SOIL SCIENCE

Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection

Martin Kočárek: office no. 225, kocarek@af.czu.cz
Practicals / Seminars
1. Introduction. Semestral work setting. Morphological features of soil horizons. Soil
profiles description. Soil texture analysis: presentation of principles and methodology.
2. Soil texture analysis: sample preparation, measurement
3. Soil organic matter content determination.
4. Soil reaction. Explanation of principles. Determination of pHH2O, pHKCl, exchangeable
acidity.
5. Soil sorption characteristics: explanation of principles; determination of C.E.C. by
Bower method.
6. Soil sorption characteristics: determination of hydrolytic acidity; calculation of base
saturation.
7. Soil salinity: principles of determination; measurement of electrical conductivity soil
alcohol extracts.
8. Presentation of advanced methods of soil analysis
9. Soil maps, soil information systems
10. Presentation of students' semestral work
11. Discussion of major problems of soil degradation in Europe and in the World: case
studies. Credit.
Protocols
1. Soil texture analysis
2. Soil organic matter content determination.
3. Soil reaction. Determination of pHH2O, pHKCl,
exchangeable acidity
4. Soil sorption characteristics: determination of C.E.C. by
Bower method, determination of hydrolytic acidity;
calculation of sum of base cation and base saturation.
5. Soil salinity
6. Summarization of protocols (students' semestral work)
Requirements for credit
 Protocols
 Presentation of students' semestral work
 Presence at the practicals 80 %
 Semestral work setting.

1. You will work in pairs

2. At the beginning of the semester you will be given a soil
sample from soil units which are localized close to
Suchdol
3. Each practical lesson you will determine some soil
property (mentioned above) of your sample. For each
soil property you will complete a protocol
4. At the end of the semester you will summarize the
results about your samples and samples of your
colleagues (to describe the whole soil profile of the soil
unit) in a semestral work which you will present in the
last lesson
Morphology of Soil Profile - Horizon
Colour
Structure
Texture
Coarse Fragment Content
Humidity
Consistence
Concretions
Redoximorphic Features and other New formations
Carbonates and soluble salt content
Porosity and cracks
Rooting and a biological activation
Width and Topography of horizon boundary
Width of Soil Horizon Boundary

ABRUPT (0-2cm)
CLEAR (2-5cm)
Width of Soil Horizon Boundary

GRADUAL (5-15 cm)

DIFFUSE (>15 cm)
Topography of Soil Horizon Boundary
 Smooth

 Oblique

 Wavy pockets are wider than depths

 Irregular pockets are deeper than width

 Broken horizon is not continuous

Soil Horizon Boundary

Wavy

Oblique
 Soil Horizon Boundary

Smooth

Irregular
Soil Colour
Subjective description
 e.g. „ light brown, dark gray“
Objective description – Munsell colour system
 e.g. „7,5YR 4/6“
Hue = Basic color
R
YR
RP
R – red
P
Y Y – yellow
G – green
GY B – blue
PB 5YR 4/6
G P - purple
B
BG

Chroma = intensity level hue 5 yellow red

value 4
chroma 6

Value = tint (admixture of gray)

• Chroma refers to the relative purity or strength of the spectral color. Chroma
runs from 0 (neutral gray) to 8 (highest strength of color found in soils).

• Chroma increases to the right across the Munsell page. All chips in a column
have equal chroma.

• Zero-chroma chips have no color, they are neutral gray. Often they are simply
given a hue designation N (neutral).
• Value refers to the amount of light reflected from the chip. On a neutral gray
scale, a value of 10 indicates pure white, and value of 0 indicates pure black.

