SOIL LEC.

- The soil chemistry

- Peat soil- composed of 95% organic matter
- Two categories of the soil components: (1) Abiotic factors refer to non-living physical and
chemical elements in the ecosystem. Abiotic resources are usually obtained from the
lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. Examples of abiotic factors are water,
air, soil, sunlight, and minerals. (2) Biotic factors are living or once-living organisms in
the ecosystem.
- Abiotic and biotic makes up the components of the soil

DISTINCTIVE LAYER OF THE SOIL

- A layer that is called HORIZON, is a product of complex interactions between processes the
develop during weathering. The rainwater that percolates through the soil bring dissolved and
colloidal solids to lower horizons where they are deposited

6 LAYERS OF THE SOIL

- SURFACE LAYERS – organic debris, partly decomposed (O Horizons). The O Horizons is thin in
some soils, thick in others, and not present at all in others.
- TOP SOIL – mineral particles mixed with organic material (A Horizons). Good material for plants
and other organisms to live. Upper and outermost layer of the soil
- SUBSOIL – Rich in minerals that leached (moved down) from A-E then accumulate there,
compounds draining from above accumulate (B Horizons).
- PARENT MATERIAL – partly weathered rock (C Horizon). The deposit at Earth’s surface from
which the soil developed
- BEDROCK – A mass of rock such as granite, basalt, quartzite, limestone, or sandstone that forms
the parents for some soils – if the bedrock is close enough to the surface to weather. This is not
soil and located under (R Horizon)

WATER AND AIR IN SOIL

- Large quantity of water is vital for the production if most plant

- Solid, liquid, Gas- 3 states of matter
- TRANSPIRATION – plants removes CO2 from the atmosphere and add Oxygen by photosynthesis
- plants use transpiration as a cooling system
- Respiration – opposite process of transpiration
- Happens in the mitochondria in the presence of oxygen also known as aerobic respiration
- Water present in larger spaces of soil is relatively more available to plants and readily drains
away
- Clay particles absorbed water on its surface
- The smaller the pores between unit layers of the soil, the stronger for it to hold the water
- As the water becomes saturated, there will be dire changes on plants
- Plants requires enough amount of air for plants to grow healthy.
- Rice dont grow on soaked water.
THE INORGANIC COMPONENTS OF SOIL
-produced weathering are produced from weathering of parent rock and minerals.
-Inorganic colloid play a role in detoxification of substances that could harm plants because
these colloids often absorb toxic substances in soils.
THE MOST ELEMENTS ON EARTH’s surface are:
-O, Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Na, K, Mg- minerals composed of these elements particularly O and Si
constitute most of the mineral fraction of the soil.

COMMON SOIL MINERAL CONSTITUENTS

-Finely divided quartz (SiO2)
-Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8)
-Albite (NaAlSi3O8
-Epidote (Ca2) (Al2Fe3+) (SiO2) (SiO4) O (OH)
-Goethite (Fe3O4)
-Ca ang Mg CO3 (CaCO3), MgCO3)
-And Oxides of Mn and Ti

ORGANIC MATTER IN SOIL

-determines the soil productivity
-consist of plant or animal tissue in various of breakdown

IMPORTANCE OF SOIL IN ORGANIC MATTER

-Source of food Microorganism
- Undergoes ion exchange chemical reaction
- contribute in weathering of mineral matter

WHERE DO ORGANIC MATTER ACCUMULATE

-Accumulates on cold temp. places
-Builds- up in wet or waterlogged soil more

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN SOIL

-HUMUS- degradation-resistant, Residue from plant decay, Largely C, H and O
- Most Abundant Organic Compound
- Improves soil
- Exchange nutrients
- Reservoir of fixed N
FATS, RESINS, AND WAXES- Lipids extractable by organic solvents
- Several Percent of Soil Organic matters
- Affect soil properties by repelling water
- Perhaps phytotoxic
SACCHARIDES- Cellulose, Starches, Hemi cellulose, Gums
-Major food source for microorganism
-Stabilize soil aggregates
 N-containing Compounds- N bound to Humus, Amino acids, amino sugars and other compounds
- Provide Nitrogen for soil fertility

Phosphorus Compounds- Phosphate Esters, Phytic Acid, Phospholipid

-Source of plants Phosphate

SOIL HUMUS

-HUMUS- dark, organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal materials decay.

