BASIC SOIL SCIENCE

LAB2
TITLE OF EXPERIMENT : HUMUS IN SOIL

Introduction:

Objective: To determine the percentage of humus in the soil.

Materials Required: Soil sample containing organic matter, Evaporating dish, Bunsen burner,
weighing balance, stirring rod, desicator.

Method: Weigh the Evaporating dish, place some soil sample into the dish and reweigh. After
that the dish containing the soil is heated strongly with Bunsen burner to remove water. During
the second heating, stir with the rod until the soil is completely burnt during heating, the dish
and content is cooled weighed.

Result and Calculation

Mass of empty evaporating dish = 15g

Mass of dish + fresh soil = 25g

Mass of fresh soil only = (25 – 15) g = 10g

Mass of dish + oven dried soil = 23g

Mass of dried soil only = (23 – 15)g = 8g

Mass of + burnt soil = 22.4g

Mass of burnt soil only = (22.4 – 15) = 7.4

Mass of humus removed (mass of dried soil – mass of

Burn soil) = (8.0 – 7.4 )g = 0.6

Percentage of humus in soil sample = weight of humus x 100

Weight of dried soil

= 0.6 x 100

8 1

= 0.6 x 12 .5 = 7.5%

Conclusio : Soil contain some quantity of humus

BASIC SOIL SCIENCE
LAB 5

TITLE OF EXPERIMENT : WATER IN SOIL

Introduction:

Objective: To determine the percentage of water in soil

Material Required: Soil sample, weighing balance, Evaporating, Stirring rod ,

Bunsen burner, or oven , Desicator.

Method: Weigh the mass of the empty Evaporating dish. Place a sample of soil into the dish and

reweigh. Heat the dish with the soil in the oven at 1050C or with a Bunsen burner for

2-3 hours. The soil is stirred constantly with the glass rod aid evaporation. At the end of the
period, the dish with the soil cooled in a desicator and reweigh.

RESULTS AND CALCULATION

Mass of empty evaporating dish = 15g

Mass of dish + Fresh soil = 25g

Mass of fresh soil only = (25 – 15)g = 10g

Mass of dish + dried soil = 23g

Mass of dried soil only = (23 – 15)g = 8g

Mass of water driven off = (10 – 8)g = 2g

Percentage of water by mass = mass of water x 100

Mass of fresh soil

2 x 100 = 200 %

10 1
BASIC SOIL SCIENCE
LAB 6
TITLE OF EXPERIMENT: SOIL COLOR

Introduction:

Objective: To show the differences of soil color

Materials Required: Clear plastic, white paper, soil, soil Munsell color chart

Method: Place some soil with different color in a clear plastic bag and tie the up with a string.
Then, place it above the white paper to make the color more clear to see. Using rhe Munsell
Color Chart, try to observe the color of the soil that you take.

Observation: Soil have many different colors and each color have their own name.

Conclusion: Soil has many colors.