Soil is the loose surface material that covers most land.

It consists of inorganic
particles and organic matter. Soil provides the structural support to plants used in
agriculture and is their source of water and nutrients. Soils vary greatly in their chemical
and physical properties. Processes such as leaching, weathering and microbial activity
combine to make a whole range of different soil types. Each type has particular strengths
and weaknesses for agricultural production.

How is soil produced? Soil minerals form the basis of soil. They are produced from
rocks (parent material) through the processes of weathering and natural erosion. Water,
wind, temperature change, gravity, chemical interaction, living organisms and pressure
differences all help break down parent material. The types of parent materials and the
conditions under which they break down will influence the properties of the soil formed.
For example, soils formed from granite are often sandy and infertile whereas basalt under
moist conditions breaks down to form fertile, clay soils. Soil is a natural resource that can
be categorized into different soil types, each with distinct characteristics that provide
growing benefits and limitations.

Soil can be categorized into sand, clay, silt, peat, chalk and loam types of soil
based on the dominating size of the particles within a soil. Sandy Soil is light, warm, dry
and tends to be acidic and low in nutrients. Sandy soils are often known as light soils due
to their high proportion of sand and little clay (clay weighs more than sand). These soils
have quick water drainage and are easy to work with. They are quicker to warm up in
spring than clay soils but tend to dry out in summer and suffer from low nutrients that
are washed away by rain. The addition of organic matter can help give plants an
additional boost of nutrients by improving the nutrient and water holding capacity of the
soil. Clay Soil is a heavy soil type that benefits from high nutrients. Clay soils remain wet
and cold in winter and dry out in summer. These soils are made of over 25 percent clay,
and because of the spaces found between clay particles, clay soils hold a high amount of
water. Because these soils drain slowly and take longer to warm up in summer, combined
with drying out and cracking in summer, they can often test gardeners. Silt Soil is a light
and moisture retentive soil type with a high fertility rating. As silt soils compromise of
medium sized particles they are well drained and hold moisture well. As the particles are
fine, they can be easily compacted and are prone to washing away with rain. By adding
organic matter, the silt particles can be bound into more stable clumps. Peat soil is high
in organic matter and retains a large amount of moisture. This type of soil is very rarely
found in a garden and often imported into a garden to provide an optimum soil base for
planting. Chalk soil can be either light or heavy but always highly alkaline due to the
calcium carbonate (lime) within its structure. As these soils are alkaline they will not
support the growth of ericaceous plants that require acidic soils to grow. If a chalky soil
shows signs of visible white lumps then they can’t be acidified and gardeners should be
resigned to only choose plants that prefer an alkaline soil. Loam soil is a mixture of sand,
silt and clay that are combined to avoid the negative effects of each type. These soils are
fertile, easy to work with and provide good drainage. Depending on their predominant
composition they can be either sandy or clay loam. As the soils are a perfect balance of
soil particles, they are considered to be a gardeners best friend, but still benefit from
topping up with additional organic matter.

Soil erosion is a gradual process that occurs when the impact of water or wind
detaches and removes soil particles, causing the soil to deteriorate. Soil deterioration and
low water quality due to erosion and surface runoff have become severe problems
worldwide. The problem may become so severe that the land can no longer be cultivated
and must be abandoned. Many agricultural civilizations have declined due to land and
natural resource mismanagement, and the history of such civilizations is a good reminder
to protect our natural resources. Erosion is a serious problem for productive agricultural
land and for water quality concerns. Controlling the sediment must be an integral part of
any soil management system to improve water and soil quality. Eroded topsoil can be
transported by wind or water into streams and other waterways. Sediment is a product
of land erosion and derives largely from sheet and rill erosion from upland areas, and to
a lesser degree, from cyclic erosion activity in gullies and drainage ways. The impact of
soil erosion on water quality becomes significant, particularly as soil surface runoff. Soil
erosion by water occurs when bare-sloped soil surface is exposed to rainfall, and the
rainfall intensity exceeds the rate of soil intake, or infiltration rate, leading to soil-surface
runoff. Soil erosion can occur in two stages: 1) detachment of soil particles by raindrop
impact, splash, or flowing water; and 2) transport of detached particles by splash or
flowing water. Therefore, soil erosion is a physical process requiring energy, and its
control requires certain measures to dissipate this energy. The hydrologic processes of
rainfall and runoff play an essential role in water erosion. The amount and rate of surface
runoff can affect erosion and sediment transport. Thus, soil conservation practices are
important in reducing soil erosion.

