4 MAJOR COMPONENTS OF SOIL

Soil Composition

25%

45%
Mineral Matter
Organic Matter
Water
Air
25%

5%

1. Mineral matter: The size and composition of mineral matter in soils are variable due to nature of
parent work from which it has been derived. It is generally composed of very fine broken rock
fragment and minerals either dominated by inorganic constituents by minerals e.g. feldspars and
quartz.
2. Organic matter of soil: It exist as partly decayed and partially synthesized plant and animals
residues, it’s broken down due to microbial activity in soil.
3. Soil water: It plays a vital role in soil plant growth relationships. All soil water held by attractions
is not available to the plants. Soil water also presents along with dissolved salts and make up the
soil solution. This soil solution mediates important medium for supplying different essential
nutrient elements
4. Soil air: Air space in a soil consists of that portion of the soil volume not occupied by soil solids,
either mineral or organic. Under field condition, pore spaces are occupied by air and water

Reference: https://www.tutorvista.com/biology/major-components-of-soil

SOIL SOLID

- Soil is not just dirt. It’s made of many different things. This includes a variety of substances
like minerals and rocks. These substances divide into four different categories. These categories
include organic material, soil minerals (or inorganic material), water, and air.
ORGANIC MATERIAL - The organic materials in soil contains and stores nutrients. Only 5% of
most soil is organic material. Organic matter occurs during the solid phase of soil, which is the
phase it is normally in. But, if the organic material is not sufficient, it can be usedup until there is
none left.
INORGANIC MATERIAL - Like organic material, soil minerals contain and store nutrients. They
also occur during the solid phase. About 45% of soil is minerals. The surface of minerals serve as
a potential place for nutrients to be stored. Because of this, minerals are very important in soil
fertility. The amount of nutrients a mineral can hold depends on the type of mineral. This is why
 many gardeners look at the kind of minerals they have so that they know how well it can
support life.

Reference: https://kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/soil-composition/

SOIL TEXTURE

- refers to the composition of the soil in terms of the amounts of small (clays), medium (silts),
and large (sands) size particles. The primary particles of sand, silt, and clay make up the
inorganic solid phase of the soil. These particles often become aggregated together with
each other and other parts of the soil, most importantly soil organic matter. In general, the
size of soil particles and their spacing determine how much water can flow through the soil.
The larger the spacing, or pore size, the greater the infiltration rate. Thus, sandy soils will
have high infiltration rates because pore sizes are large and there are no finer materials to
block the pores.

Reference: http://milford.nserl.purdue.edu

SOIL COLOR

- Soil color actually indicates the composition of the soil. The color is the product
of minerals and organic matter in the soil. Therefore, soil colors could tell a lot about the
conditions of the soil. The darker a soil is, the richer nutrients it contains to support plants and
other living things. Why? Because darker color indicates an increase in decomposed organic
matter and materials.

Reference: https://kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/soil-properties/

SOIL STRUCTURE

- Soil texture is the look and feel of a soil. The texture of the soil indicates the proportion
of sand, silt, and clay particles that make up the soil. Sand particles are the largest and
coarsest. Silt particles are smaller particles and have a similar texture to flour. Clay particles
are the smallest, and you need a microscope to observe them. The best soil for a plant
to grow is half sand, some slit, and a little clay. In later chapters, you will learn more about
the factors that affect soil texture.

Reference: https://kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/soil-properties/

SOIL CONSISTENCE

- Soil consistency describes how strong the structure of the soil particles can be. In simple
words, soil consistency describes how sticky the soil is. You can test a soil’s consistency by
using your forefinger and poking it into the soil to see if it is hard, firm, or soft. The consistency
is mainly determined by the minerals and moisture content in the soil.

Reference: https://kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/soil-properties/
SOIL DEPTH

SOIL STRENGTH

ROAD RATIO

POROSITY