Bicol University

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY

Department of Agricultural Science
Guinobatan, Albay
A.Y. 2021-2022

LABORATORY 1:
OBSERVING SOIL PROFILE AROUND YOU

Submitted by:
DENICE NATALIE REPIQUE
III-BS in Agriculture

Submitted to:
VIGILIA ARMENDI, PhD
Professor VI
Department of Agricultural Science
INTRODUCTION

Soil is defined as a dynamic natural body that is formed from weathering of rocks
and minerals that are composed of organic matter, air and water. It possessed unique
characteristics and properties which were essential for plant growth.

Soil profile description involves two distinct steps; 1) Description of soil properties
and 2) interpretation of those properties by naming horizons. The differentiation of soil
into horizons is a hallmark of soil formation. Even though soils are observed in relatively
small exposures, the goal is to extrapolate findings to soil distribution on the landscape.
Morphological properties of soil that can be observed and measured in the field
constitute soil morphology. These include properties such as color, texture, structure,
consistency, pores, and others. When horizons having the same morphology are
identified, horizon depths (thicknesses) and boundary conditions are recorded in the
description. Soil morphological properties provide the basic data for subsequent horizon
interpretation, so it is important to be as accurate as possible when describing
morphology.

In this activity, we selected a site for soil profiling. Soil profile is the vertical
section of the soil that shows different layers from the surface.

OBJECTIVES

1. To describe the elevation of the site

2. To determine the depth (cm) of each horizon from the selected area.
3. To identify and describe the different layers of horizons; and,
4. To identify the soil organism present.

MATERIALS

1. 4x4 ft pit for soil profile

2. Tape measure/ measuring tape
3. Bolo knife
4. Shovel

PROCEDURES

1. Find the location of the soil study area.

2. Dig a soil pit approximately 4ft deep.
3. Scrape a few centimetres of soil off of the profile to expose a fresh soil face.
4. Observe all of the soil horizons from the bottom to the top of the pit.
5. Start at the top of the profile and observe the characteristics of the soil moving
towards the bottom of the profile. Mark each layer (use a nail or golf tee) at the
top and bottom of each horizon. Be sure there is a consensus regarding the
definition of the layer boundaries.
6. Look carefully at the soil profile for distinguishing characteristics such as color,
texture, shapes, roots, rocks, small dark nodules (called concretions), worms,
small animals, insects, and worm channels. These observations will help to
define the horizons.
7. Measure the top and bottom depth of each horizon beginning at the top (surface)
of the profile. Start with the meter stick or tape measure at 0 cm at the top of the
profile. Note the depths at which each horizon starts and ends.
8. Record the top and bottom depth of each horizon.
9. Categorize each horizon.
 TABLE 1. SOIL MORPHOLOGY

LAYER HORIZON BOUNDARY DEPTH PORES COLOR ROOTS ORGANISM/S TEXTURE STUCTURE C
(cm)

Feel
Small medium
Size= <1 mm 10 native course
1 O Wavy 0-10cm No.=>17 Blackish- 13 earthworm Fine
brown >0.5 mm Ribbon aggregates
Porosity <10 red ants course
>%0
Roll
medium
course

Feel
Small medium
Size= <1 mm 8 native course
2 A1 Wavy 10-40 No.=>30 Brown 10 earthworm Granular
cm >0.5 mm Ribbon
Porosity 1 hopper course
>60%
Roll
medium
course

Feel
Small fine
Size= <1 mm
3 A2 Wavy No.=>30 Blocky
 40-65 Light No roots No organisms Ribbon
cm Porosity brown found in this found in this medium
<50% layer/horizon layer/horizon course

Roll
Fine

Feel
65-77 Medium Rusty No roots No organisms course
4 B Wavy cm Size= orange found in this found in this Granular V
>1-2mm layer/horizon layer/horizon Ribbon
No.= >10 course

Porosity Roll
>40% Course

Feel
Small course
Size=>1mm No roots No organisms
77-95 No. =>30 Black found in this found in this Ribbon Granular
5 C Wavy cm layer/horizon layer/horizon course
Porosity
>50% Roll
Course
LAYER NUMBER SOIL PROFILE DESCRIPTION SOIL SURFACE

Layer of black, slightly moist, loose consistency when

1 dry and friable when moist, few small-sized soil and
medium-sized pores, medium, thin and fine roots,
presence of earthworms and ants .

