MISC SOIL
Soil is composed of these 3 mineral textures.
What is sand, silt, and clay?
Soil erosion is the movement of soil particles by these 3 factors.
What is wind, water, or tillage?
Most toxic chemicals in soil come from these 2 sources.
What is industrial waste and pesticide use?
This is the biggest challenge farmers face when transitioning from conventional to organic farming.
What is pest control?
These 2 common practices help reduce the amount of waste that reaches landfills.
What is recycling and composting?
This type of tillage reduces erosion, improves OM content, increases soil biodiversity, and leaves crop residues on the soil surface.
What is conservation tillage?
This is 1 sure way to reduce wind and water erosion in soils.
What is vegetation?
This is how pesticides impact earthworms.
What is abnormal burrowing behavior?
This is the key to soil conservation in certified organic farming.
What is keeping the ground vegetated / covered for as much of the year as possible?
This is about how long it takes for a landfill to reach capacity.
What is 30-40 years?
These soil colors indicate good airflow.
What is red / yellow / orange?
These large channels are formed by rapid water erosion and can damage entire landscapes.
What are gullies / gully?
These are 2 examples of plants that do not take up contaminants, but their roots excrete compounds that stimulate beneficial bacteria growth.
What are prairie grasses, wildflowers, poplar trees?
This "pesticide" is commonly used in organic farming because it influences insect mating behavior, rather than killing insects.
What are pheromones?
This % of waste generated worldwide is organic in nature.
What is 70%?
This is one benefit of OM in soil.
What is
increased water holding capacity
food for microbes
plant nutrients
binds sand, silt, and clay particles
improved airflow
?
In the U.S., most of the soil erosion takes place in these areas.
What is crop land, construction sites, desert regions, and cleared forests?
This is 1 of the 7 pathways a contaminant may follow when it reaches soil.
What is
1. vaporize into the atmosphere
2. bond tightly to clay or OM
3. infiltrate and become part of soil solution
4. chemical reactions within soil
5. surface runoff
6. uptake by plants
7. decomposed by microbes
?
Animal manures must be applied to food crops this many days before harvest.
What is 90-120 days?
This is 1 environmental concern associated with landfills.
What is water pollution,
unstable land due to "settling" of compostable materials,
or contribution to greenhouse gases?
These types of crops are grown during "off-seasons" and are primarily used to protect and enhance soils.
What are cover crops?
These are the 3 steps in soil erosion by wind or water.
What is
1. Detachment of soil particles.
2. Transportation of detached soil particles.
3. Deposit of transported soil particles.
?
This is what happens to organic contaminants as they "age" within soil.
What is microbial activity slows and contaminant concentrations level out because remaining contaminants are trapped in nanopores?
This is 1 way to maintain plant diversity in livestock grazing pastures.
What is planting legume + grass mixes
planting cool-season + warm-season mixes
grazing animal diversity?
This is another environmental concern associated with landfills.
What is water pollution,
unstable land due to "settling" of compostable materials,
or contribution to greenhouse gases?