This is a simple lecture about soil, soil's profile, quality, importance and more.

2. Soil?
•It is “the bridge of life and the
inanimate world.
•It is referred to as an interface – a
common boundary where different
parts of a system interact among the
different parts of the Earth System

3. Soil?
•It is dynamic and sensitive to almost
every aspect of its surroundings.
•It covers most land surfaces.

4. 1. Where did soil started?
How is soil formed?
Soil is formed from weathering of rocks, weathering of
minerals, and decomposition of organic materials.
Through time, soil is born because of this so-called
weathering process.

5. •Soil is a combination of mineral, organic matter, water, air.
Mineral Material
Air
25%
Water
45%
Organic Matter
25%
5%
•It is the product of the complex interplay of several factors:

6. 1. Parent Material
-Source of the weathered mineral
from which soils develop.
2. Time
-Important component of any
geological process, and soil formation
is no exception.
-Rule: The longer the soil has
been forming, the thicker it becomes
and the less it resembles the parent
material.

7. 3. Climate
-most influential control of soil formation
-A hot, wet climate may produce a thick layer
of chemically weathered soil in the same amount of
time that a cold, dry climate produces a thin
mantle of mechanically weathered debris
4. Plants and animals
-Microorganisms including fungi, bacteria, and
a single-celled protozoa, play an active role in the
decay of plant and animal remains. The end
product is humus, a material that no longer
resembles the plants and animals from which it is
formed.

9. Trivia: Did you know that:
The moon has no soil? All lunar terrains
are mantled with a soil-like layer of debris
called
LUNAR REGOLITH
bombardment by meteorites)
(from
With few exceptions, Earth’s land
surface is covered by regolith (rhegos =
blanket, lithos = stone)

11. Sandy Soil
Particle size: 0.05 to 2mm
Defining Factors:
Large particles
Dry and gritty to touch
Easily drains water
Less water retention
Warm and airy
Even when wet, easily crumbles
through the fingers
Lacks essential nutrients
Ideal for crops like:
Watermelons, Peanuts, and Peaches
Ideal for plants like:
Tulips, Cistus, and Hibiscus

12. Clay Soil
Particle size:
Defining Factors:
Ideal for crops like:
Ideal for plants like:

13. Silty Soil
Particle size:
Defining Factors:
Ideal for crops like:
Ideal for plants like:

14. • Loam is soil composed of sand, silt,
and clay in relatively even proportions (about
40%-40%-20% concentration respectively).
• These proportions can vary to a degree
however, and result in different types of loam
soils: sandy loam, silty loam, clay loam, sandy
clay loam, silty clay loam, and loam
• Loam soils generally contain more nutrients,
moisture and humus than sandy soils
• They have better drainage and infiltration of
water and air than silty soils
• They are easier to till than clay soils.

15. •The different types of loam soils each have
slightly different characteristics, with some
draining liquids more efficiently than others.
• It is considered ideal for gardening and
agricultural uses because it retains nutrients
well and retains water while still allowing
excess water to drain away
• Loam is found in a majority of successful
farms in regions around the world known for
their fertile land
• Loam soil feels soft and crumbly and is easy
to work over a wide range of moisture
conditions.

16. Want to learn more?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=uS7zfeK4OTQ

17. Guess It Know #1
What is a system for classifying soils?
SOIL TAXONOMY

19. •Consists largely of organic
material
•Upper part: plant-litter
such as loose leaves,
organic debris, that are still
recognizable
•Has teeming microscopic
life including bacteria,
fungi, algae, and insects

20. •Largely mineral matter
yet biological activity is
high and humus is
generally present- about
30% in some instances
TOPSOIL

21. • An impermeable and
very compact layer from
the formation of clay
accumulation
• SUBSOIL
“TRUE SOIL”

22. •Layer that is
characterized by
altered parent
material
•Below: unweathered
parent material

23. R Horizon
•Weathered bedrock

24. Testing
Soil pH
Using Red
Cabbage

25. 1. Take a head of red cabbage and finely chop it using a
knife or food processor. The solution created from the
cabbage juice will change color depending on the pH of what it
comes in contact with.

26. 2. Heat distilled water until boiling. Use pure distilled
water will give an accurate pH test result.

27. 3. Add the chopped red cabbage to the boiling
distilled water. Allow it to soak for about 10 minutes and
then drain the solid pieces out, leaving a violet hued juice.
This juice should have a neutral pH of 7.