Light brown to grayish, moist, medium coarse texture,

2 fine aggregates structure, consistency loose when dry,
friable when moist, low porosity, some medium roots,
presence of earthworms, hopper and ants.

Layer of light brown to brown, moist, fine and medium

3 coarse texture, blocky structure, extremely firm
consistency when dry, very friable when moist, low
porosity, no roots and organisms found in this layer.

Layers of rusty reddish to orange, wet, coarse texture,

4 granular structure, very friable consistency, low
porosity, no roots and organisms found in this layer.

Brownish to black, wet, coarse texture, very sandy soil

have no structure, consistency loose when dry and
5 gritty when wet, high porosity, no roots and organisms
found in this layer.
SOIL PROFILE MORPHOLOGY
 The study of soil profile examines the description of the soil type, and as an
indication of its agricultural usefulness. The description when associated with other
physical properties of soil such as color, texture, structure, and consistency can give a
good picture of the appearance of soil.

In this laboratory activity, the site used in soil profiling was cultivated flatland; the
area must have been cropped with food crops but not that intensively. There were five
soil horizons discovered while defining the soil profile in the proposed region. The
physical features and morphology of the five horizons differ from each other. The color
of the top or the first layer has been the topsoil thus given a uniform black to grayish
color, while the A1 horizon has a color of light brown to grayish, the A2 horizon has
almost similar color with A1 horizon which light brown to brown color, for the horizon B
which is the subsoil with the color of rusty reddish to orange in appearance, the last
horizon which is the horizon C, the sandy layer of the soil profile has a color of brownish
to black in appearance. The depth of the O horizon is from 0-10 centimeters, A1 horizon
10 to 40 centimeters, A2 from 40 to 65 centimeters, B horizon from 65 to 77 centimeters
and lastly, horizon C from 77 to 95 centimeters deep. The texture of the soil in each
layer was texted in three different method - the feel, roll, and ribbon method. The texture
of the first method in the feel method was medium course, while in the roll and ribbon
method it was coarse-textured. The second horizon’s texture was medium coarse
texture. The third, fourth, and fifth horizon has similar results which are coarse-textured.

Furthermore, the structure of the first horizon is fine aggregates; the second has
granular structure, while the third horizon was blocky and the fourth and fifth horizon
both granular. Soil consistency is measured for wet, moist and dry soil samples. The
first, second and third layer were all friable in both moist and wet methods.

The pores, boundary, moisture, roots, and the presence of soil organisms were
also shown in the activity. The pores are classified into to size the small and big pores.
And each layer/ or horizon has a different number of pores depending on the soil type
available in each horizon. The next characteristic was the layer’s shape and it will be
determined by the boundary. The boundary of all five horizons was all wavy. In addition,
the moisture of the first, second, and third layer was moist while the fourth and fifth layer
was wet.

The presence of roots is only found in the first and second horizon. The first
horizon has 13 roots with measurements of less than 0.5 mm, while in the second
horizon, 5 roots are found in this layer. Aside from the presence of roots in the first and
second horizon, other soil organisms like earthworms, hoppers, and ants are also found
in these two horizons. In the first horizon there were ten native earthworms and ten
black ants found, while in the second horizon, the soil organisms present were eight
native earthworms and one hopper.
 SOIL SAMPLES

Soil Sample horizon O Soil Sample horizon A1 Soil Sample Horizon A2

Soil Sample Horizon B Soil Sample Horizon C

DOCUMENTATIONS