Soils

3. Soil amendments may need to be made depending on what you want to grow and what your soil test reveals. Lime or sulfur can be added to raise or lower pH respectively. Gypsum, perlite, vermiculite, and sand can be added to improve aeration, drainage, or moisture retention. Peat moss or compost can be added to improve fertility and soil structure over time. All of these amendments can be purchased at your local garden store; just remember to follow label directions to avoid over-amending your soil

“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

contributes to air pollution, global warming, and many health concerns. Soil surrounding a gas station can also be contaminated with gasoline and generate soil pollution. In comparison with air, soil is more complex in composition and function. It functions as a sink for pollutants, as a filter which delays the passage of chemicals to groundwater, and as a bioreactor for organic life. Just as gas is a source of fuel for cars, soil is an essential component of the earth’s ecosystem. It serves as a home

currently globally produced agricultural products. However, long periods of intensive agriculture have resulted in soil nutrient depletion, salinity accumulation, and acidification of agricultural soils, resulting in an overall reduction of the soil’s ability to support a growing population (Godfray et al., 2010; Smith et al., 2013, Tillman et al 2011, Ray et al 2013). Despite the fact that soil is one of the mankind’s most essential and threatened resources, supporting food production, wildlife biodiversity

their practices in general have not always been kind to the soil and environment. Agricultural practices completely disrupt the natural soil process and, therefore, altering the natural cycle of nutrients. A healthy soil is a fundamental and necessary part of our entire ecosystem. Not only is soil crucial for the functionality of our environment, but so many aspects of daily human life are affected by the soil around us. The healthy soil beneath us assists the process of decomposing biological waste

The Soils of Putney Vermont The town of Putney is situated in the south eastern corner of Vermont, in the Connecticut River Valley. Although the town occupies just 26.8 square miles, the diversity of its soils is remarkable. The variation of Putney’s soils has led to a wide range of land uses depending on the soil type, and its position on the landscape. By exploring the factors that contributed to the formation of Putney’s soils, and by discussing the characteristics of those soils, this paper

Soil and Glaciers Worksheet From Visualizing Earth Science, by Merali, Z., and Skinner, B. J, 2009, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission. Part 1 Size grades of soil are named sand, silt, and clay, which includes colloids. Size grades are defined using the metric system. Use Figure 4.8 from the textbook to fill in the following chart. Specify the type and size and description of the particle. In some cases, particle size will be less than some value or greater

Sandy soils in the Southeast are characterized by low nutrient and water holding capacity which is further reduced by intense rainfall patterns and has been exacerbated by long-term farming in the region. These conditions lead to rapid nutrient loss in soils below the root zone. Nutrient run-off is a well-established cause of non-point source pollution affecting bodies of water and negatively impacting water quality. Modern crop cultivars with higher yields also frequently demand increased use of

There are many reasons that the soil in Africa has seen decreased nutrients quality, ranging from Africa’s seasonal effect on soil, climate change and poor farming practices are all factors that contribute to this phenomenon. Firstly, I will cover the natural reasons that Africa’s soil tends to be degraded as this is commonly debated to be the main reason for the soils degradation. Africa is unique in that it has one of the strongest seasonal rain systems (very dry when rain isn’t occurring but

Before getting to them, some background information on expansive clay soil is necessary. Expansive Clay Soil Texas has a north-south strip of land extending from Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico that varies in width from one hundred to several hundred miles that has a high concentration of expansive clay soil. Dallas, Austin, San Antonio,