SOIL PROPERTIES

OBJECTIVES
 Describe soil by physical, chemical, and
biological properties of the soil.

 Distinguish among physical, chemical,

and biological properties of the soil.

 Distinguish between homogenous and

heterogeneous mixtures in soil.
Objective 1: TERMS TO KNOW:
 Clay- The smallest soil particle
 Sand - The largest soil particle
 Silt - An intermediate sized soil particle
 Structure - The way individual soil
particles are grouped together
 Texture - A physical property of the soil
referring to the relative percentages of
sand, silt, and clay
Objective 1: TERMS TO KNOW: (Cont’d)
 Topsoil - The upper part of the soil profile that is
normally cultivated
 Subsoil - the area in the soil profile below the
topsoil which accumulates clay
 Subsoiling - A method of breaking up the compacted
layers of the soil that restrict air and water movement
and root growth using farm machinery
 Tillage pan - areas of compacted soil in the plant root
zone created by repeated plowing of heavy soils
especially when wet; also called a plow pan
 Mottling - Spots of color in the soil that indicates
internal drainage and aeration
Texture
 physical property of soil considered rather
permanent

 refers to the relative percentages of the

three types of soil particles
 Sand
 Silt
 Clay
Determining Soil Texture
 Sensing the feel
 It is the varying amount of each soil particle
type that gives soil its texture or feel.

 Mechanical analysis
Textural Triangle
 used to obtain a soil
textural name for a
sample after it has
been mechanically
analyzed
Light Soils vs Heavy Soils
 Light Soils - sandy or coarse texture
 Heavy Soils - clay or fine texture
 Loamy Soils - medium textured
 more desirable characteristics usually
associated with highly productive soils that are
easier to manage
Light Soils vs Heavy Soils
When comparing light soils to heavy soils,
the light soil will:
 require less energy to cultivate
 heat and cool faster
 usually lighter in color
 wet and dry faster
 usually subject to greater erosion
 usually lower in fertility
Four Main Types of Soil Structure
 Platy - thin horizontal sheets overlapping
each other
 Prismatic - long vertical columns without
rounded tops
 Block-like - irregular shaped cubes
 Spheroidal - rounded and often referred
to as granular or crumb; usually found in
the topsoil
Two Types of Structureless Soils
 Single grained soils like sand

 Solid massive condition with no noticeable

peds
Internal Soil Drainage
 important for proper plant growth
 Permeability can be determined by the color of
the subsoil.
 Grey with some red or yellow streaks -
poorly drained soils
 Yellowish-brown or reddish brown with
some grey mottling - as internal drainage
improves
 Uniform bright color with few or no grey
streaks or mottling – good internal drainage
and aeration
Objective 2: TERMS TO KNOW:
 Infiltration - The movement of water
into the soil
 Percolation - The movement of water
through the soil
 No-till planting - The planting of a crop
into the previous crop stubble or a
cover crop, disturbing only the
immediate seed zone
Objective 2: TERMS TO KNOW: (Cont’d)
 Reduced-tillage - The elimination of one
or more operational procedures from a
conventional system of working the
soil
 Permeability - the characteristics of a
soil which permits variations in the
speed of air and water movement
Soil Types Influence Crop Selection
 Light textured soil
 Oats
 peanuts
 beets
 Loamy textured soil
 majority of Louisiana crops grow best in a loamy
textured soil.
 Heavy textured soil
 Flooded rice
 requires a heavy fine textured soil to prevent loss of
surface water
 Sugarcane
Determination of Soil Structure
 determined by the way the particles of
sand, silt, and clay are grouped together
in aggregates

