1 / 56

Soil & Land Management Agriscience Applications

Soil & Land Management Agriscience Applications. By: Johnny M. Jessup Agriculture Instructor/FFA Advisor. What is Soil?. Is the top layer of the Earth’s surface suitable for the growth of plant life. The Soil Profile. Soil Horizon

ciel
Download Presentation

Soil & Land Management Agriscience Applications

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Soil & Land ManagementAgriscience Applications By: Johnny M. Jessup Agriculture Instructor/FFA Advisor

  2. What is Soil? • Is the top layer of the Earth’s surface suitable for the growth of plant life.

  3. The Soil Profile • Soil Horizon • They are the layers of the different types of soil found at different depths in soil profile. • Soil Profile • A vertical section through the soil extending into the unweathered parent materials and exposing all the horizons.

  4. Master Horizons • What are the Master Horizons? • The are A, B and C horizons are known as the master horizons. They are a part of a system for naming soil horizons in which each layer is identified by a code O, A, E, B, C and R.

  5. Horizons • The O Horizon • The organic layer made of wholly or partially decayed plant material and animal debris. • Normally found in a forest with fallen leaves, branches and other debris.

  6. Horizons • The A Horizon • Usually called the topsoil. • Surface layer of soil for judging purposes. • Usually contains more organic matter. • Somewhat darker in color. • Provides the best environment for the growth of plant roots, microorganisms and other life.

  7. Horizons • The E Horizon • This is the zone of the greatest leaching of clay, chemicals and organic matter.

  8. Horizons • The B Horizon • Subsurface layer of soil for judging purposes. • Called the subsoil. • Called the zone of accumulation where chemicals leached out of the A horizon. • Reason why most subsoil has an increase in clay content.

  9. Horizons • The C Horizon • Called the parent material. • Lacks the properties of the A and B horizon. • Less touched by soil forming processes.

  10. Horizons • The R Horizon- • Is the underlying bedrock such as the limestone, sandstone, and or granite.

  11. Soil Characteristics

  12. Soil Texture • Refers to the size of soil particles. • Which are: • Sand (Large) • Silt (Medium) • Clay (Small)

  13. Relative Size of Soil Particles

  14. Soil Texture - Sand • Is the largest of the soil particles. • Individual particles can be seen with the naked eye. • Sandy soils have problems holding enough water for good plant growth.

  15. Soil Texture - Sand • Sand is also gritty to the touch. • Sand grains will not stick to each other. • Four types of sand grains are…. • Very coarse sand • Coarse sand • Medium sand • Fine Sand

  16. Soil Texture - Sand

  17. Soil Texture - Silt • Intermediate or medium sized soil particles. • But can’t be seen with the naked eye. • Is the best soil as it has the ability to hold large amounts of water in a form plants can use.

  18. Soil Texture - Silt

  19. Soil Texture - Clay • The smallest of soil particles. • Clayey hold lots of water, but they…. • May be airtight. • Infertile for root growth. • Associated with wet soils. • Clay will hold more plant nutrients than any other soil particle. • Clay particles stick to one another.

  20. Soil Texture - Clay

  21. Textural Classes • There are 12 textural classes. • Represented on the Soil Texture Triangle. • Textural class determined by the percentage of sand, silt, & clay.

  22. Soil Structure • Refers to the way soil particles cluster together to form soil units or aggregates, while leaving pore space to…. • Store air. • Store water. • Store nutrients. • Allow root penetration.

  23. Types of Soil Structures • There are five types of soil structures. • They are: • Single grain • Granular • Platy • Blocky • Prismatic

  24. Soil Structure – Single Grain • Associated with sandy soils.

  25. Soil Structure - Granular • Particles cling together to form rounded aggregates. • Very desirable for all soil uses. • It is commonly found in A horizons. • Peds are small usually between 1 to 10 millimeters

  26. Soil Structure - Platy • Usually found in E horizons. • Large, thin peds. • Plate-like & arranged in overlapping horizontal layers.

  27. Soil Structure - Blocky • Particles cling together in angular aggregates. • Typical of soils with high clay content. • Typical of B horizons. • Peds are large about 5 to 50 millimeters

  28. Soil Structure - Massive • Soil has no visible structure. • Hard to break apart & appears in very large clods.

  29. Land Classification

  30. Land Capability Maps • Based on the physical, chemical, and topographical aspects of the land.

  31. Land Capability Classes • Assigning a number to land. • Eight classes used. • I to VIII with I having the best arability. • Class I to IV can be cultivated. • V to VIII tend to have high slope or are low & wet.

  32. Land Capability Classes • Class I - Very good land. • Very few limitations. • Deep soil and nearly level. • Can be cropped every year as long as land is taken care of. • Class II - Good land • Has deep soil. • May require moderate attention to conservation practices.

  33. Land Capability Classes • Class III - moderately good land. • Crops must be more carefully selected. • Often gently sloping hills. • Terraces and stripcropping are more often used. • Class IV - fairly good land. • Lowest class cultivated. • On hills with more slope than class III. • Class V - Unsuited for cultivation. • Can be used for pasture crops and cattle grazing, hay crops or tree farming. • Often used for wildlife or recreation areas.

  34. Land Capability Classes • Class VI - Not suited for row crops. • Too much slope. • Usually damaged by erosion with gullies. • Can be used for trees, wildlife habitat, and recreation. • Class VII - Highly unsuited for cultivation. • Has severe limitations. • Best used for planting trees. • Steeply sloping. • Large rock surfaces and boulders may be found. • Very little soil present.

  35. Class VIII • Cannot be used for row crops or other crops. • Often lowland covered with water. • Soil maybe wet or high in clay. • Best suited for wildlife & recreation.

  36. Soil Conservation & Enhancement

  37. Soil Erosion • Can be stopped and/or reduced by good soil management. • Management practices that reduce soil erosion increase water absorption and retention.

  38. Types of Erosion • Sheet erosion • Removal of layers of soil from the land into streams. • Gully erosion • Soil removal that leaves trenches.

  39. Soil Conservation Methods • Reduce rain drop impact. • Reducing/slowing the speed of the wind or water movement across the land. • Securing soil with plant roots. • Increasing absorption of water. • Carrying run-off water safely away.

  40. Cover crops Mulching Conservation tillage Contour practices Strip cropping Crop rotation Add organic matter Liming and fertilizer Grass waterways Terracing Avoid overgrazing Use a conservation plan Recommended Practices

  41. Recommended Practices – No Till • Cropping technique used to reduce soil erosion. • Crops are planted directly into the residue of a previous crop without plowing or disking • Very effective erosion control.

  42. Recommended Practices – Conventional Tillage • Uses tillage system that disturbs the soil surface by…. • Plowing • Disking • Harrowing

  43. Recommended Practices – Conservation Tillage • Intermediate tillage system between conventional & no-till.

  44. Soil Enhancement - Fertilizer • Fertilizer • To add nutrients to the soil.

  45. Soil Enhancement - Lime • Using as an amendment to raise soil pH. • Increases availability of nutrients. • Example: • If soil pH is 5.5, lime may be added to raise soil pH to a more acceptable 7.0 level.

  46. pH Scale

More Related