BECA 2033 SOIL

SCIENCE
DR HARTINEE BINTI ABBAS
 CHAPTER 3: SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
3.1 Soil colour  WHY SOIL PROPERTIES IS
IMPORTANT?
3.2 Soil texture
 The physical properties of the soil are very
3.3 Soil structure important for agricultural production
and the sustainable use of soil. The
3.4 Particle density amount and rate of water, oxygen, and
nutrient absorption by plants depend on
3.5 Bulk density the ability of the roots to absorb the soil
solution as well as the ability of the soil to
3.6 Soil porosity supply it to the roots.
 SOIL COLOR
 The colour of the soil is usually the first thing people notice.
 Mostly this is just the topsoil but it does not reflect the
entire soil. The topsoil is usually darker than lower layers
(or horizons) because this is where organic matter
accumulates.
 Soil colour is usually due to 3 main pigments:
• black—from organic matter
• red—from iron and aluminium oxides
• white—from silicates and salt.
 Colour can be a useful indicator of some of the general
properties of a soil, as well as some of the chemical
processes that are occurring beneath the surface.
 SOIL TEXTURE
 Soil texture refers to the proportion of sand, silt and clay sized particles that make up
the mineral fraction of the soil. For example, light soil refers to a soil high in sand
relative to clay, while heavy soils are made up largely of clay.
 Texture is the “feel” of your soil. .
 Soil is classified into four types:
Whether it feels coarse, gritty,
 Sandy soil.
smooth, or sticky, depends on the
size of the particles; sand having  Silt Soil.
larger particles and clay having  Clay Soil.
small particles.  Loamy Soil

 Soil Texture Classes-The United

States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) has identified twelve (12)
soil texture classes as follows:
SOIL TEXTURE TEST
1. Fill the jar with soil about a quarter full.
 The Jar Method 2. Add one teaspoon, about 5 ml. of Borax or Calgon if you have some. The
Borax or Calgon helps the clay settle out of your soil sample.
3. Shake the jar really well for five minutes or so. This will make sure your
aggregates break down into their components.
4. Set your jar in a place where it can sit undisturbed for 24 to 48 hours.

5. Measure total depth of soil in your jar by the time. etc the clay settles out of 50 mm.
And your measurements were 20mm sand in the bottom layer, 17 of silt in the middle and
13 of clay at the top.

From there work out your percentages 40% sand, 34% silt and 26% clay.

With this USDA chart, once you have your percentages, you can name your soil.  You
simply draw three lines for the values you got from your jar measurements and where
they intersect tells you what kind of soil you have.
SOIL TEXTURE TEST  Feel Method

There are three stages to the test…

Stage One - The Ball Test
Some soil will not form into a ball. You can adjust the moisture back and
forth forever and it still is not a ball. This means you have Sandy soil.

Stage Two - The Ribbon Test

If, as you try to form a ribbon, the soil just kind of crumbles you have
Loamy Sand.

If the soil does form a ribbon you just keep pushing the soil out until the
ribbon breaks from its own weight.
    •    Weak Ribbon - an inch or less before breaking
    •    Medium Ribbon - between 1 and 2 inches long before breaking
    •    Strong Ribbon - longer than 2 inches

The ribbon makers move on to Stage three.

Stage Three - Gritty, Smooth or Sticky

What you are looking for is whether the soil feels
    •    Mostly Gritty - like there are bits of sand
    •    Very Smooth - like you are touching flour
    •    Neither gritty nor smooth predominates - might feel sticky
 SOIL STRUCTURE
 Soil structure refers to the grouping of soil particles (sand,
silt, clay, organic matter, and fertilizers) into porous
compounds. These are called aggregates. Soil structure also
refers to the arrangement of these aggregates separated by
pores and cracks.
 Soil structures can be classified by their size, structure,
shape, and grade
DENSITY OF SOIL
BULK DENSITY AND PARTICLE DENSITY

 Density represents weight (mass) per unit volume of a substance.

 
Density = Mass / Volume
 Soil density is expressed in two well accepted concepts as particle density and bulk density. In the
metric system, particle density can be expressed in terms of mega grams per cubic meter (Mg/m3).
Thus if 1 m3 of soil solids weighs 2.6 Mg, the particle density is 2.6 Mg / m3 (since 1 Mg =1
million grams and 1 m3 =1 million cubic centimeters) thus particle density can also be expressed as
2.6 g / cm3.
 PARTICLE DENSITY:
The weight per unit volume of the solid portion
of soil is called particle density. Generally
particle density of normal soils is 2.65 grams per
cubic centimeter. The particle density is higher if
large amount of heavy minerals such as
magnetite; limonite and hematite are present in
the soil. With increase in organic matter of the
soil the particle density decreases. Particle
density is also termed as true density.
 Bulk density

Bulk density (g/cm3) = Dry soil weight (g) / Soil volume (cm3)

Bulk Density: The oven dry weight of a unit volume of soil inclusive of pore spaces is called bulk density.
The bulk density of a soil is always smaller than its particle density. The bulk density of sandy soil is about
1.6 g / cm3, whereas that of organic matter is about 0.5. Bulk density normally decreases, as mineral soils
become finer in texture. The bulk density varies indirectly with the total pore space present in the soil and
gives a good estimate of the porosity of the soil. Bulk density is of greater importance than particle density
in understanding the physical behavior of the soil. Generally soils with low bulk densities have favorable
physical conditions.

Bulk density of different textural classes

 
Textural class Bulk density (g/cc) Pore space
(%)
Sandy soil 1.6 40
Loam 1.4 47
Silt loam 1.3 50
Clay 1.1 58
FACTORS AFFECTING BULK
DENSITY

 
1. Pore space: Since bulk density relates to the combined volume of the solids and pore spaces,
soils with high proportion of pore space to solids have lower bulk densities than those that are more
compact and have less pore space. Consequently, any factor that influences soil pore space will
affect bulk density.
 2. Texture: Fine textured surface soils such as silt loams, clays and clay loams generally have lower
bulk densities than sandy soils. This is because the fine textured soils tend to organize in porous
grains especially because of adequate organic matter content. This results in high pore space and
low bulk density. However, in sandy soils, organic matter content is generally low, the solid
particles lie close together and the bulk density is commonly higher than in fine textured soils.
 
3. Organic matter content: More the organic matter content in soil results in high pore space there
by shows lower bulk density of soil and vice-versa.
SOIL POROSITY
 "Soil porosity" refers to the amount of pores, or open space, between soil particles. Pore
spaces may be formed due to the movement of roots, worms, and insects; expanding gases
trapped within these spaces by groundwater; and/or the dissolution of the soil parent material.
WHAT FACTORS AFFECT SOIL
POROSITY?
 Soil porosity is affected by
 soil particle texture
 soil structure,
 soil compaction, and
 quantity of organic material.

 Soil with fine texture is able to hold more water than soil with coarse texture