Soil Chemistry
These soil colors indicate good oxidation, or good airflow.
What are reddish browns?
An ideal soil has this % of air filled pore space.
What is 25%
These large soil pores are responsible for rapid water movement in saturated soils, where water movement is influenced by gravitational energy.
What are macropores?
This soil property describes the proportions of sand, silt, and clay particles.
What is soil texture?
This soil fraction causes soils to be dark brown or black in color.
What is organic matter (OM)?
You might find an acidic soil in this type of environment.
What is tropical
rainforest
humid
?
These types of plants (ex. pitcher plants) are adapted to anaerobic or poor airflow soil conditions.
What are hydrophytes or hydrophytic plants?
This is where groundwater meets soil.
What is water table?
This soil particle is the largest in size, but has the least amount of surface area.
What is sand?
This magic soil amendment can be used to strengthen soil aggregates and reduce aluminum (Al) toxicity in acidic soils.
What is gypsum?
Most plant nutrients are available within this pH range.
What is 5.5 to 6.5?
Microbial activity drastically slows when air filled pore space falls below this %
What is 10%?
When water reaches the soil surface, it meets a fork in the road, where it can make one of these 2 choices.
What is infiltrate or become surface runoff?
This soil property refers to the arrangement of sand, silt, and clay particles into aggregates.
What is soil structure?
This fungi acts as an extension of plant roots, aiding in nutrient uptake.
What is mycorrhizae?
These types of soils are characterized by their extremely SALT (Ca or Mg) content which results in white crust on the soil surface.
What are saline soils?
Subsurface soil temperatures are warmer then surfaces soil temperatures during this time of year.
What is winter?
This energy force is responsible for slow water movement in micropores and relies mostly on cohesion and adhesion for water movement.
What is matric energy?
This soil is made up of 10% silt and 60% clay.
What is clay soil?
These are the 5 soil forming factors.
What is
1. Parent Material
2. Climate
3. Living Organisms
4. Topography
5. Time
?
This is how plant roots obtain nutrients from the soil.
What is cation exchange? (Plant roots exchange H+ ions for nutrients)
This physical process cools soil surfaces.
What is evaporation?
This energy force relies on levels of soluble salts/nutrients in a solution for water movement.
What is osmotic energy?
This soil is made up of 15% clay and 10% silt.
What is loamy sand?
This is how plants respond to water stress.
What is closing stomata and cease transpiration?