Soil as an

important element
Naveen

intro
Soils are the basic resource upon which all
terrestrial life depends. The bounty from our
fields and forests, and the quality of our
lakes and streams, is dependent upon the
quality of our soils. Many of the
environmental decisions about using a
resource are based on the kind of soil and
the ability of the soil to support that
resource use.
Whether natural or man-mixed, soils have physical, environmental, and
chemical properties. These are all important to the health of a growing
medium. Physical properties include organic matter, water, drainage,
and aeration. Environmental characteristics include light and
temperature. Chemical elements include the ph balance, and the
presence (or not) of phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium, which are
all critical elements for plants.

Soil structure

Soil structure is the arrangement of soil particles into groupings.

These groupings are called peds or aggregates, which often
form distinctive shapes typically found within certain soil
horizons. For example, granular soil particles are characteristic
of the surface horizon.

SOIL PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

1. Soil physical properties

Horizonation- Soil horizons are discrete layers that make up a

soil profile. They are typically parallel with the ground surface.
In some soils, they show evidence of the actions of the soil
forming processes.

soil color- Soil color is typically described using some form of

color reference chart, such as the munsell color chart. Using
the munsell system, color is described in reference to the
colors hue, value, and chroma. Hue describes where in
the color spectrum the soil color exists, which for soils includes
the colors yellow, red, blue, green, and gray.

soil texture- Soil texture refers to the proportion of the soil

separates that make up the mineral component of soil. These
separates are called sand, silt, and clay. These soil separates
have the following size ranges:

Sand = <2 to 0.05 mm

Silt = 0.05 to 0.002 mm

Clay = <0.002 mm

soil structure- The soil separates can become aggregated

together into discrete structural units called peds. These peds
are organized into a repeating pattern that is referred to as soil
structure. Between the peds are cracks called pores through
which soil air and water are conducted.

soil consistence- The soil separates can become aggregated

together into discrete structural units called peds. These peds
are organized into a repeating pattern that is referred to as soil
structure. Between the peds are cracks called pores through
which soil air and water are conducted.

SOIL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

cation exchange capacity- The cation exchange capacity, or

cec, of a soil is a measurement of the magnitude of the
negative charge per unit weight of soil, or the amount of cations
a particular sample of soil can hold in an exchangeable form.
The greater the clay and organic matter content, the greater
the cec should be, although different types of clay minerals and
organic matter can vary in cec.

soil reaction (ph)-By definition, ph is a measure of the active

hydrogen ion (h+) concentration. It is an indication of the
acidity or alkalinity of a soil, and also known as soil reaction.

The ph scale ranges from 0 to 14, with values below 7.0 acidic,
and values above 7.0 alkaline. A ph value of 7 is considered
neutral, where h+ and oh- are equal, both at a concentration of
10-7 moles/liter. A ph of 4.0 is ten times more acidic than a ph
of 5.0.

Soil aggregation is an
important indicator of
the workability of the
soil. Soils that are
well aggregated are
said to have good
soil tilth. The various
types of soil are

Soil formation

Soil is the result of five major environmental elements blended

together. The five elements, or soil-forming factors, that lead to the
pattern of soils we observe are:

1) the parent material, the geologic material from which the soil
was originally formed;

2) the climate in which the material is found;

3) the relief or landscape properties upon which that material lay,

such as the slope and aspect;

4) the organisms that can potentially live on or in the material;

and

5) the length of time during which the previous four elements

have interacted.

. A unique combination of these five factors produces a soil.

Importance of soil

Soil is a vital part of the natural environment. It is just as important

as plants, animals, rocks, landforms, lochs and rivers.

It influences the distribution of plant species and provides a habitat

for a wide range of organisms.

It controls the flow of water and chemical substances between the

atmosphere and the earth, and acts as both a source and store for
gases (like oxygen and carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere.