• Value runs north-south (Vertical) on the Munsell page. All chips in a row have equal
value.
VALUE
CHROMA
Soil Colour
Soil Structure
 natural organization of soil
particles into discrete soil
units (aggregates or peds)

 Structureless - Single grain

 Structureless – Massive
coherent mass
 Structural (soil aggregates)
 Structure types according to
shape
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

equally developed vertically Horizontally

elongated elongated
prism-like
spheroidal angular platy
upper part Rounded
granual without rounding tops
angular subangular
blocky blocky
prismatic columnar
Soil Structure
Soil Structure A-horizon

E-horizon
Soil Structure

B-horizon

B-horizon
Soil Structure
Soil Structure
B-horizon

Bt-horizon
 Structure types according to
shape

1 - Granual 2 - Angular 3a - Prismatic 4 - Platy

3b - Columnar
Structure
Soil Texture
20 % Sand
30 % Silt
50 % Clay Texture = Clay

Sand + Silt + Clay = 100%

Soil Texture Classes
Coarse surface fragments
Humidity
- Dry
- Moist
- Wet
Consistence
Consistence
Stickiness – moist soil
Consistence
Plasticity – moist soil
 Concretions – Cutanic Features
• features of clay iluviation (e.g.: clay coatings on
the structure elements – peds)
Concretions – Cutanic Features
 vertic features – wedge-like peds
Concretions – Cutanic Features
 vertic features –cracks
Concretions – Cutanic Features
 vertic features –slickensides
 Concretions – Cutanic Features
 Ortstein features (in Podzols)

kvádrový pískovec štěrkopísek

Concretions – Cutanic Features
Gleyic features – rusty coatings
Concretions – Cutanic Features
Gleyic features – rusty coatings
Concretions – Cutanic Features
mottling
Concretions – Cutanic Features
Concretions – Cutanic Features
 Fe - Mn concretions – nodules
 Concretions – Cutanic Features
CaCO3 accumulation

pseudomycelias

Hard hollow
concretions
Concretions – Cutanic Features
 biological activity – Crotovinas
Concretions – Cutanic Features
 biological activity - earthworm coprolites
Roots
 Size (diameters)  Depth
 Abundance
Carbonates
- reaction with10% HCl
 depth
 content (intensity of effervescence)
forms of secondary carbonates
Carbonates
- reaction with10% HCl
 depth
 content (intenzita šumění)
forms of secondary carbonates
 KPG

Katedra pedologie a
geologie

Hydrometric method
• Measuring cylinder and hydrometer calibration
• For correction of hydrometer weight base volume

Scale markings

1,030

Weighted
base
 KPG

Katedra pedologie a
geologie

Hydrometric method
Measuring cylinder and hydrometer calibration
1,000
hR = h1 + h0/2
∆h = h – h0
∆h = V/F
L V/F = h – h0
R 1,019
h0 = h – V/F
h1 h0/2 = h/2 – V/2F
h1 1,030 hR = h1 + h/2 – V/2F
∆h h1 = L – R.L/S
hR S – the number of units on the scale (30)
h1 = L/S (S – R)

h0 h

SR
F

h V
∆h
hR  *L 
V
S 2 2F
 KPG

Katedra pedologie a
geologie

Hydrometric method
SR h V
hR  *L 
S 2 2F
S The number of units on the scale (30)
R Hydrometer reading (1,019; CORRECTION 19!!!!!)
L Scale lenght (cm)
h/2 Half height of weighted base (cm)
V Volume of weighted base (cm3)
F Area of measuring cylinder base (cm2)
 KPG

Katedra pedologie a
geologie

Hydrometric method
Sample preparation
To break soil aggregates to single (elementary) grains
Can by done by mechanical way, chemical way or combination of
both
 Methodology of sample preparation:
Soil weight: 80 – 100 g Light soil
40 – 60 g Intermediate soil
20 – 40 g Heavy soil
• Place soil sample into the boiling cup and mix it with distillate
water and dispersing agent (Na3(PO4)6) by ratio 1g : 1ml : 1ml
• Boil the soil suspension for 3 min. and move it quantitatively
into measuring cylinder
 KPG

