Chapter -9

Soil
Formation of Soil

Soil is formed by breakdown of rocks by the action of wind, water, ice and climate. This
process is called Weathering.

The mixture of rock particles and humus is called Soil.

Composition of Soil

Besides, 1) HUMUS on top, the soil is mainly made of different sized rock particles.

2) The smallest rock particles present in the soil form the CLAY.

3) The rock particles in soil which are a little larger than clay form SILT. It occurs as a
deposit in river beds. Floods deposit the silt from rivers in the fields.

4) The rock particles in soil which are larger than silt particles form SAND.

5) The largest sized rock particles present in the soil are called GRAVEL.

(Diagram from the book pg- 97)

Soil Profile

A vertical section through different layers of soil is called Soil Profile. Each layer of the soil
profile is called Horizon.

A-Horizon(Topsoil)

1. This is the uppermost layer of soil and it is rich in Humus and minerals.
2. The rotting dead matter in the soil is called the Humus.
3. It is porous and soft.
4. It retains water.
5. Plants grow on this layer of soil.
6. This layer of soil is home to many insects, worms, rodents, etc.

B- Horizon(Subsoil)

1. Lesser amount of Humus but more of minerals.

2. Harder and more compact.

C-horizon (Weathered rocks/ Sub- Stratum)

1. Made up of small lumps of rocks with cracks and crevices.

2. Partly weathered rocks.
D- Horizon (Bedrock)

1. Made up of parent rock.

2. Difficult to dig beyond this limit, manually.

Diagram of soil profile

Types of soil

Characteristics Sandy Clayey Loamy

Size Large size particles Very small Mixture of large
sand, small clay and
medium silt
particles.
Air space (aeration) Large Very small Sufficient
Percolation rate Very high Low Medium
 Moisture content Low High Medium
Water Absorbency Low High Medium
or
Water holding
capacity
Weight Light Heavy Medium

Properties of Soil

Percolation of water Moisture in soil Absorption of water

(water passing through the soil) (water holding capacity of soil)

Q. What is Percolation?

A. The process of seeping in of water into the ground or soil is called Percolation.

Q. What do you mean by Percolation Rate?

A. Amount of water percolated in a minute through the soil is called Percolation Rate.

Rate of Percolation = Amount of water percolates(ml)

Percolation time (minutes)

Q. What is absorption?
A. Amount of water absorbed by the soil is known as Absorption.

Percentage of water absorbed = U - V x 100

W
Where W- weight of the soil (gram)
U- initial volume of water in measuring cylinder (ml)
V- final volume of water in the measuring cylinder (ml)

Crops and Soil

Type of soil Crops grown Reason
Clayey Paddy, wheat Paddy requires lot of water,
organic matter. Wheat
requires organic matter.
Loamy Lentils (masoor), other Drains water easily.
pulses, cereals, cotton,
Sandy Palm, date, cotton Drains water easily, can hold
plenty of air.
EXPERIMENT 1

AIM- To find out the rate of percolation of water through the soil.

MATERIALS REQUIRED- A plastic bottle, a cutter, a beaker and a stopwatch.

PROCEDURE-

1) Take a plastic bottle and cut its base to make a hollow pipe.
2) Place this bottle about 2cm deep in the ground.
3) Make 5 groups to record observations at five different locations.
4) Take 200ml water in a beaker and pour it slowly into each bottletaking care not to let the
water spill over.
5) Keep a stopwatch ready. Start it as soon as you start pouring water into the bottle.
6) Note the time taken for water to percolate in the ground.

CALCULATIONS

Rate of percolation = amount of water percolates(ml)

Percolation time (minutes)
OBSERVATION TABLE
Group no. Amount of water Percolation time Rate of
percolation(ml/min)
GROUP 1
GROUP 2
GROUP3
GROUP4
GROUP 5
CONCLUSION
Rate of percolation is the highest for Group _______ that is ______ml/min and is the
lowest for Group _____ that is ______ml/min.

EXPERIMENT 2

AIM- To find out the water absorbency of the soil(water absorbed by the soil)and the
percentage of water absorbed.

MATERIAL REQUIRED- Funnel, filter paper, beaker, measuring cylinders, dropper and the
samples of soil.

PROCEDURE-

1) Take a funnel. Take filter paper, fold and place it in the funnel.
2) Weigh 50 grams of dry soil and pour it into the funnel.
3) Measure a certain amount of water in a measuring cylinder and pour it drop by drop on
the soil using a dropper. Do not let all the water fall at one spot.
4) Keep pouring water till it starts dripping.

CALCULATIONS

Water absorbency of the soil:

Weight of the soil = 50gram=W

Initial volume of water in measuring cylinder= U ml

Final volume of water in measuring cylinder= V ml

Amount of water absorbed = U-Vml

Water absorbency= U-V

W
Percentage of water absorbed by the soil = U-V X 100
W

OBSERVATION TABLE

Soil Sample Initial volume Final volume of Weight of soil % of water

of water (U ml) water (V ml) (g) absorbed U-Vx100
W
SOIL 1
(Sandy soil)
SOIL 2
(Loamy soil)
SOIL 3
(Clayey soil)

CONCLUSION
Percentage of water absorbed by the soil is more in ________________ soil .
_________ soil < _____________ soil < ____________ soil

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