Soil Conservation In South Texas

“Erosion occurs when the soil lacks protective vegetative cover”. (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) “Soil erosion reduces the productivity of the land by loss of water, soil, organic matter, nutrients, biota, and depth of soil.” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) With no conservation methods in place in certain places like: no contour farming, no cover crop, no terraces, no water ways, and tillage on steep hills is asking for a loss of productivity from the land. The effects on the land that non-conservation methods have is horrible. “Its effects are pervasive, and its damages are long lasting. (Pimentel and others 1995a)” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) Soil loss is a bigger factor then most people think. For an example an comparison of how much soil is actually lost in certain environments: “On sloping agricultural land under tropical rainfall, as much as 400t/ha/yr of soil is lost (Pimentel unpublished report,1990).”(Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) “Under arid conditions with relatively strong winds, as much as 5600t/ha/yr of soil has been reported lost (Gupta and Raina 1996).” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) Soil loss is a huge factor when conservation practices are not put into place. “According to some investigators, approximately 75 billion tons a fertile soil are lost annually from the world’s agricultural systems (Myers 1993).” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) Soil loss is a huge factor and many different things can be done to help slow it,

7 The concept of the soil conservation way to limit the plowing, and to stop the tractors to pick up and release dust into the sky If the act was not put into place the land would continue to get worse, but only until the sky came.

Soil organisms provide ecosystem services such as maintaining soil fertility and preventing soil erosion. Water, wind, ice, and other agents cause soil erosion, the wearing away or removal of soil from the land. Soil erosion reduces fertility because essential minerals and organic matter are removed. Erosion causes sediments and pesticide and fertilizer residues to pollute nearby waterways ( Wiley, 2009).

The state of Texas is home to over a variety of different types of soil. There are over 1,300 different kinds of soil in Texas alone. Due to the fact that most of our land is used for farming, our soil is one of the most important resources. Texas is known for its diverse climate and landscape, so each part of the state has a particular soil to mirror what is needed. Texas has over twenty one divisions of major land reasource areas that have similar or related uses. Here are some examples of the different types of soils.

The types of soils found in the state of Texas vary over a wide range. Research done by the Natural Resources Conservation service indicated that there are approximately over 1300 different types of soils that can be located in the State of Texas. All of these soil types each play a different role in how it affects the foundation of structures. However, this wide range of soil types, has been shrunk down to fit into nine groups of Taxonomy to help make it easier for identification and research (Vepraskas et al., 26). In this essay, I shall discuss the different types of soils that can be located in Texas according to their respective taxonomic group.

Soil turnover - as soil is moved around by digging animals, organic matter is mixed through which distributes nutrients throughout the soil

I watched a Ted Talk on YouTube called Ted x Huntsville, it was presented by Karen Wynne and was published October 1st, 2014. The topic that Wynne talked about was the concept of stopping treating soil like dirt. She started by stating a quote by Leonardo Da Vinci that said: “We know more about the celestial bodies than the soil under our feet”. This was an interesting way of introducing her talk since after saying we near nothing about earth she begun to tell us the difference between soil and dirt introducing the topic at hand. For soil she gave the basic definition that it was a mixture of sand, silt, and clay plus air holes, water, and organic matter and as for dirt she just simply washed her hands on her shirt as if it was nothing after playing with the soil. So, already she was hands on and showed that we humans don’t really care about our soil.

Franklin D Roosevelt once said, “the history of every Nation is eventually written in the way in which it cares for its soil.” The United States began seeing sustainable management practices in farms, and healthier soil through this act. In 1982 through 2007, the United States soil erosion had declined by 43%” (Montanarella, 2015). Every year the United States loses about $400 billion dollars due to crop soil that is eroded. Soil is a limited resource and the largest resource for growing food, accommodating diverse ecosystems, and providing food resources. Therefore laws, acts, and provisions are necessary to protect this natural resource.

Congress declares soil erosion “a natural menace”. Under Hugh B. Bennett, the SCS will develop programs to save the topsoil and irreparable damage to the land. New farming techniques are put in place and farmers are paid to practice soil-conserving techniques as

Today, in the United States, farmers and ranchers produce a wide variety of commodities for food, fuel, and fiber in response to markets. These farmers understand and recognize the significance of managing their soil as well as their plant productivity. America’s farmers are true professionals because crop production is a very complex business.

Soil is the word that literally holds this world together. Without the necessity of soil, we probably wouldn’t even be where we are today. It is the main support system for our earth because it holds the roots to the ground, keeping our ground in tact. When we can’t control what happens in nature, like the Dust Bowl, we may be hit with unexpected dangers, but when it comes to things we can control we need to act right away. In the 1930’s, with little to no rainfall, weak soil and no advanced technology the people in the great plains were headed for a major catastrophe. They had no control over the way their land was moving, so it just kept going and eventually ended up to be known around the world as the Dust Bowl. If they would have had the

Micro-organisms like bacteria and fungi break the organic matter down. Animals like worms, mice, moles burrow in soil which help mix components and also provide ways for water and air to pass.

Soil genesis is the process the mantle of a planet has undergone to decompose to the state we see today. For simplicity, people refer to this as weathering. While weather does have a hand in the process of soil formation, it is not the only environmental factor at play. Soil (S) is a function of climate (c), organisms (o), relief (r), parent material (p), and time (t). This relationship can be expressed as a formula:

The last part of the Power Point was the layers soil forms as it develops including duff, topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock. Duff is top layer of organic matter, which isn’t always there because it could have been mowed or washed away. Topsoil is the second layer and the most fertile layer with a lot of nutrients where most of the plant’s roots are. The third layer, also called subsoil, is less nutrient rich and has less organic material; it is possible for some roots to reach this layer. The final layer is bedrock, a solid layer of rock beneath some soils. (Note: Some soils not all soils; these layers can vary at different locations)

High rates of soil erosion, losses of organic matter, depleted fertility, productivity, disruption of soil structure, chemical and heavy metal contamination, and degradation of air and water quality have ignited the concept of soil quality assessment and its management. (Susan et al., 2004). Soil quality is defined as the capacity of the soil to function. This includes: physical stability and support, transport and retention of nutrients, water infiltration and drainage, maintenance of biodiversity and habitat. These functions are essential to sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental quality and promote plant and animal health (Jeffery E Herrick, 2000 and Susan et al., 2004).