MODERN PUBLIC SCHOOL , YAMUNAPURAM , BULANDSHAHR

XII BIOLOGY (2021-22)

EXPERIMENT – 3

DEMONSTRATED BY – DR. BHARTINDER RAJPUT

Aim - To study soil textures .

Material Required – soil samples from garden and road side , measuring cylinder , hand lens
and water .

Theory

Soil is the upper part of the earth’s surface containing humus and supports life . It’s formed
when Sun , rain , wind , water and microbes act on soil process is called weathering .

Soil has 5 components : minerals , organic matter , moisture , soil air and organisms .

Soil type/texture is determined by size of the soil particle .

A) Sandy Soil – Has 80% or more sand , particles are loose and porous , has poor water holding
capacity .
B) Clayey Soil – It contains 40 – 50 % clay , has high water holding capacity , has poor aeration .
Root penetration is poor hence not good for plants .
C) Loamy soil – It has 20% clay , 40% sand and 40% silt has good aeration and hydration and
abundant nutrients therefore good for plants .

Procedure :

1. Collect 50 gm of garden soil and a roadside soil in a each separate measuring cylinder .

2. Pour a little water into the cylinder and shake.

3. Wait for the particles to settle down.

4. The particles in the measuring cylinder will start settling down in layers. Record the thickness of
these layers.
Observation :

In the cylinder , sand being heavy settle down at the bottom . Silt particles remain suspended above the
sand and uppermost layer is that of clay .

Calculate the percentage of each type .

S/NO. SOIL SAMPLES COLOR SOIL PARTICLES % TEXTURE OF THE

SAND SILT CLAY SOIL

1 GARDEN SOIL YELLOWISH 40% 40% 20% LOAMY SOIL

2 ROAD SIDE SOIL GRAYISH 80% 15% 5% SANDY SOIL
WHITE

Precaution :

1. Keep the sample separately do not allow them to be mixed .

2. Soil samples should be labeled .
3. Keep the set up undisturbed for some time before taking the readings .