SOIL TEXTURE AND ITS

CHARACTERISTICS, SOIL
TEXTURE CLASS, AND
DETERMINATION
PREPARED BY: AHAJAN NADZMA S.
 SOIL TEXTURE

 Soil texture is defined as relative proportion of sand, silt

and clay.

1. Sand is the largest mineral particle.

2. Silt is a medium-sized mineral particle.
3. Clay is the smallest mineral particle.
THE RELATIVE SIZES OF SAND,
SILT, AND CLAY PARTICLES
What is soil texture, and why is it important?

• Soil texture is important because it affects water-

holding capacity, permeability, soil workability,
and plant growth.

1. Water- holding capacity is the ability of a soil to retain water for use by plants.

2. Permeability is the ease with which air and water may pass through the soil.
 Soil Texture Class

 Soil textural classes are based on the relative

proportions of the various soil separates (sand,
silt, and clay).

 There are 12 different soil textural classes.

 We use the texture triangle to determine the

textural class.
 Textural Triangle
 The percentage units
(0-100%) of sand, silt
and clay are listed
along the sides of the
triangle.

 Also notice that the

relative proportion of
sand, silt and clay
always adds up to
100%.
 Determining soil Texture- Lab
Soil textures can be determined in laboratory analyses where
the amount of sand, silt and clay are measured quantitatively.
 Determining Texture- Field

 In the field, the

soils texture may
be determined by
the” feel” method,
where we estimate
the amount of
sand, silt, and clay
Thank you