Soils not only reflect natural processes but also record human
activities both at present and in the past. They are therefore part of
our cultural heritage.

The modification of soils for agriculture and the burial of

archaeological remains are good examples of this.

Importance of soil

Soil, together with the plant and animal life it supports, the rock
on which it develops, its position in the landscape and the
climate it experiences, form an amazingly intricate natural
system more powerful and complex than any machine that
man has created.

Soil may look still and lifeless, but this impression couldnt be
further from the truth.

It is constantly changing and developing through time.

Soil is always responding to changes in environmental factors,

along with the influences of man and land use.

Some changes in the soil will be of short duration and

reversible, others will be a permanent feature of soil
development

Role of architect in soil study

A landscape architect should at the very least equip themselves with

the basic scientific information about soils: they should have a
knowledge of soil classification,

soil texture and structural properties,

soil water movement,

soil fertility and soil ecology (micro-biology);

fundamentally they should understand how soil properties strongly

influence the make-up of vegetation in a particular landscape.

Landscape architects should also have a basic knowledge of the

engineering properties of soils and how even minimal disturbance to
soil could negatively affect the structural and ecological functioning
of that soil. In this regard, knowledge of soil remediation techniques
is also useful to landscape architects.

Types of Soil and Their

Properties

Clay soil- particles are very small and compact. Gardens with
these types of soil particles dont work well because the air has
a hard time getting to the roots. The soil absorbs and holds
water and creates a drainage problem. This adversely affects
healthy root and plant growth.

Sandy soil- particles are large. The water and nutrients

(particularly nitrogen) quickly drain away from the plant root
zone. Sandy soil is the opposite of clay soil.

Silt soil- is made up of fine particles. Like clay the soil holds
water but doesnt have good aeration around the roots.

Alluvial soils- these are developed from alluvial parent material, transported and
deposited by moving water along the river course, blown by wind, moved by ice
or gravitational force. The alluvial material deposited by sea water develops into
coastal alluvium. Indo-congenic alluvium and Brahmaputra alluvial soils represent
riverine alluvium of Himalayan rivers. They are the most extensive in India

Black soils- These are formed under arid to semi-arid climate and over Deccan
basalt. Also known as Regur or Black Cotton soil, these are dark grey to black in
colour with high clay content. They have impeded drainage and poor aeration
during monsoon with high water-retention capacity. These are highly sticky when
wet, but become hard after drying. They are neutral to slightly alkaline, rich in
calcium and magnesium, moderate in potash but poor in nitrogen, phosphorus and
organic matter.

Laterite soils- These are intensely weathered soils after loss of substantial
quantity of silica during paedogenesis. The subsoil remains soft, but becomes
irreversibly hard when dried and exposed to atmosphere. They are brown to
yellowish-red in colour. They have good draining capacities but are low in fertility
besides poor nutrient holding capacity. Soils are acidic (mild to strong) rich in iron
and aluminium oxides but poor in lime, potash and magnesium.

Top soil-

Ideally, within the top six inches or more of the soil surface,
there should be a distinct layer called a horizon; this is also
known as topsoil.

It's full of living organisms, from earthworms to millions of

beneficial bacteria and fungi, that contribute to good soil
health.

That's why it's important to routinely add organic matter to this

top layer. Organic matter includes compost, shredded leaves,
grass clippings, straw and barnyard manure.

Organic matter is what feeds these organisms and keeps them

active, and a biologically active soil is a healthy soil.

Sub soil-

Subsoil is the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface of

the ground. Like topsoil it is composed of a variable mixture of
small particles such as sand, silt and/or clay, but it lacks the
organic matter and humus content of topsoil. Below the subsoil
is the substratum, which can be residual bedrock, sediments, or
aeolian deposits. As it is lacking in dark humus, subsoil is
usually paler in colour than the overlying topsoil. It may contain
the deeper roots of some plants, such as trees, but a majority of
plant roots lie within the surface topsoil.