Physical Properties of Soil-Chapter 4

Soil Texture
Three sizes of soil particles
Sand, 2.00- .05 mm
Silt, .05-.002 mm
Clay, <.002 mm
Particle size affects surface area
Internal surface area
A cup of sand will cover an area the size of a
classroom table
A cup of clay will cover an area of about two
acres
An acre is 43,560 square feet
DONT FORGET IT!
Soil Pores
Pores in clay are small and numerous
Pores in sand are large and relatively few
Large pores are called macropores
Small pores are called micropores
Sand , silt, and clay are called soil separates
Sand
Sand is the largest separate 2.00-1.00mm
Composed of weathered grains of quartz
Feels gritty, do not stick together
Contains large pores
Retains less water
Silt
Medium sized soil separate, .05-.002mm
Feels like powder
Has best ability to hold usable water
Do not stick together
Clay
Smallest soil separate, <.002mm
Tiny sheet-like crystals
Weathered down material forming new material
Can bond nutrients
Particles stick together
Hold a lot of water but less air
Soil Separates
Medium sand
Very fine sand
silt
clay
Course
sand
Fine
sand
Textural Classification
Soils usually contain more than one separate
The exact proportion is called soil texture
A soil triangle has been developed to determine
soil texture.
Soil Triangle
Picture p 37
Clay loam
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
clay
Silty
clay
silt
Silt loam
Sandy loam
Sandy
clay
Sandy clay
loam
sand
Loamy
sand
Soil Texture
Can be determined by several means
By hand
Obtain a small sample
Moisten and work into ball
Squeeze, if it breaks its mostly sand
Squeeze out a ribbon, size of ribbon determines
amount of clay, silt

The Ribbon Test
Characteristics of Soil Texture
Course soils dry out quickly
Clay soils dry out slowly
A loamy texture is the most usable soil
Changing texture is not practical except in small
areas
Particle Density
The weight of a soil with no pore space
The weight of a solid block of quartz
2.65 grams per c.c (166 pounds per cubic foot)
Bulk Density
The mass of a volume of undisturbed soil
Bulk densities range from 1.0 grams per c.c. to
1.8 grams per c.c
BD= weight dry soil = g
Volume dry soil cm3
Soil Porosity
Total pore space is a measurement of the soil
volume that holds air and water
Porosity = wet weight dry weight(g) x 100
divided by the soil volume (cm3)
Example 900-650 x 100 divided by 500=50%
Soil Porosity
Can also be determined by

Porosity= 100%-(BDX100)
PD
Porosity=100%-(1.3 x 100)=50%
2.65
sand loam clay
Volume of large pores
Volume of small pores
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Soil Structure
Soil aggregates occurring naturally are called
peds, clumps are called clods
Type refers to the shape of soil aggregates
Class is the size I.e.fine, medium course etc.
Grade refers to how distinct and strong the peds
are

Hydraulic conductivity
Weak structured soil
Slow=.014 in/hr
Mod=.014-1.44 in./hr
Rapid=>1.44 in./hr
Slow
Rapid
Moderate
Hydraulic conductivity
Strong structured soil
Slow=.014 in/hr
Mod=.014-1.44 in./hr
Rapid=>1.44 in./hr
Rapid
Moderate
Structureless soils
Sandy soils are single grain soils
Solid mass of clay is a massive soil

Soil Structures
Granular
Platy
Angular blocky
Subangular blocky
Prismatic
Columnar
Granular Soils
Commonly found in A horizon
1 to 10 mm in size (25.4mm=1inch)
Generally round in shape
Increases pore space
Lowers bulk density
Platy Soils
Found in E horizon
Large, thin, plate- like
Overlapping layers
Reduce air / water penetration
Soil compaction can create platy structure
Blocky Soils
Typical in B horizon
5-50mm in size
Very angular is called angular blocky
Rounded peds are called Subangular
Medium permeability
Prismatic Soils
Usually in B horizon
10->100mm
Angular upright columns of soil
If top is flat its called prismatic
If top is rounded its called columnar

