5.1.

Introduction to Soil
Systems
Gözde Tekin Demirci
TED Ankara College Private High School

gdemirci@tedankara.k12.tr
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5.1. Introduction to Soil Systems

5. Soil Systems and Society
5.1. Introduction to Soil Systems
5.2. Terrestrial Food Production Systems and Food Choices
5.3. Soil Degradation and Conservation
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5.1. Introduction to Soil Systems

Significant Ideas
● Soil system is a dynamic ecosystem that has inputs, outputs, storages and flows.
● The quality of soil influences the primary productivity of an area
Application and Skills
● Outline the transfers, transformations, inputs, outputs, flows and storages within soil systems.
● Explain how soil can be viewed as an ecosystem.
● Compare and contrast the structure and properties of sand, clay and loam soils, with reference
to a soil texture diagram, including their effect on primary productivity
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What is soil?

Soil, the biologically active, porous medium that has developed in the uppermost layer
of Earth’s crust.

Soil is one of the principal substrata of life on Earth, serving as a reservoir of water and nutrients,
as a medium for the filtration and breakdown of injurious wastes, and as a participant in the
cycling of carbon and other elements through the global ecosystem. (by Garrison Sposito , Professor of
Ecosystem Sciences University of California at Berkeley)
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What is soil?

Soil is a complex ecosystem that contains:

• Minerals
• Organic material
• Gases
• Liquids
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What is soil?

Soil is a dynamic ecosystem that has inputs, outputs, storages and flows.
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What is soil?

Soils are important to humans in many ways:

• Soil is the medium for plant growth, which most of foods for humans are grown in
• Soil stores freshwater, 0.005% of world’s freshwater
• Soil filters materials added to the soil, keeping quality water
• Recycling of nutrients takes place in the soil when dead organic matter is broken down
• Soil is the habitat for billions of micro-organisms, as well as other larger animals
• Porous medium, 50:50 mix of solids and pore spaces
• Soil provides raw material in the forms of peat, clay, sands, gravel and minerals
• Soil store and transfer heat so it affects atmospheric temperature
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What is soil?

Soil composition:
• Highly porous medium, 50:50 mix of solids and pore spaces
• Soil is a mixture of rock particles, minerals, decayed organic material, air and water.
• The type of rock particles and minerals in any given soil depends on two factors:
• Bedrock that was weathered
• Type of weathering
• Sand, silt, and clay make up the portion of soil that comes from weathered rock.
• The decayed organic material in soil is humus. Humus is a dark-colored substance
that forms as plant and animal remains decay. Humus helps create spaces in soil for
the air and water that plants must have
• Water seeping down from precipitation or moving upfrom underground sources
• Air mainly contains oxygen and nitrogen.
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What is soil?
Fraction Constituents Function
Rock particles Insoluble- eg. gravel, sand, silt, clay, chalk Provides skeleton of the soil
Soluble- eg. mineral salts, compounds of nitrogen, Derived from the underlying rock or from rock particles
phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, magnesium etc. transported to the environment
Humus Plant and animal matter in the process of Gives the soil a dark color
decomposition As it breaks down, it returns mineral nutrients back to the soil
Absorbs and holds on to a large amount of water
Water Water Dissolved mineral salts move through the soil and so become
available to plants
Rapid downward movement of water causes leaching of minerals
Rapid upward movement of water can cause salination
Large volumes of water in the soil can cause waterlogging leading
to anoxic conditions and acidification
Air Well-aerated soils provide oxygen for the respiration of soil
organisms and plant roots.
Soil Organisms Soil invertebrates, microorganisms, and large Large particles of dead organis nmatter are broken down by soil
animals. invertebrates into smaller particles
Smaller particles are decomposed by soil microorganisms thus
recycling mineral nutrients
Larger burrowing soil animals help to mix and aerate soil
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What is soil?

Soil Components
● Soils consist of four major
components:
▪ mineral (or inorganic),
▪ organic,
▪ water
▪ air.
● The relative proportions of these four
soil components vary with soil type
and climatic conditions.
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Soil profile

• A Soil Profile is a vertical cross-section of layers of soil found in a given area.

• Soil is composed of distinct layer which are called soil horizons, which together from soil
profile.
• The soil profile are characteristic of mature soil.
• Layers, varies in thickness, colors, texture, structure, acidity, porosity and composition.
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Soil profile
● O -(humus or organic) Mostly organic matter such as decomposing
leaves. The O horizon is thin in some soils, thick in others, and not
present at all in others.
● A -(topsoil) Mostly minerals from parent material with organic matter
incorporated. A good material for plants and other organisms to live.
● E - (eluviated) - Leached of clay, minerals, and organic matter, leaving a
concentration of sand and silt particles of quartz or other resistant
materials – missing in some soils but often found in older soils and forest
soils.
● B - (subsoil) Rich in minerals that leached (moved down) from the A or E
horizons and accumulated here.
● C - (parent material) The deposit at Earth’s surface from which the soil
developed.
● R - (bedrock) A mass of rock such as granite, basalt, quartzite, limestone
or sandstone that forms the parent material for some soils – if the
bedrock is close enough to the surface to weather. This is not soil and is
located under the C horizon.
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Soil profile

• Translocations: Movement of soil constituents (organic or mineral ) within the profile and/or between horizons.

