Soil Profile
The darkest horizon of a soil profile.
What is the Organic (O) Horizon?
The 3 soil texture types.
What are sand, silt, and clay?
The primary decade for the Dust Bowl.
What is the 1930s?
(Think: "Dirty Thirties" was a term used partially to indicate all the dust constantly flying around)
Germination rate for 4 plants germinating out of 10 seeds planted.
What is 40%?
Three examples of organic matter.
What are decaying animals, leaves, and sticks?
The hardest, most durable horizon.
What is the Bedrock (R) horizon?
The LARGEST of the 3 soil texture types.
What is sand?
The reason for growing cover crops.
What is to improve soil health?
Note: answers may vary but could include: these crops are not grown to be harvested but rather to help anchor soil as well as the moisture in the soil to improve overall soil and plant health.
Definition of germination.
What is when a seed begins to sprout?
The two primary means of erosion.
What are wind and water?
The horizon containing primarily mineral matter with a little organic matter.
What is the Subsoil (B) Horizon?
The soil texture type that best remains in a ball when squeezed.
What is clay?
One reason we are no longer currently in a Dust Bowl.
What is improved farming methods?
Definition of germination rate.
What is the PERCENTAGE of seeds germinating from the total number planted?
Definition of porosity.
What is the spaces between individual soil particles where water and air pass?
The horizon comprised of decayed organic matter and aged mineral matter. Also the best environment for root growth.
What is the Topsoil (A) Horizon?
How particle size impacts porosity.
The larger the particle size, the greater the porosity. This is because with larger particles, there is larger pore spaces which means a higher porosity/more room for air and water to move between the soil particles.
The definition of cover crops.
What are crops which are used to help cover a crop to improve soil health?
Note: these crops are not grown to be harvested but rather to help anchor soil as well as the moisture in the soil to improve overall soil and plant health.
3 factors which may impact germination rate.
What are temperature, light exposure, and growing material used?
Note: growing material may refer to the soil, environment, or liquid used.
The 4 soil structure types.
What are blocky, platy, prismatic, and granular?
Term for a cross section of soil revealing all soil horizons in that area.
What is a soil profile?
The term used for wetting soil between thumb and forefinger and trying to see how well it sticks together.
The three primary causes of the Dust Bowl.
What are (1) high winds (2) extended drought (3) loss of millions of tons of topsoil (due to increased tillage)?
The germination rate for 24 seeds germinating out of 32 total seeds planted.
What is 75%?
Remember, we take the number germinated divided by the total number planted. In this case, it would be 24/32 which equals .75. To get a percentage, we would take .75 x 100 = 75%.
The difference between porosity and permeability.
What is porosity refers to the SIZE of the pore spaces whereas permeability refers to how quickly/well water and air may enter those pore spaces.