TYPES OF SOILS AND CONSERVATION

METHODS

By: Harshdeep Singh

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to
my teacher Mr. Shekhar Sir who gave me the golden
opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic
“Types Of Soil & Conservation Methods ”, which also
helped me in doing a lot of Research and I came to
know about so many new things.
I am really thankful to them.
Secondly I would also like to thank my parents and
friends who helped me a lot in finishing this project
within the limited time.
THANKS AGAIN TO ALL WHO HELPED ME.
 WHAT IS SOIL ?
From a general perspective, “soil” is a very
broad term and refers to the loose layer of earth
that covers the surface of the planet. The soil is
the part of the earth’s surface which includes
disintegrated rock, humus, inorganic and
organic materials.
FORMATION OF SOIL
 For soil to form from rocks, it takes an average of 500 years or more.
The soil is usually formed when rocks break up into their constituent
parts. When a range of different forces acts on the rocks, they break
into smaller parts to form the soil. These forces also include the impact
of wind, water and the reaction from salts.
 There are three stages of soil:
 Solid soil
 Soil with air in the pores
 Soil with water in the pores
 There are various types of soil that undergo diverse environmental
pressures. Soil is mainly classified by its texture, proportions and
different forms of organic and mineral compositions.
 TYPES OF SOILS

Sandy Soil Silt soil Clay Soil

Loamy Soil
SANDY SOIL
 The first type of soil is sand. It consists of small
particles of weathered rock. Sandy soils are one of
the poorest types of soil for growing plants because
it has very low nutrients and poor in holding water,
which makes it hard for the plant’s roots to absorb
water. This type of soil is very good for the drainage
system. Sandy soil is usually formed by the
breakdown or fragmentation of rocks like granite,
limestone, and quartz
SILT SOIL
 Silt, which is known to have much smaller particles
compared to the sandy soil and is made up of rock
and other mineral particles which are smaller than
sand and larger than clay. It is the smooth and quite
fine quality of the soil that holds water better than
sand. Silt is easily transported by moving currents
and it is mainly found near the river, lake, and other
water bodies. The silt soil is more fertile compared
to the other three types of soil. Therefore it is also
used in agricultural practices to improve soil
fertility.
CLAY SOIL
 Clay is the smallest particles amongst the other two
types of soil. The particles in this soil are tightly
packed together with each other with very little or
no airspace. This soil has very good water storage
qualities and making hard for moisture and air to
penetrate into it. It is very sticky to the touch when
wet, but smooth when dried. Clay is the densest and
heaviest type of soil which do not drain well or
provide space for plant roots to flourish.
LOAMY SOIL
 Loam is the fourth type of soil. It is a combination of
sand, silt, and clay such that the beneficial
properties from each is included. For instance, it has
the ability to retain moisture and nutrients, hence, it
is more suitable for farming. This soil is also
referred to as an agricultural soil as it includes an
equilibrium of all three types of soil materials being
sandy, clay, and silt and it also happens to have
humus. Apart from these, it also has higher calcium
and pH levels because of its inorganic origins.
OVERVIEW OF SOIL

 The ground on which we walk is never quite the

same, it keeps on changing. Sometimes, it is
made up of millions of tiny sand granules and
other times, it is a hard, rocky surface. Other
places have the ground covered with moss and
grass. When humans came along, the landscape
slowly changed with the introduction of roads
and rails.
SOIL CONSERVATION
 Soil conservation includes all those measures which help
in protecting the soil from erosion and exhaustion. Soil
erosion has been continuing over, such a large part of
India for such a long time that it has assumed alarming
proportions.
 According to Prof. S.P. Chatterjee, “Soil erosion is the
greatest single evil to Indian agriculture and animal
husbandry”. Soil is our most precious asset and no other
gift of nature is so essential to human life as soil.
Productive soil alone ensures prosperous agriculture,
industrial development, economic betterment and a
higher standard of living.
FOLLOWING METHODS ARE NORMALLY
ADOPTED FOR CONSERVING SOIL:

Aforestation Checking Constructing Dams

Overgrazing

Changing
Agricultural Practices
AFFORESTATION

 The best way to conserve soil is to increase area

under forests. Indiscriminate felling of trees should
be stopped and efforts should be made to plant trees
in new areas. A minimum area of forest land for the
whole country that is considered healthy for soil
and water conservation is between 20 to 25 per
cent but it was raised to 33 per cent in the second
five year plan; the proportion being 20 per cent for
the plains and 60 per cent for hilly and
mountainous regions.
CHECKING OVERGRAZING

 Overgrazing of forests and grass lands by animals,

especially by goats and sheep, should be properly
checked. Separate grazing grounds should be
earmarked and fodder crops should be grown in
larger quantities. Animals freely move about in the
fields for grazing and spoil the soil by their hoofs
which leads to soil erosion. This should be avoided.

CONSTRUCTING DAMS

 Much of the soil erosion by river floods can be

avoided by constructing dams across the rivers.
This checks the speed of water and saves soil
from erosion.
CHANGING AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

 We can save lot of our valuable soil by bringing

about certain changes in our agricultural
practices. Some of the outstanding changes
suggested in this context are as under:
(i) Crop Rotation
(ii) Strip Cropping
(iii) Use of Early Maturing Varieties
(iv) Contour Ploughing
(v) Terracing and Contour Bunding