Soil and Land

Resources
What is Soil?
• Soil is derived from rock, and contains a large biotic
component
• What makes up soil
- 45% mineral matter
- Up to 5% organic matter (living & dead microorganisms
and decaying material)
- Rest is composed of water and air
• Soil itself can be defined as an ecosystem
Soil Horizon
• A layer of soil,
parallel to the
surface, having
distinct
characteristics
produced by soil
forming
processes
Four Important Functions of
Soil
1. A medium for plant growth.
2. A means of water storage, supply and purification.
3. A modifier of the atmosphere.
4. A habitat for organisms
Composition of Soil
• The four basic components of soil are:
1. Minerals
2. Organic matter
3. Air
4. Water
 How does soil form?
• Soil Formation or Pedogenesis
• Parent material
-Base geological material in a particular location
- Examples:
- Lava
- Volcanic ash
- Rock or sediment deposited by glaciers
- Wind-blown dunes
- Sediments deposited by rivers in lakes, oceans, etc.
- Bedrock
- Continuous mass of solid rock that makes up Earth’s
crust.
Processes for Soil Formation
• Weathering: the physical, chemical, and biological processes
that breaks down rocks and minerals
- first step of soil formation
- Turns large particles into small particles
Role of Erosion in Soil Formation
• Erosion: the dislodging and movement of
soil from one area to another.
- Occurs when soil has no or little vegetation
- But it can sometimes help build new soil in

the long term.

- Can be perceived as destructive
Role of Biological Activity in Soil
Formation
Deposition, decomposition, and accumulation of organic matter

• Deposition
- As living organisms die or deposit waste, the material is
incorporated
into the soil and mixes with minerals

• Decomposition
- Complex organic molecules are broken down into smaller ones
 Soil by Biome
• Tropical Rainforest
- Very poor and infertile
- Weathering has washed away most of the nutrients
- Little organic matter because the warm temperatures
encourage quick decay
• Temperature Deciduous Forest
- Very fertile
- Replenished with falling leaves, twigs, and dead organisms
- Cool enough temperatures allow slow decay
• Grassland
- Nutrient rich – large amount of plant material added daily
- Contains large portions of clay, that retains water in the soil for later
use by plants
• Desert
- Little or no chemical weathering
- Erosion, frost, sedimentation, and temperature fluctuations break
down the rocky soil into sand
- Clay particles, since the silt and sand particles are easily blown
away
• Taiga
- Acidic soil due to needle-like leaves
- Top layer is covered with rocks
- Makes it hard for nutrients to reach the soil
- Plants are unable to grow between the rocks without
difficulty
• Tundra
- Lack of nutrients due to short growth period during the summer
- Permafrost: frozen deep layers of soil
Importance of Topsoil for Agriculture and
Ecosystems
• Consists of mostly inorganic mineral components
- Example: Weathered substrate

Benefit for plants

- Most nutrient-rich horizon
- Loose texture
- Dark coloration
- Strong water-holding capabilities
- Due to humus

• Vital for Agriculture

- Agriculture can deplete the organic matter in the topsoil, reducing the
 Soil Characteristics
• Color – indicates the composition and fertility
• Texture – determined by the size of particles
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses 3
categories of soil

1. Clay – particles less than 0.002 mm in diameter

2. Silt – particles 0.002- 0.05 mm in diameter
3. Sand – particles 0.005 – 2 mm in diameter
*Loam – mixture of all three soil particles

• Structure – measure of “clumpiness” of soil

• pH – the degree of acidity and alkalinity which affects soil’s

ability to support plants.
Soil and Its Relationship to
Agriculture
• Irrigation is the controlled application of water
for agriculture purposes through man-made
systems to supply water requirements not
satisfied by rainfall.
Problems Due to Irrigation
• Water-logging
- the irrigation water eventually raises the water
table in the ground

• Salinization
- occurs in warm and dry locations where soluble
salts precipitate from water and accumulate in
the soil

• Leaching
- the removal of soluble material from a soil or
Solutions/Preventions of
Irrigation problems:
• Use soil moisture detectors so that the crops are only
watered when it is needed.
• Use time-controlled valves on gravity flow systems
• Use water that is low salinity
• Only use the amount of water needed to grow the
plants.
 Land Degradation

• A process in which the value of the biophysical environment

is affected by a combination of human-induced processes
acting upon the land.
Land/Soil Degradation
• Population and Consumption Increase
- As the population of humans increases, so does the consumption and
call for goods. More crops must be grown which can affect the soil
• Erosion Can Degrade Ecosystems
- Erosion can ruin the soil and prevent plants from growing. Without
the proper producers in an ecosystem, then there can be no other
organisms either.
• Deterioration in Soil and Plant Cover
- Result of human mismanagement of cultivated and range lands
• Overgrazing and Woodcutting
- Responsible for most of the desertification of rangelands
 How farmers can
protect against soil
degradation?
Crop Rotation
• The practice of growing various
crops on the same piece of land in
a planned sequence.
• An example of a common
sequence would be a rotation
between high and low residue
crops such as wheat and soybeans.
Contour Farming
• The use of plowing to form
ridges which change the
direction of run-off so that it
can settle into the soil and
prevent soil erosion.
Terracing

• The creation of “steps” on a hillside so water

can be contained
• The end result looks like a staircase.
 Intercropping
• The cultivation of two or more crops
in the same area.
- Increasing plant biodiversity to help
disguise plants from insect species.
- Increase the density to suppress
weeds growth.
- Improves the overall health of crops
and decreases change of disease.
 Strip Cropping

• The practice of growing planned rotations of row crops, forages,

small grains, or fallow in a systematic arrangement of equal width
strips across a field.
Alley Cropping
• A type of intercropping that involves arranging crops in alternate
rows.
 • An approach of
Agroforestry combining trees
and shrubs with
crops and/or
livestock to
produce a more
diverse,
productive
profitable,
healthy and
sustainable land-
use.
Shelterbelt

• A plantation usually made of trees and shrubs to protect

against wind and prevent soil erosion.
Tillage
• The agricultural preparation of soil by plowing, ripping, or turning it.
The Food Security Act of 1985
• Goes for the conservation of wetland, wildlife and quality of
water.
• This is promoted in order to conserve wetlands on
agricultural lands.
• Required farmers to adopt soil conservation plans and
practices as a prerequisite for receiving price support and
other government benefits.
What are Land Resources?
• Land resources – the resources available from the land such
as in the agricultural land, underground water, various
minerals likes coal, bauxite, gold, and other raw materials.
• Land resources can also be mean the land available for
exploitation like non agricultural lands for building,
developing townships, etc.
Land Use
• Land is used for different purposes such as
cultivation of crops, forestry, grazing livestock,
construction of buildings, houses, canals, and for
mining and manufacturing. This different uses is
referred to as Land Use.
Factors Affecting Land Use
• Physical factors
• Topography
• Soil
• Climate
• Water
• Distribution of rocks and minerals
• Economical and human factors
• Population distribution
• Development in technology
• Land tenure
• Government policy
Thank you so much!