The main property of the soil: what it depends on and how it is formed, a description of the main quality

Soil is a unique substance that covers most of the land on our planet with a thin layer. In different areas, it has different physical and chemical properties, differs in the biological component. Information about the main property of the soil, the most important physical and chemical parameters will be useful for summer residents, farmers and just curious readers.

The concept of soil

The main quality of the soil, the most important for the Earth - fertility. This is the ability of the upper layer to give plant seeds that have fallen into it resources for growth and development. It depends on several factors and can change under the influence of natural conditions or human activities.

Fertility depends on the ratio of mineral and organic substances in the upper soil layer, on the ability to absorb and retain moisture, absorb oxygen. Over the millennia of its development, man has learned to improve the composition of the earth, the artificial formation of a fertile layer (plowing, applying organic and mineral fertilizers) has made it possible to provide people with food and made it possible to settle in new areas.

The concept of soil and soil are different. Minerals (sand, clay, rocks) - the basis of the soil on the site. It can be used for construction, road and other types of work. A small percentage of organic matter makes such land unsuitable for cultivation and use in agriculture. It is customary to call the soil of any composition soil, the soil - only its fertile part.

The main mineral substance of the soil affects the fertility of the soil, the variability of the composition of the earth on the site is achieved by adding mixtures of sand, peat, organics to it.

The systematic correct application of fertilizers, the organization of irrigation, seasonal digging make it possible to make fertile areas where nothing grew, and the illiterate use of pesticides, violations in the irrigation system, desertification of land due to climate change make the most fertile areas unsuitable for agriculture in the past .

Mechanical composition

The important constituents of soil are mineral particles. They can be of different diameters, particles of identical size form a fraction. The predominance of certain particles in soil samples made it possible to develop a classification of soils. Distinguish:

• sandy;
• sandy;
• loamy;
• clay.

Each of the varieties is distinguished by its ability to retain moisture and heat, breathability, and the degree of difficulty in cultivation.

Loams and clay surfaces are the most difficult to process. The mechanical composition of the earth on the site is determined simply - you should moisten the soil sample and roll a “sausage” out of it:

1. If this fails, the land on the site is sandy.
2. "Sausage" turns out, but quickly crumbles - this is sandstone.
3. When you try to roll the resulting flagellum into a ring, the soil crumbles - there is loam.
4. A "sausage" is obtained from the earth, which folds into a ring without any problems - clay soil.

Sandstone and clay varieties of soil need significant fertilization. Sand quickly heats up and cools down, poorly retains moisture.Clay perfectly retains heat and water. Both types of soil need a large amount of organic matter, watering adjustment.

Sandy and loamy varieties need fertilization, but any crop grows better on such soils. Particles of the earth, "glued" by organic matter or as a result of physical or chemical processes, are called aggregators. By size, they are divided into lumps, lumps and dust.

What are the physical properties of

There are several important physical characteristics of the soil that determine its fertility.

Duty Cycle

Porosity, duty cycle or porosity is the number of voids between mechanical soil particles and aggregates.These voids are filled with air, water, plant roots get into them. 40-60% duty cycle are optimal for plants. The indicator is determined by the laboratory.

Distinguish between capillary and non-capillary duty cycles. Capillary determines the number of pores filled with water, non-capillary - with air. Openness is a unique indicator that determines the water and air permeability of the soil. It may vary depending on soil moisture.

Grain size distribution

This is the amount of mechanical elements in a completely dry soil sample. Classification by particle size distribution depends on the ratio of physical sand to physical clay in the sample.

Density

This is the mass of a unit volume of absolutely dry soil, taken in natural composition. Depends on the mechanical, granulometric composition of the soil, the amount of organic matter.It decreases immediately after mechanical impact on the ground (digging, harrowing, loosening), after a while it acquires static values. Optimal values are from 0.8 to 1.

Humidity

This indicator determines the percentage of water relative to the mass of dry soil. Since waterlogging of the soil leads to the death of crops, the indicator is very important, the recommended humidity for vegetables is 60-70%, forage grasses - 70-80%, cereals - up to 85%.

Hardness

The value indicates the ability of the soil to compress and wedging (resistance to the penetration of mechanical tools into the soil). Measured with a hardness meter, it affects the germination of seeds, water, air and thermal conditions when cultivating a plot, resistance during machine processing.

Stickiness

Determines the ability of soil particles to stick together with each other and machine parts during processing. Affects the quality of land cultivation, the productivity of agricultural machines and working personnel.

Of course, when buying a summer cottage, they usually limit themselves to a visual inspection, the characteristics of the soil on the territory of the garden partnership. The acquisition of large areas for rent or ownership is not complete without ordering a soil examination, during which the physical, chemical and biological parameters of the soil are taken into account.

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