• Leaching: Leaching occurs when water flowing vertically through the soil, transports nutrients in solution
downward in the soil profile. Many of these nutrients can be completely lost from the soil profile if carried into
groundwater and then horizontally transported into rivers, lakes, or oceans.
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Soil profile

• Salinization refers to a build up of salts in soil, eventually to toxic levels for

plants.
• decreased the osmotic potential of the soil
• plants can't take up water from soil
• the soil has greater concentrations of solute than does the root
• Problems with salinization are most commonly associated with
excessive water application,
• All irrigation water contains dissolved salts (derived as it passed
over and through the land, and rain water also contains some
salts)
• Very low concentration in the water itself.
• Evaporation of water from the dry surface of the soil leaves the
salts behind
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Soil structure

▪ The mineral portion of soil can be

divided up into three particles based on
size
• Sand
• Silt
• Clay
▪ Most soils consist of a mixture of these
particles
▪ Soil texture depends on their
proportions
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Soil structure

Advantages and Disadvantages of Clay soils

Advantages
▪ Good water holding capacity
▪ Rich in plant nutrients
Disadvantages
▪ Water does not drain through readily
▪ Holds more water,
▪ Slow to warm up in spring
▪ Puddle when wet and set like concrete when dry
▪ Expensive to cultivate due to low fertility
▪ In high rainfall areas may develop an iron pan or a clay pan which leads to water logging
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Soil structure

Silt consists of particles in size between sand and clay

▪ Has a slippery or silky feel
▪ Pure silt soils erode easily as they do not have good structure
▪ Have properties between sandy and clay soils
▪ Silt soils have the ability to retain large amounts of moisture
▪ Silt soils are well aerated
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Soil structure

Advantages and Disadvantages of Sandy Soils

Advantages
▪ Warm up earlierLess damaged by compaction
▪ Less expensive to cultivate
Disadvantages
▪ Dry out quickly
▪ Low water storage capacity so crops growing on them suffer droughts,
▪ Too well aerated, this tends to destroy organic matter
▪ Tends to be more leached (nutrients leave the soil with the movement of water)
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Comparison of sand, silt and clay

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Soil structure

▪ Soil texture depends on the proportion

of sand, clay and silt.
▪ Pebbles and stones (larger than 2mm in
diameter) not considered in soil texture
▪ Soil texture is an important property of
soil as it determines the soil’s fertility
and the primary productivity
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Soil structure

Loam soils contain sand, silt and clay in balance

▪ Do not feel gritty when rubbed between the fingers
▪ Have properties between sandy soils and clay soils
▪ The sand particles ensure good drainage and a good air supply to the roots.
▪ The clay retains water and supply nutrients so they are fertile.
▪ The silt particles help to hold the sand and clay particles together.
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Porosity, permeability, pH

▪ Porosity is the pore space in soil between mineral particles (and solid organic matter) filled
with either air or water.
▫ Good water holding capacity of clay due to having high porosity
▪ Soil permeability is “the ease with which gases, liquids or plant roots penetrate or pass
through a bulk mass of soil or a layer of soil” (Glossary of Soil Science Terms, 1997).
▫ Low fertility of clay due to low permeability
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Porosity, permeability, pH

▪ Acidification of soils:
▫ clay binds to soil water tightly while releasing H+ ions so soil is more acidic
▫ K, Mg, NH4 lost through leaching due to not holding on clay (water is holding on there)
▫ With the leaching of them, soil pH reduces,
▫ Aliminium and iron ions become more available to plants but they are plant toxins.
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Soil sustainability

▪ Fertile soil is a non-renewable resource

▪ Natural soil renewal rate is represents the natural rate at which soil regain their fertility
▫ Natural soil renewal rate: 0,05- 0,1 mm soil per year under best conditions (wet, temperate climate)
▪ Fertile soil has NPK (nitrates, phosphates and potassium) as main nutrients and there are many other
micronutrients
▪ Those nutrients are leached when a crop is harvested
▪ Replacement of nutrients in soil is done by
▫ adding chemical fertilizers
▫ growing legumes
▫ crop rotation
▫ application of organic matter (manure, compose, etc)