 Peds - naturally formed groups of soil

particles

 Clods - are artificially formed groups of

soil particles
Structured Soil
more desirable because it:
 is easier to cultivate
 allows more water intake
 does not restrict root growth
 encourages better drainage within pore
spaces
 allows entry of oxygen into the pore
spaces after the water has drained
 facilitates organic matter decomposition
and the release of plant nutrients
Destruction of Soil Structure
Soil structure can be destroyed by:
 working the soil when it is wet

 repeated movement of equipment or livestock

 repeated use of equipment at the same depth in

the soil

 continual flooding of the soil

Improving Soil Structure
 Leaving it alone, in time it will repair itself

 Planting a green manure crop

 Incorporating plant residue into the soil

Infiltration and Percolation Rates
 Rapid - spheroidal structure and single
grained structure less soils

 Moderate - blocky and prismatic

structure

 Slow - platy structure or massive

structure less soil
Tillage Pans and Traffic Pans
 Tillage pans - areas of compacted soil in
the plant root zone caused by repeated
plowing at the same depth.
 Tillage and traffic pans are serious
problems in many parts of the country
because the area of root restriction is
generally in the topsoil.
 reduces the movement of air, water, and roots
and therefore limits crop yields.
Fragipans
 Fragipans (silt pans) and clay pans can
occur naturally in or near the subsoil. A
fragipan is the result of too much silt in or
near the B horizon, and is not the result of
mans actions.
Alleviating Traffic or Tillage Pans
 Subsoiling breaks up or shatters
compacted layers using deep plowing
equipment.
 Reduced or minimum tillage means less
movement over the soil which results in
less compaction of the soil. Deep
Subsoiling should precede reduced or
minimum till operations.
 No till reduces the formation of traffic
pans because planting is done directly in
the stubble of the previous crop.
Biological Properties of Soil
 refers to the living organisms found in
the soil
 includes both the micro and macro plants
and animals.

Plants
 Micro
 Bacteria
 Fungi
 Actinomycetes
 Macro – roots of higher plants
Biological Properties of Soil
Animals
 Micro
 Nematodes
 Protozoa
 Macro
 Earthworms
 Rodents (prairie dogs, moles, gophers, etc.)
 Arthropods (mites, insects, spiders, etc.)
 Gastropods (slugs, snails, etc.)
Biological Properties of Soil – Food Web
Chemical Properties of Soil
The ability of soil to provide the essential
elements needed for plant growth
includes:
 the availability of these elements
 other chemical properties
 clay minerals present
 humus content
 cation exchange
 soil reaction (pH).
Objective 3: TERMS TO KNOW:
 Homogenous mixtures – soil mixtures that
contain the same type of soil particles
 Heterogeneous mixtures – soil mixtures that
contain different types of soil particles
 Aerobic – occurring only in the presence of free
oxygen
 Algae – soil plant microorganisms capable of
photosynthesis
 Anaerobic – growing or occurring in the
absence of free oxygen
Objective 3: TERMS TO KNOW: (cont’d)
 Bacteria – single-celled soil plant
microorganisms, some of which are responsible
for organic matter decomposition, while others
are responsible for nitrogen fixation
 Fungi – soil plant microorganisms responsible for
organic matter decomposition, especially the
cellulose, lignin and gum
 Microorganisms – life forms too small to be
seen with the unaided eye or barely visible
 Nematodes - soil animal microorganisms that
are responsible for the decomposition of organic
mater, consumption of other animal
microorganisms and parasitism on the roots of
certain higher plants
Objective 3: TERMS TO KNOW: (cont’d)
 Nitrogen cycle – the biochemical changes undergone by
this atmospheric gas from its use by living organisms to
decomposition and conversion back to the atmosphere
 Organic matter – soil materials including plant and animal
residues at various stages of decomposition
 Rodents – small gnawing animals such as rats and mice
 Acid soil – one having a pH below 7.0 on a scale from 0 to
14
 Alkaline soil – one having a pH below 7.0 on a scale from
0 to 14
 Ion – charged atoms or groups of charged atoms
 pH – a numerical measure of the degree of acidity or
alkalinity of the soil solution
Homogenous Soil Mixtures
 Sand
 Silt
 Clay
Heterogeneous Soil Mixtures
 Any combination and proportion of
sand, silt, or clay