SOILIf you want to eat food, prevent soil erosion dude….!!

GROUP MEMBERS:•Shehnas Jabir•Afrin Shajahan•Maryam Logar•Umma Salma

•Shamma Parveen•Muna Mohammed

SOIL•Soil (sometimes called dirt) is the combination of rock, mineral fragments (pieces), organic matter (dead and living things), water and air.• It is mostly made up of grains of rock (weathered by wind, rain, sun, snow and humus. The type of soil depends on the mix of humus and on the size of the grains of the rock. The grains can be very small and smooth, such as clay, or they can be larger, like grains of sand or even a piece of gravel.

•Soils are important to our ecosystem for six main reasons: first, soils are a place for plants to grow; second, soils control the speed and the purity of water that moves through them; third, soils recycle nutrients from dead animals and plants; fourth, soils change the air that surrounds the earth, called the atmosphere; •fifth, soils are a place to live for animals, insects and very small living things called microorganisms; sixth, soils are the oldest and the most used building materials. The climate is very important when soil is made. Soil from different climates can have very different qualities the types of soil varies from.

USES OF SOIL• Soil is used in agriculture, where it serves as the anchor and primary nutrient base for plants; however, as demonstrated by hydroponics, it is not essential to plant growth if the soil-contained nutrients can be dissolved in a solution. The types of soil and available moisture determine the species of plants that can be cultivated.• Soil material is also a critical component in the mining, construction and landscape development industries Soil serves as a foundation for most construction projects. The movement of massive volumes of soil can be involved in surface mining, road building and dam construction. Earth sheltering is the architectural practice of using soil for externalthermal mass against building walls. Many buildinG materials are soil based.

• Soil resources are critical to the environment, as well as to food and fibre production. Soil provides minerals and water to plants. Soil absorbs rainwater and releases it later, thus preventing floods and drought. Soil cleans water as it percolates through it. Soil is the habitat for many organisms: the major part of known and unknown biodiversity is in the soil, in the form of invertebrates (earthworms, woodlice, millipedes, centipedes, snails, slugs, mites, springtails, enchytraeids, nematodes, protists), bacteria, archae, fungi and algae; and most organisms living above ground have part of them (plants) or spend part of their lifEcycle (insects) below-ground. Above-ground and below-ground biodiversities are tightly interconnected  making soil protection of paramount importance for any restoration or conservation plan.

TYPES OF SOILThere are many types of soil:•Sandy soil•Clay soil•Silty soil•Loamy soil•Chalky soil•Peaty soil

SANDY SOIL• Sandy soil is gritty to the touch and will often be dry. Soils with

high sand content break apart easily and will not form a clump when squeezed hard. Wet sand does not stick together. Sand particles are visible to the eye and will not merge with other

grains.

Problems with Sandy Soil• Sandy soil will not hold water for extended periods. This

causes drought conditions in the soil, reducing the growth of plants growing in it. Nutrients drain straight through the soil, causing deficiency. Plant roots can't take hold in excessively sandy soils.

 

CLAY SOIL• Clay soil is a sticky soil. When wet, clay will stain the hands a red or orange color. Clay is shiny when rubbed by hand. When rolled between the hands, clay will form a long ribbon that does not break when wet.

Problems with Clay Soil• Clay soil has tightly compacted pores that are difficult for air and water

to penetrate. This creates problems with plants. Nutrients are not free to move throughout the soil, causing nutrient deficiencies in plants. Standing water in clay soil rots plant roots. The roots are unable to grow through clay soil that is compacted due to surface human and animal activity.

SILTY SOIL• Silt soils, comprised mainly of intermediate sized particles, are fertile, fairly well drained and hold more moisture than sandy soils, but are easily compacted• Pure silt soils are rare, especially in gardens. They have a slightly soapy, slippery texture, and do not clump easily

Problems with sandy soil• These soils are made up of fine particles that can be easily compacted by treading and use of garden machinery. They are prone to washing away and wind erosion if left exposed to the elements without plant cover. However, they contain more nutrients than sandy soils and hold more water, so tend to be quite fertile. You can bind the silt particles into more stable crumbs by the addition of organic matter.

LOAMY SOIL• Loams are comprised of a mixture of clay, sand and silt that avoid the extremes of clay or sandy soils and are fertile, well-drained and easily worked. They can be clay-loam or sandy-loam depending on their predominant composition and cultivation characteristics

Problems with loamy soil• These soil types are prone to particular problems. Loamy soils can suffer drainage problems and may not suit plants that need free draining conditions. Light, loamy soils need a lot of watering.

CHALKY SOIL• Chalky soils are extremely alkaline, and usually have stones of varying size mixed in with them. Chalky soil stops plants from uptaking important minerals, and dries out very easily, making it less than ideal for planting.

Problems with chalky soil• It is more difficult to lower soil pH (i.e. reduce alkalinity) than it is to raise the pH (i.e. increase alkalinity). Consequently, lowering the pH is only practical in slightly alkaline soils. Where attempts are made to reduce alkalinity, the soil should be checked annually to monitor the change in pH and repeat the treatment if necessary.

PEATY SOIL•  Peaty soils are high in organic matter, usually with large amounts of dead plants in them, but the organic matter is unable to decompose fully because of a high acid content in the soil. Peaty soil isn’t particularly rich in nutrients, but if well handled can actually be an excellent soil for planting.• The peat soil now has subsided below the water levels in the river. They are not drainable anymore by gravity and pumped drainage in the wet tropics is not economic, certainly not for tree crops. These abandoned not drainable peat soils are not suitable anymore for any use, also not for forestry.

CONSERVATION OF SOIL•Soil conservation is the prevention of soil from erosion or reduced fertility caused by overuse, acidification, salinization or other chemical soil contamination. slash-and-burn and other unsustainable methods of subsistence farming are practiced in some lesser developed areas. A sequel to the deforestation is typically large scale erosion, loss of soil nutrients and sometimes total desertification.