- A water- insoluble material that biodegrades very slowly, makes up the bulk of soil organic
matter.
HUMIC AND FULVIC ACIDS- it is base soluble fraction which are organic material that remains in the
acidified solution.
HUMIN- It is an Insoluble fraction which is the residue left when bacteria and fungi biodegradable plant
material.
HUMID SUBSTANCES- small percentage in soil composition
- Serves as buffer in soil
- Increase the water holding capacity of soil and hold micronutrient metal ions in soil.
- Stabilize the soil particles that can increase the sorption of organic compounds by soil.
THE SOIL SOLUTION- includes dissolved matter from the chemical and biochemical processes in soil and
from the exchange with the hydrosphere and the biosphere.
-transport chemical species in and out the soil particles
- pathway for the exchange of water and plant nutrients between roots and soils

SOLUTES PRESENT SOILS AND SALTS

CATIONS- H+, CA2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+
ANIONS-HCO3-, CO-, HSO4-, SO42-, Cl-, F-
The Fe2+, Mn 2+, Al3+, cations are generally present in hydrolyzed forms or bound with humid
substances.

ACID-BASE AND ION-EXCHANGE REACTION IN SOILS

- Mineral and organic portions of soils both exchange cations.

CATIONS EXCHANGE IN SOIL- mechanism by which K, Ca, Mg and essential trace level metals are made
available to plants, when Hydrogen ions is exchanged for Metal Ions.
ADJUSTMENT OF SOIL ACIDITY- most common plants grows best in soil with a PH near Neutrality. If the
soil becomes to acidic for optimum plant growth, it may be restored to productivity by liming through
the addition of CaCO3

EXCHANGE CAPACITY
- Is essentially, the extent to which a unit mass of soil can exchange a mass of a certain ion of
interest
- Exchange capacity is an important characteristic of soil in terms of its ability to leach ions such as
Mg, Ca, N03 and P03
SORPTION- essentially the attachment of a chemical to either the mineral or organic portions of soils
particles and includes both adsorption and absorption

MACRONUTRIENTS IN SOIL
-MACRONUTRIENTS- elements occur in substantial level in plant biomass and fluids
ESSENTIAL MACRO- C, H, O, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S

SULFUR- Absorbed by the plants as Sulfate ion SO4-2

-Essential Amino Acid is one of the greatest component of sulfur and It also contains thiamin
and biotin. Lack of Sulfur in soil don’t improve the growth of the plants.
- SO4-2 is present in soil as immobilized insoluble sulfate or as soluble salts.

ORGANIC NITROGEN- biodegradation of dead plants and animals produced 90% of organic N then can
be hydrolyzed by bacterial activities.

NITROGEN- the most plentiful element in Earth’s atmosphere and is a constituent of all living matter.
- Essential component of living organism
- Known as nitrate ion
- Nitrogen rich soils are nutritious for the growth of plant

INORGANIC NITROGEN- From fertilizers to rainwater

 - Additional advantage that its rate of decay then can release nitrogen to plants, roughly parallel
for plant growth

PHOSPHORUS
- Significant components in plants
- Dihydrogen Phosphate ion (H2PO- 4)
- Hydrogen phosphate (HPO2- 4)
- Orthophosphate
POTASSIUM
- Activate some enzymes
- Important for Carbohydrate transformation
- Lack of potassium can reduce crop yields
- K may become a limiting nutrient in heavily fertilized soils with other nutrients.

MICRONUTRIENT IN SOIL
ESSENTILA PLANT MICRONUTRIENTS:
- Boron
- Cl
- Cu
- Fe
- Mn
- Mb (nitrogen fixation)
- Zn
- Low levels are needed by the plants but higher level of micronutrients can be toxic to plants.
- Serve as a component of essential enzymes
- Photosynthesis involved Mn, Fe, Cl, and Zn
Fe & Mn- occur in number of soils
Na & Cl- occurs naturally in soil
Other – Found in primary (unweather) minerals in soil

THE CHEMISTRY OF SOIL

FERTILIZERS- major components of crops fertilizer are N, P and K

The organic fertilizers must under go biodegradable to release the simple organic species.
BIODGRADATION- Process which organic substances are broken down into smaller compounds by living
organism
SOIL POLLUTION

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SOIL
GREEN CHEMISTRY AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENTS
MOLARITY
REACTIONS OF BASES AND ACIDS IN WATER
REACTION OF BASES IN WATER
PH and the Environment