EXERCISE NO.

Study of Soil and Its Formation

I. INTRODUCTION

Soils are natural, four-dimension bodies that form part of the landscape.
They are products of the interaction of distinct soil-forming processes that show
wide variation, and they are formed by addition, removal, transformation, and
translocation of inorganic and organic materials, forming soil horizons of distinct
appearance and properties.

Students in agriculture must study soil science because soil is a vital

natural resource. Food, clothing and shelter are derived from soils. However there
are many problems/constraints encountered in soils in relation to its function as a
medium for plant growth. A broad understanding of the nature and properties of
soils would enable us to provide solutions to problems related to the uses of soils
with the ultimate goal of sustaining crop productivity.

The soil is looked upon by people in various ways. To a construction

engineer, soil is a mechanical support to his construction work; mining engineer, it
is debris to be cleared in order to be able to strike at the minerals he is quarrying;
city dwellers, it is just plain dirt; and a farmer, it is a medium for growing his
crop. In a broader sense however, soil is defined as a natural body, composed of
inorganic materials coming from the weathering of rocks and minerals and
organic materials from the remains of plants and animals. It has dimensions of
depth, width and breadth; possesses physical, chemical and biological properties
that were influenced to varying degrees by the parent material, topography; living
organisms, climate, time, and man.

II. Objectives

1. To familiarize the students with the importance of soil;

2. To explain the role of soil in crop production; and
3. To describe the process of soil formation including the factors affecting
it.

III. Materials

Photographs of soil landscape in tarpaulin poster

Powerpoint presentation of the process of soil formation

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IV. Procedure

The instructor will give a brief review on the processes of soil formation. A
detailed explanation on how soil is formed from the parent material, the
development of soil profile and how these soil-forming processes affect soil
physical and chemical properties will be given.

The students are required to take down notes and understand the
terminologies used in soil formation. These terminologies will be used often
during the duration of the course. Some of the terms are defined below.

Weathering – physical and chemical changes in rocks due to atmospheric

factors.
Parent Materials - unconsolidated (loose and broken) and more or less
chemically weathered mineral or organic matter from which the
solum or soil developed by pedogenic processes.
Solum - the upper and most weathered part of the soil profile, the A and B
horizons.
Topography - surface characteristic of the land (i.e. flat, rolling, hilly,
mountainous, etc.)
Monolith - in soil science, a single block of soil.
Soil profile - a vertical section of the soil trough all its horizons and
extending into the parent material.
"
Pedon – a three-dimensional soil sampling unit large enough (1 to 10𝑚 ) so
that the nature of horizons can be studied and is the smallest
volume that can be called “soil individual” (a group of pedon is
called polypedon).
Soil horizon - a layer of soil approximately parallel to the soil surface, with
distinct characteristics produced by soil-forming processes.
Primary mineral - a mineral that has not been altered chemically since
deposition and crystallization from magma.
Secondary mineral - a mineral which originates from chemical weathering
of least resistant primary mineral.
Regolith - all the loose material above the bedrock (the A, B, and C
horizons).

V. Study Questions

1. Give Brady’s definition of a soil.

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 2. Define soil science.

3. Differentiate the following:

a. Pedon vs. soil profile

b. Surface soil vs. sub-soil

c. Primary mineral vs. secondary minerals

d. Solum vs. regolith

e. Rock vs. mineral

4. What is the advantage of a thick solum to that of a thin solum in terms

of plant growth?

References:

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 Worksheet 1a- Soil Formation/Development

Process Reaction
Soil Formation/
Development

Physical Weathering Products

Causes
a.
b.
c.
Chemical Weathering
Solution

Hydrolysis

Carbonation

Oxidation

Hydration

Worksheet 1b- Factors Affecting Soil Formation

Factor Effect

Parent Material

Living
organisms

Climate

Topography

Time