Weathering describes the means by which soil, rocks and minerals are changed by
physical and chemical processes into other soil components. Weathering is an integral
part of soil development. Depending on the soil-forming factors in an area, weathering
may proceed rapidly over a decade or slowly over millions of years.

The development of a soil reflects the weathering process associated with the
dynamic environment in which it has formed. Five soil-forming factors have been
identified that influence the development of a specific soil. Wherever these five factors
have been the same on the landscape, the soil will be the same. However, if one or more
of the factors differ, the soils will be different. The factors are: Parent material, Climate,
Living organisms, Topography, and Time. Parent material is made of rock and minerals.
When the other four soil-forming factors act on parent material, it is weathered into
smaller particles forming soil. Nebraska’s climate is quite variable and influences soil
development. Precipitation, in particular, ranges from an average of 33 inches per year
in southeastern Nebraska to 15 inches per year in western Nebraska. The amount of
water entering a soil influences the movement of calcium and other chemical compounds
in the soil. Ultimately, if more chemicals are removed, the soils will be deeper and more
developed. Precipitation influences vegetation and, therefore, greatly determines the
organic matter content of soils. Because of greater precipitation in eastern Nebraska,
native vegetation included luxuriant growth of the tallgrass prairie. In western Nebraska
where precipitation is about half that in the east, plants of the shortgrass prairies grow
much less abundantly. Thus, soil organic matter content is greater in the east than in the
west. The most abundant living organism in the soil is vegetation. Vegetation influences
the kind of soil developed because plants differ in their root systems, size, above ground
vegetative volume, nutrient content and life cycle. Soils formed under trees are greatly
different from soils formed under grass even though other soil-forming factors are similar.
Trees and grass vary considerably in their search for food and water and for chemicals
taken up by roots and deposited in or on top of the soil when tree leaves and grass blades
die. Variations in topography affect moisture and temperature relations. While Nebraska
is considered to be in the Great Plains, the topography within its borders varies greatly.
From a broad perspective, the state can be divided into regions encompassing valleys,
sand hills, plains, rolling hills, dissected plains, bluffs and escarpments, and valley-side
slopes. Each of these topographic regions has some common features that affect soil
formation. Soils have been referred to as young, mature, and old, depending on the
degree of weathering. A mature soil is in equilibrium with its environment and shows full
development of layers or horizons in its profile.

To sum up everything that has been mentioned, all living things - animals, plants,
and vegetation need soil to survive. Although soil is slowly formed, it is also quickly
destroyed. We must therefore take care to protect it.
References

 https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management/soil/what-is-
soil#:~:text=Soil%20is%20the%20loose%20surface,their%20chemical%20and
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 https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/management/soil/soil-
explained/forms#:~:text=They%20are%20produced%20from%20rocks,help%2
0break%20down%20parent%20material
 https://www.boughton.co.uk/products/topsoils/soil-types/
 https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/soil-erosion-agricultural-
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challenge#:~:text=Soil%20erosion%20is%20a%20gradual,have%20become%2
0severe%20problems%20worldwide.
 https://passel2.unl.edu/view/lesson/c62dc027ae56/1#:~:text=Weathering%20d
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,The%20means%20by%20which%20soil%2C%20rocks%20and%20minerals%2
0are%20changed,integral%20part%20of%20soil%20development.