28. 4. Test the cabbage juice. Pour a small amount into two
separate cups, and add vinegar to one cup and baking soda
to the other. Vinegar is acidic, and shoukd turn the solution hot
pink. The baking soda solution is alkaline and will turn blue or
green.

29. 5. Test your soil. Pour a few inches of the cabbage juice into a clean
cup and add one to two spoonfuls of soil. Wait 30 minutes and check
the color of the solution.

30. •Purple or violet is a pH near 7, neutral.
•Pink means the soil is acidic with a pH between 1 and 7. The more
acidic the soil is, the brighter the pink will be.
•Blue or green is a pH between 8 and 14, alkaline. The brighter the
green or blue juice is, the more alkaline it is.

31. 2. How can you determine the age of soil?
The age of the soil can be determined by looking at the
horizonation of soil horizon. Upon that you can determine the
extent of soil development
Age of soil can be classified as:
Young
-the newly developed
-can be Horizon O, A, and C
-can also be Horizon A,C
Newly Developed (Mature)
-has complete horizon
-can be Horizon A, B, C, and R
Weathered
-highly weathered soil
-high in iron oxide
-has:
=very thin Horizon A
=very thick Horizon B
(about 5 m)
Color : yellowish-brown
Or reddish-brown

32. 3. When is it most effective to take soil tests?
Soil testing is to determine soil fertility. It is most
effective to take soil tests before plant preparation like
plowing, before planting. In that, you can analyze the soil and
know how much fertilizer you need to apply to grow specific
kinds of plants

33. Human or Natural Activities with Bad Effects On Soil
1. Sealing- cementation of soils or other construction soils
2. Compaction- the soil id forced closer together resulting to
reduce its porosity which is caused by traffic
3. Landslide-soil is eroded, scattered and some places loose
too much soil
4. Contamination-mixing of harmful substances reducing
the soil’s nourishment

34. Human or Natural Activities with Bad Effects On Soil
5. Acid Deposition
-acids contaminate soil when laboratories or hospitals
throw hazardous materials and acid substances
6. Land vegetation and Degredation
-overusing of soil that’s why there is losing of its
nutrients, or fertilizers are not healthy for soil
7. Organic Matter Decline (Intensive Farming)
-too much use of artificial fertilizers and other
chemicals or by intensive farming
8. Productivity/ Biodiversity Loss
-plant uses too much nitrogen from soil is
consecutively planted which cause loss of nutrient.

35. Guess It Know #2:
It is the process where in soil erosion, the nutrientlayer of soil is removed which becomes desert-like
and unable to support life.
DESERTIFICATION

36. Erosion
-transport of soil sediments across the
landscape
http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=Hy_PqKsv9mY

37. Fill in the blanks about the following processes in soil erosion:
Entrainment
Deposition
Detachment
1.________________ requires breaking of bonds that
holds particle together to the source.
2.________________ is the lifting of particles by the
agent/ agents of erosion.
3.________________ is when the process of erosion
stops when the particles fall out of the transporting
medium and settle on a surface.

38. Human Activities with Good Effects on Soil
1. Strip cropping and contour plowing
-can reduce soil erosion as much as 50% gently
sloping lands
2. Windbreaks
-blocks the wind and traps eroding soil, rows of trees
planted along edges of fields
3. Terracing
-slowdown runoff and catch eroding soil
4. Conservation
plowing
-leaves the dead stalks and weeds from the previous
years that holds the topsoil in place

39. Want to learn more?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
annotation_id=annotation_387737
&feature=iv&src_vid=Hy_PqKsv9m
Y&v=7pC7jnJ0OIk

40. Sources:
•Earth Science by Tarbuck and Lutgens
•Phoenix Publishing House: Exploring Life through
Science Series
•Soil Expert: Dr. Vigilia Armendi
•Wikipedia
•Wikihow.com

41. “Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things
growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty,
and generally taking the time to soak up a little
peace and serenity.”
Lindley Karstens quotes
“What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall
reap in the harvest of action”
Meister Eckhart
quotes (German Writer and Theologian. 1260-1328)
“The Nation that destroys its soil destroys itself”
Franklin D. Roosevelt quotes (American 32nd
US President (1933-45), cousin of Theodore Roosevelt,
26th US president. 1882-1945)