GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. Discuss at least five importance of soil.

Soil plays a crucial role in our society, in its various field and way.
-First, soil serves as an agricultural land or growing medium which supports the crop and fiber
food production industry.
-Second, soil serves as one of the main component in water system which its main function is to
filter and to purify water.
-Third, soil serves as a pasture or land used for grazing cattle and other farm animals and a
habitat for many small organisms such as earthworms and ants and even essential microbes.
-Fourth, soil serves as a holding facility for solid waste and an essential material for trench
composting under waste management.
-And last, soil serves as the physical foundation of infrastructure industry such as in the
construction of houses buildings, roads and highways and other infrastructures.

2. Discuss the relationship of Geology and Soil science.

In terms of study, Soil Science and Geology is related with each other for those two discipline shared
common interest in some ways. Like, both field of discipline, studies the soil formation, classification,
mapping and morphology. To be specific, one of the main focuses of Geology is Geomorphology (study
of landforms) where, it somehow refers to Topography and Parent materials which have both geologic
connections and in Soil Science, Topography and Parent materials were both recognized as Soil-forming
factors. Therefore, both are related with each other but Geologists do not connect their soil study in the
field of agriculture unlike those Soil Scientists.

3. Discuss how important the components of soil to plant growth.

There are four main components of soil and those are; Minerals, Water, Air and Organic Matter.
Each of the component of the soil has its own importance to the plant growth.

-First, Soil minerals influence the soil’s capability to preserve essential nutrients that will aid to plant
growth.

-Second, Soil water transports dissolved nutrients, and other soil amino acids that retain the plants’
turgidity structure and growth.

-Third, Soil air is needed by many microorganisms that release plant nutrients. In other words, the
availability of various nutrients depends on soil air through the process of soil aeration.

- Last, Soil Organic matter creates an aggregates or soil accumulation out from those soil mineral
particles that boost more to provide nutrients from soil to plants.