SST3005

Basic Soil Science

Adibah Mohd. Amin, Ph.D
Department of Land Management
Faculty of Agriculture
adibahamin@upm.edu.my
 LECTURE 5

Soil Physical Properties

(Soil Texture & Structure)

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 2

TEXTURE
Soil Texture = % sand, silt and clay in a soil

• Texture is the single most

important physical
properties. It can give you
information on:
• 1) water flow potential,

• 2) water holding capacity

• 3) potential fertility,

• 4) suitability for various uses like

support capacity
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 3

TEXTURE
 Texture

• Percent sand, silt, clay in

a soil
• Important to understand
behavior and management
of soil
• Texture does not change
in field but can be
changed in potted
mixture.
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 4

TEXTURE
 Particle diameter size

• Soil particle has range of

diameter in 6 folds
• 2 m boulders
• Coarse fragments > 2 mm
• Sand 0.05 mm to < 2 mm
• Silt 0.002 mm to < 0.05
mm
• Clay < 0.002 mm (2 m)
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 5

TEXTURE
 Coarse Fragments
• > 2 mm
• Gravels, cobbles,
boulders
• Not included in
the “fine earth
fraction” (soil
texture refers to
“fine earth
fraction” or sand,
silt and clay)
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 6

TEXTURE
 Sand

• Low specific surface area

• Low nutrient content for
plant
• Pores between particles
permit free flow and
aeration
• Hold low water and easily
dry
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 7

TEXTURE
 Silt

• 0.002 mm to < 0.05 mm

• Can be seen without
microscope
• Usually dominated by quartz
because other minerals have
been weathered

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 8

TEXTURE
 Silt

• Not feel gritty

• Floury feel – smooth as
talcum powder
• Wet silt does not
stick/plastic

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 9

TEXTURE
 Silt

• Smaller size made easier for

non quartz mineral to
weather
• Small particle – holds more
water for plants and
drainage slower than sand.
• Easily wash out by flowing
water – easily eroded
• Hold higher plant nutrients
than sand
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 10

TEXTURE
• Silt is responsible
for the
sedimentation on
boulders in river bed
that are needed by
fish to lay eggs.

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 11

TEXTURE
 Clay
• < 0.002 mm
• Flatty pellets or small
crumbs
• Smaller clay particles (< 1 µ )
are called colloid < 1 µ
• Will not settled down when
in water
• High specific surface area
• spoonfull = football field

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 12

TEXTURE
 Clay

• Wet clay very sticky and

plastic or it can be mould
into various shapes.
• Easily formed in ribbon
• Shrink-swell – from none to
some extend depends on
clay types.
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 13

TEXTURE
 Clay
• Pore spaces small
• Water and air movement very
slow
• Water holding capacity
• Very high capacity to adsorp
water – but not all of this
water are available for plant
• Soil strength – shrink-swell
affects buildings, highways
and walls.
• Chemical adsorption very
high Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 14

TEXTURE
 USDA Texture Class
• Sandy soils (coarse)
• Fine sand
• Very fine sand

• Loamy soils (medium)

• Clayey soils (fine)

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 15

TEXTURE
 Textural Triangle

ay

Pe
Cl Clay

rce
40
nt

nt
55
rc e

S
Pe

ilt
Silty
Sandy Clay
60
35 Clay Silty Clay
Sandy Clay Clay Loam Loam
Loam 75
20
Loam Silt Loam
10 Sandy Loam 90
Loamy
Sand Sand
Silt
70 50 20
Percent Sand
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 16

TEXTURE
 Sandy soils

• Coarse texture
• Sand
• Sandy loam
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 17

TEXTURE
 Loamy soils

• Medium coarse
texture
• Sandy loam
• Fine sandy
loam
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 18

TEXTURE
 Loamy soils - Coarse

• Medium texture
• Very fine sandy
loam
• Loam
• Silty Loam
• Silt
19

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005)

TEXTURE
 Loamy soils - Fine

• Medium fine
Textures
• Sandy clay
loam
• Clay loam
• Silty clay
loam 20

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005)

TEXTURE
 Clayey soils

• Fine textured
• Silty clay
• Clay
• Sandy clay
21

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005)

TEXTURE
 Soil texture changes

• In a very long time (1000s

yrs) pedological processes
can change the texture of a
soil horizon.
• When a soil become older,
sand is weathered to silt and
silt is weathered to clay ….
Thus older soils tend to have
higher clay content.

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 22

TEXTURE
 Soil texture changes

• Clay migrate
downward in a soil
profile so subsoil has
higher clay content,
in general.
• Thus “argillic”
horizon is formed
and clay accumulation
zone

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 23

TEXTURE
SOIL STRUCTURE

CRUMBS

Arrangement of soil
particles into groups
called aggregates or PRISMATIC

peds.

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 24

STRUCTURE
 STRUTURE FORMATION

+ FLOCCULATION
(CHEMICAL)

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 25

STRUCTURE
 SURFACE AREA

VS

LARGER
PARTICLES

SMALL PARTICLE
AGGREGATES

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 26

STRUCTURE
 STRUCTURE FORMATION
- ORGANIC AND NON ORGANIC CEMENT

Aggregation

27

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) STRUCTURE

 Soil Structures:
Horizon Permukaan

Spheroid

Crumble
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 28

STRUCTURE
 Massive
Bad Management

Crumbs

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 29

STRUCTURE
Compaction of Surface Horizon

- Flaty Surface -
Compaction

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 30

STRUCTURE
Impact on soil compaction?

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 31

STRUCTURE
 Soil Structures
Subsurface

---- Prismatics ----

Vertically longer
- Horizontal pressure > vertical pressure

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 32

STRUCTURE
 Blocky Structures:
(Subsurface horizon)

• Increased (relative) age equates stress fractures

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 33

STRUCTURE
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 34