Soil

Soil is a very important natural

resource that supports life on
Earth. It is a mixture of organic
matter, minerals, gases, liquids,
and living organisms that together
form the uppermost layer of the
Earth’s crust.
How and from where soils are formed Soil functions

Soil is formed by the weathering Soil has many functions, such as

of rocks, which can be physical, providing a medium for plant
chemical, or biological. growth, filtering and storing water,
recycling nutrients, and hosting a
variety of organisms.
Soil profile
Soil is composed of different layers,
called horizons, that have distinct
characteristics and functions. The
soil profile is the vertical section of
the soil that shows the different
horizons. The main horizons are:
I. Topsoil (horizon A)
II. Subsoil (horizon B)
III. Weathered bed\parent\mother
rock (horizon C)
Soil leaching
leaking of water down the soil,
taking away essential nutrients
and chemicals. The degree of
leaching is affected by soil type
and structure
Soil composition
• Primarily, soils are compost of
four main components, they may
change in proportion from soil to
another but they are all exist in
soil, which are:
1) Organic matter
2) Mineral matter
3) Water
4) Air
Organic matter
• It formed from the decomposed
plants and animals at various
staged of decomposition.
• Organic matter gives the soil its
fertility. (the ability for the soil to
support the growth of
vegetation)
Mineral matter
• Responsible of soil texture and
density.
• There are three types of mineral
matter which together form the
mineral matter for each soil:
a) Sand
b) Silt
c) Clay
 Types of soils

There are three types of soils

based on mineral matter
composition:
1) Sandy soil
2) Clayey soil
3) Loamy soil
 Sandy soil: Clayey soil:
• Pros: • Pros:
a) Easy to use a) High nutrient supply
b) Good air content b) High moisture content
• Cons: • Cons:
a) Fast water drainage a) low water drainage (water
b) Low nutrients supply (hungry logging soil)
soil) b) Hard to use
Loamy soil
Equal percentages of mineral
matter , e.g.
a) 35% sand
b) 30% silt
c) 35% clay
Soil suitability
Soil is suitable for farming when
the following things are checked:
1. Organic matter
2. Ph. level
3. Mineral ions:
Types of farming
Based on the land usage Based on the output
Arable
substance
pastoral
commercial
mixed
Methods to increase the field output
1. Irrigation
2. Use of chemicals
3. Mechanization
4. Selective breeding (High Yields Varieties Seeds HYVS)
5. Genetic Modification
6. Control the Environment
Irrigation

• To cultivate in dry areas.

• To cultivate in dry seasons
Use of chemicals
There are tow group of chemicals:

1. Fertilizers: used to increase soil 1. Insecticides\pesticides\

fertility and boost up the fungicides/ herbicides: to get
quality of the yields. rid of all things that harm or
compete the cultivated crop
Mechanization

• Enable farmers to cultivate more

lands.
• It save time, and efforts
Selective breeding
• The use of high quality seeds.
• Seeds with best qualities (from
the same species) are mated
together to produce a hybrid.
• The hybrid could be a drought,
flood, disease resistant.
• The process is conducted in the
farm.
• (A+B=AB)
Genetic Modification
• This is process includes altering
or modifying a gen.
• The desired gen is taken from
another crop species and then
injected in the targeted crop.
• This process is conducted in
laboratories.
• ( A+1= A1)
Control the Environment

a) Greenhouses
b) Hydroponics
c) crop rotation
Assignment
• Types of crops used in
commercial farming.
• Example for subsistence farming
(shifting cultivation)
• Crop rotation
Adverse effects of
strategies
1. Eutrophication
2. Salinization
Eutrophication:
is a process that occurs in aquatic
ecosystems such as lakes, rivers, and
oceans. It is caused by the gradual
increase in the concentration of
phosphorus, nitrogen, and other plant
nutrients in the water.
The increase in nutrients leads to the
growth of algae in the water, which can
cause a variety of environmental
problems such as reducing biodiversity,
depleting oxygen, and creating dead
zones
 Salinization
Over-irrigation can lead
to salinization of soil due to the
transport of dissolved salts. Irrigation
salinity occurs due to increased rates of
leakage and groundwater recharge
causing the water table to rise. Rising
water tables can bring salts into the
plant root zone which affects both plant
growth and soil structure.
Salinization can lead to land
degradation, reduced agricultural
productivity, and desertification
 Management strategies:
The method Benefits Side-effects Management strategies

1 Irrigation • Cultivate in dry areas Salinization • Sprinkles

• Cultivate in dry seasons • Clay pots
• trickle drip irrigation

2 Use of chemicals • Get rid of pests eutrophication • Use of organic fertilizers

• Healthy crops • Biological control
• Fertile soil • Remove weeds physically
• Efficient nutrient supply
Questions round

• What is soil?
• Name the four constituents of soil, and state the source for each one
• Describe the main feature of a typically soil profile
• State what is meant by :
a) Organic matter
b) pH.
c) Mineral ions
• What is meant by genetic Engineering ? And how is different from
selective breeding?
Soil erosion
• Soil erosion is a naturally
occurring process that affects all
landforms. In agriculture, soil
erosion refers to the wearing
away of a field's topsoil by the
natural physical forces of water
and wind or through forces
associated with farming activities.
• Soil erosion can be a slow process
that continues relatively
unnoticed or can occur at an
alarming rate, causing serious loss
of topsoil.
Cont.
• Erosion, whether it is by water or
wind involves three distinct
actions – soil detachment,
movement and deposition.

• Topsoil, which is high in organic

matter, fertility and soil life, is
relocated elsewhere "on-site"
where it builds up over time or is
carried "off-site" where it fills in
drainage channels.
Causes of soil erosion

• Over cultivation
• Overgrazing
• Cultivate in dry areas
Impacts of soil erosion

On site Off site

• Loss of top soil • Sand dunes
• Loss of vegetation cover • Increase river bed
• Desertification • Dam siltation
• Drought • Desertification
• Decrease food resources
• Famine
Management strategies for soil erosion
A. Contour plugging
B. Terracing
C. Embankments

D. Windbreakers