expensive and need regular checking and maintenance.

(II) Biological control of erosion are methods used to control erosion through the use of crops and
vegetation. These methods are normally used on slopes that are less than 3%.It involves methods like
contour farming, strip cropping and cropping systems like crop rotation.In this method, provision of
canopy by crops, binding of soil by plant roots and addition of organic matter are the major gains
derived to reduce or control soil erosion.

(d) Vertisol soils

These are clayey soils with deep wide cracks within it. They shrink when dry and swell when moistened.
The soils are mainly found on gentle slopes on the soil catena. They are suitable for mechanized farming
with irrigation. They can be black soils with high organic matter content which make them rich in plant
nutrients and suitable for crop production but their cultivation require too much energy.Irrigation may
present special problems due to their low saturated hydraulic conductivity. Bypass flow in open cracks is
a common situation. Because of their low permeability, irrigation results in waterlogging and built up of
salinity.
References

www.bakerlime.com

www.farmersweekly.co.za

www.nrcs.usda.gov