Soil Consistence
Behavior when pressure is applied
Wet soil checked for stickiness
Moist soil easily crushed between fingers
Dry soil can be crushed between two hands
Soil Tilth
Physical condition of the soil
How easy soil can be tilled
Tilling improves tilth for a time
Then causes a year by year decline
Compaction
Results when pressure is applied to soil
Light compaction squeezes soil aggregates
together
Heavy compaction crushes aggregates
Compaction reduces porosity and increases bulk
density
Mechanical Soil Compaction
Compaction

Tilling breaks up compaction but forms a plow
layer
This is a compacted layer below the plow zone
Wet soil is more easily compacted than dry soil
Some equipment will weigh 40 tons per axle
Compaction
Compaction decreases yields if soil is wet
Slight compaction improves yields
Moderate compaction can improve yields in dry
soils
Severe compaction always inhibits production
The finer the soil texture the more damaging is
compaction
Aggregate destruction
Plowing flips up large aggregates of soil
Cultivating crushes aggregates
Rototillers batter aggregates apart
Oxygen is stirred into the soil
Organic material is broken down
The organic glue is lost
The tilling smashes the weakened peds
Puddling and Clods
Working wet soil harms tilth
When pressure is applied to aggregates, the fall
apart
This is called puddling
The conversion of aggregated soil to massive
soil
This is sometimes intentional as in rice paddies
Rice Field Puddling
Clods Formed When Filed Was Too Wet
Surface crusts
Tillage leaves bare soil
Rain loosens small particles
The particles fill/seal cracks
When the soil dries a crust is formed
Crusts inhibit seed germination

Soil Crust
Improving tilth
Improving tilth involves improving structure
Never work wet or dry soil
Reduce field traffic
Use lowest weight equipment
Reduce # of operations
Subsoil
Use cover crops
Improving tilth
Use grasses in crop rotation
Avoid bare fallow treatments
Frequently add organic matter
Plow in green manure
Add lime when needed
Treat high sodium soils with gypsum
Soil channels
In undisturbed soil, large channels open deep
into the soil
These channels are beneficial
Reduced tillage reduces channel closure
Soil pans
Any harden layer is called a pan
Claypans occur with extreme illuviation
Fragipans are a hard brittle claypan
Plinthe is a tropical hardpan that can not be
soften by wetting
Caliche and duripans, layer of soil cemented by
lime cement leaving white hardened layer
Soil Pan
Soil temperature
Soil temperature is critical to seed germination
Root growth is also effected by soil temperature
Dark soils tend to be warmer since they absorb
more heat from the sun
It takes 5X the sun energy to warm water as soil
Dry soils warm faster than wet soils
Managing soil temperature
Time of year for planting will effect germination
The color of mulch will affect soil temp.
Conservation tillage leaves crop residue
The light colored residue and increases soil
moisture make the soil cooler
Frost can be reduced by a bare damp soil
Damp soil retains heat longer
Soil color
Soil color is an indicator of
Iron oxide
Amount of organic matter
Dark brown to black soils
O.M. can reach high level in waterlogged soil
Usually smells sour, oily
O.M. can also reach high level in aerated soil. It
smells earthy
Dark parent materials can affect color of
soil..smells chalky
White to light gray soils
Light color may indicate the presence of
chemicals such as gypsum or other salts
Light brown , yellow, red soils
Indicate iron oxides, indicates good drainage
Blue-gray soils indicate a lack of oxygen in the
soil
Mottled wetland soils indicate waterlogged soil
for at least part of the year
Describing soil color
The Munsell system is a widely used color I.D.
system
Hue is the color such as red or yellow
Value is the lightness or darkness of hue noted
by numbers zero to ten
Chroma is the purity of the dominate color
denoted by a number
Munsell system
A 10YR3/6 soil has:
The hue 10YR, a yellow red
The value of 3 (dark)
Chroma of 6
This is described as a dark yellow brown soil
This would be recognized internationally