Katedra pedologie a
geologie

Hydrometric method
Methodology of soil texture analyses
 Move the soil suspension into measuring cylinder and fill the
measuring cylinder to the mark of 1000 ml
 Stir the soil suspension in measuring cylinder violently
 Put hydrometer into measuring cylinder and read the values in
defined times (see below)
 Measure the soil suspension temperature after every hydrometer
reading
 KPG

Katedra pedologie a
geologie

Hydrometric method
Methodology of soil texture analyses
Time Tempe R R0 hR d Σ%
rature
30´´ 29
1,0 Leave the hydrometer in soil
suspension
1´ 26
T1
2´ 23
5´ 19
10´ T2 14
20´ T3 13 Remove the hydrometr afther
every reading and clean it

30´ T4 12
40´ T5 11
50´ T6 11
60´ T7 11
 KPG

Katedra pedologie a
geologie

Hydrometric method
Methodology of soil texture analyses
Time Temp. R R0 hR d (mm) Σ%
30´´ 29
1´ 26
T1
2´ 23
5´ 19
10´ T2 14
20´ T3 13
30´ T4 12
40´ T5 11
50´ T6 11
60´ T7 11
 °C 20 21 22 23 24 25

Correction 0 + 0,5
+ 0,36
 KPG

Katedra pedologie a
geologie

Hydrometric method
Methodology of soil texture analyses
Time Temp. R R0 hR d (mm) Σ%
30´´ 29 R + correction
1´ 26
T1
2´ 23
5´ 19
10´ T2 14
20´ T3 13
30´ T4 12
40´ T5 11
50´ T6 11
60´ T7 11
 KPG

Katedra pedologie a
geologie

Hydrometric method
Methodology of soil texture analyses
Time Temp. R R0 hR d (mm) Σ%
30´´ 29
SR h V
1´ 26 hR  *L 
T1 S 2 2F
2´ 23
5´ 19
10´ T2 14
20´ T3 13
30´ T4 12
40´ T5 11
50´ T6 11
60´ T7 11
 KPG

Katedra pedologie a
geologie

Hydrometric method
Methodology of soil texture analyses
Time Temp. R R0 hR d (mm) Σ%
30´´ 29
1´ 26
T1
2´ 23
5´ 19
10´ T2 14
20´ T3 13
30´ T4 12
40´ T5 11
50´ T6 11
60´ T7 11
 ρz
Nomogram d v Time
for Particle Size
Determination ρZ
dynamic viscosity of liquids [g.cm-1.s-1]
particle density [g.cm-3]
specific gravity of liquid [g.cm-3]

A sedimentation rate
particle diameters
suspension temperature
[cm.s-1]
[mm]
[OC]
Depth [cm]
time

hours
T

minutes

seconds
Key for particle size determination

Temperaure correction ( t)

(Casagrande A., Modified)

 KPG

Katedra pedologie a
geologie

Hydrometric method
Methodology of soil texture analyses
Time Temp. R R0 hR d (mm) Σ%
30´´ 29 Σ% = 100/g * (ρZ.R0 / ρZ-1)
1´ 26 g......Soil weight used for analyses
T1
2´ 23
5´ 19
10´ T2 14
20´ T3 13
30´ T4 12
40´ T5 11
50´ T6 11
60´ T7 11
 PARTICLE SIZE CURVE

2 mm 0.063 mm 0.002 mm
Grevel Sand Silt Clay
Percentage of particle size

Sand %
63

Silt %
26

Clay %
11

Particle size diameters [mm]

Soil Texture
by Feel
Analyses
 PARTICLE SIZE CURVE

2 mm 0.063 mm 0.002 mm
Grevel Sand Silt Clay
Percentage of particle size

Particle size diameters [mm]

 ρz
Nomogram
for Particle Size
Determination
dynamic viscosity of liquids [g.cm-1.s-1]
particle density [g.cm-3]
specific gravity of liquid [g.cm-3]
sedimentation rate [cm.s-1]
particle diameters [mm]
suspension temperature [OC]
Depth [cm]
time

hours
minutes

seconds
Key for particle size determination

Temperaure correction ( t)

(Casagrande A., Modified)