Profiles/Depth
How many horizons are there?
5
What is a description of the word "texture"
How something feels.
Define permeability.
The ability of water and air to move through the soil.
What is one way to describe/think about what erosion is?
Why are the top 2 horizons the most crucial for farming?
The top two horizons are generally where the majority of the inputs are applied. Water, nutrients, pesticides, etc. Their goal is to keep these items towards the top of the soil profile to ensure they "get their moneys worth"
What are the three main soil types?
Sand, Silt, Clay
True or False. Soil texture has nothing to do with permeability.
False
What is the difference between cover cropping and no-till farming?
Cover cropping: After harvest, the residual crop is disked/tilled under and replanted shortly after.
No till farming is the practice of leaving residual crop from previous year/crop and planting over top of it.
List all horizons in order from top to bottom.
O, A, B, C, R
Sand: Coarse/Rough
Silt: Smooth
Clay: Smooth but structured
In a race to see what soil drains slowest, which soil type would win between sand, silt or clay? Explain your reasoning.
Clay due to the small size of the particles creating a more dense environment which would slow the flow of water through the soil.
What are the macronutrients?
Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium (N, P, K)
Does soil depth matter? Explain your answer
Soil depth is important especially if it is crop specific. If there is a deep root system and shallow soil, as the roots grow to the bottom of the profile, it can interfere with potential water or nutrient uptake.
What was the name of the test used to determine soil texture by hand?
Ribbon test
What permeability classification would sand be considered to be?
Rapid permeability
What percent of Potassium would a bag of fertilizer be if the bag was labeled 16-6-8
8%
What horizon can sometimes be red in color? It also usually has a finer texture. Bonus points if you can tell me what compound makes the soil red.
B Horizon
Soil turns red due to exposure of iron oxide.
If a soil type was composed of 20% clay, 40% silt and 40% sand, what would it be?
Loam
Scenario: If a potato farmer was wanting to plant a field in an area with a silty clay soil type. What would be something that you would probably inform them of?
I would advise to watch the amount of water while irrigating. Having a silty clay soil type might interfere with drainage of water in the field.
Slope:
Out: 10'
Down: 7"
5.83%