Soil Texture – Relative proportion of sand,silt

and clay sized particles in the soil.

Soil separates
Clearly visible by the eye.

Silt – Microscope needed to see particle.

Clay – Electron Microscope needed.

Through mechanical analysis, a particular soil
comes up with :
35% Clay

52% Silt

13% Sand
Which has the most surface area - clay ,silt or sand?
Which has the least?

How does that effect the fertility of the soil?

Clay is the smallest mineral particle in the soil.

It will have the largest surface area.

It will in general have the greatest fertility.

Clay is the storehouse of plant nutrients.

Soils with more clay have more nutrients than sandy soils.

Eroded soils that once had a clayley surface horizon and a

silty or sandy subsoill will also have less nutrient-supplying
capacity because of a loss of clay.
Arrangement of soil separates into units called soil
aggregates.

Separates by planes of weakness.

Dominated by clay particles.

 Acts like a larger silt or sand particle depending

upon its size.
Influence bulk density, porosity and pore size.

Pores within an aggregates are quite small as compared to

pores between aggregates and between single soil particles.

Balance of large and small pores provide good soil aeration ,

permeabitilty and water holding capacity.
Tillage

Cutting edge of tillage tools as they are pulled through soils

destroys aggregates.

Tillage at same depth will often form tillage pan.

Field Cultivator – Has little down pressure and destroys few

aggregates.

Disk – Has both cutting action and shearing action. Together

they cause substantial destruction.
Beating action of raindrops.

Single particles that once were in aggregates can easily form

a crust when the soil dries.

Difficult for water to infiltrate a crust and for seddlings to

push up through a crust.
Weight of an individual soil particle per unit volume.

Expressed in units of grams per cubic centimeter.

Average value for particle density is 2.66 grams per cubic

centimeter.

Water has a density of 1 gram per cubic centimeter.

Organic matter – density of 0.8 grams per cubic centimeter.

Defined as the dry weight of soil per unit volume of soil.

Considers both solids and the pore space.

Ideal Soil – Dry

½ solids – 0.5 cubic centimeters

½ pore space – 0.5 cubic centimeters

2.66 g/cm³ x 0.5 cm³ = 1.33 grams/cubic centimeter

When bulk density reaches 1.55 to 1.6 g/cm³, plant root
growth becomes restricted.

When bulk density reaches 1.8 g/cm³, root growth is

prohibited.
Refers to the volume of soil voids that can be filled by water
and/or air.

Inversely related to bulk density.

It is calculated as a percentage of soil volume

Bulk Density x 100 = % solid space

Particle Density

100 % - % Solid Space = Percent Pore Space

Loose, porous soils have lower bulk densities and greater

porosities than tightly packed soils.
It is greater in clayley and organic soils than in sandy oils.

A large number of small particles in a volume of soil

produces
a large number of soil pores.

Compaction decreases porosity as bulk density increases

Example : If compaction increases bulk density from 1.3

to
1.5 g/cm³, porosity decreases from 50% to 43%.
Pores in the soil come in all sizes

Clay soils have predominantly small pores

Sand soils have predominantly large pores

Ideal soil is one with an equal number of large and small pores

Aeration is needed for the exchange of oxygen from the

atmosphere and carbon dioxide given off by plant roots and
microorganisms.
Infiltration – Movement of water into the soil.

Percolation, permeability or hydraulic conductivity –

Downward movement of water with the soil.

Pore space is the conduit that allows water to infiltrate and

percolate.
Saturation – The soil water content when all pores are filled with
water.

Field capacity – Soil water content after the soil has been
allowed to dry for 24 to 48 hours.

Permanent wilting point – Soil water content after the plants

have extracted all the water they can. Plant will wilt and not
recover.

Gravitational water – Refers to the amountof water held by the

soil between saturation and field capacity.
Water holding capacity – Amount of water held between field
capacity and wilting point.

Plant available water – Portion of the water holding capacity that

can be absorbed by a plant.

General Rule – Plant available water is considered to be 50

%
of the water holding capacity.