Any gardener knows that when growing gardening garden crops the yield on his plot depends primarily on the land, its composition and properties. It is known that every natural area correspond to their own special climatic conditions. Due to such differences in weather conditions, different types soils that have different characteristics.

Basic soil properties

All soils are different appearance, structure and many other characteristics. They evaluate the composition of the soil and assign it to one type or another. Here are the main criteria for soil quality:

Color is an external property, a description of the soil, according to which it can be classified as chernozem, gray soil, red soil or yellow soil. Of course, the color depends entirely on how moist the soil is and what is included in its composition. For example, a greater amount of humus colors the soil dark or even black. A whitish color indicates the presence of salts - calcium, magnesium, gypsum, silicon and the leaching of minerals. Red and brown tones indicate the presence of iron and manganese in the rock.

This indicator is not as simple as it seems. Humidity depends not only on meteorological conditions.

Simply put, if you saturate the soil with moisture different types then it will look different. Underground currents influence the level groundwater, mechanical composition of the soil mixture.

For example, the predominance of large sand particles does not retain moisture, allowing it to pass into the lower layers. Water also evaporates quickly from this type of soil. The presence of clay particles leads to an increase in its moisture capacity.

Description and characteristics of species

The soils that gardeners, gardeners, and agronomists most often work with are:

• sandy;
• sandy loam;
• loamy;
• clayey;
• peat.

Properly organizing planting means knowing the characteristics of the soil and how to improve its properties through proper cultivation, application of the necessary minerals and fertilizers.

This easy look soil, consisting mainly of sand grains and a small portion of clay particles. It allows water to pass through well and is extremely free-flowing. If you take a handful of earth in your palm, you won’t be able to form a lump out of it. She's falling apart. Its other qualities are high breathability, thermal conductivity, and easy workability. It is difficult to apply fertilizers to such soil. They do not stay there, they go along with the water into deeper ground layers.

Such lands are poor and not very suitable for growing crops. But grow garden trees, as well as carrots, onions and strawberries on it are quite acceptable. To cultivate sandstone, it is good to introduce peat, humus and clay flour.

Sandy loam type

This soil has the best properties, is similar in composition to sandy, but still contains a higher percentage of clay impurities. By taking a handful in your hand and squeezing it, you can get a lump. But it doesn't hold its shape well. The qualities of such soil are more valuable. It retains moisture and minerals better, is breathable, dries out more slowly, warms up better, and is easier to process. You can grow all crops, not forgetting about methods of increasing soil fertility. Ways to improve such soil: adding potassium and organic fertilizers, mulching, green manure and quite frequent loosening.

Loamy lands

The best type of soil in terms of characteristics is also called loam. Contains the largest percentage nutrients. It retains moisture well and is endowed with the ability to distribute it throughout the horizon. Easy to handle and retains heat. Such a sample forms a lump well and can be rolled out into a “sausage”, but cannot be bent into a ring. This is a special technique in agronomy for determining the mechanical composition of the soil. Such land does not need to be improved, but only to maintain its fertile properties, for which purpose it is mulched and humus is added when digging in the autumn.

The soil is clay

Or clayey, as it is also called. Clay content up to 80%. It is very heavy and dense, does not absorb water well, and sticks to shoes when wet. The structure is lumpy.

If you take a lump of damp earth, you can easily form a long sausage and roll it into a ring. At the same time, it will not crack or tear.

We can say that it looks like plasticine. Accordingly, its qualities deteriorate: it contains little air, does not warm up well and allows water to pass through. It is not easy to grow garden crops on such land.

Proper cultivation will help such land become fertile. To do this, lime, ash, compost, and manure are regularly added. Careful loosening and mulching will also be beneficial.

Acid balance

Soil acidity plays a huge role in growing crops., optimal value which is called acid-base balance. It is one of the most important indicators of the quality of fertile land. Acidity is indicated by the “pH” symbol. When this value is equal to seven units, the acidity is called neutral. If the pH is below seven the earth is acidic. A pH above seven is called alkaline.

With increasing acidity, there is an increase in the content of aluminum and its salts in the soil, as well as manganese and other minerals. This prevents plants from developing normally. Moreover, in such soil, pathogenic bacteria, microorganisms and pests begin to actively multiply. The applied fertilizers do not decompose. All this leads to soil imbalance.

Determining acidity is very easy at home. To do this, use a simple method of litmus indicators. Soils are very often acidified. The most common method is liming. At the same time, lime displaces aluminum and its salts from the top layer of the earth, replacing them with calcium and magnesium. This reduces the toxic effect on the plant.

Amount of lime per square meter depends on the type of soil and its characteristics. The table shows the rates for applying lime to reduce acidity.

The principle is simple: the heavier and clayier the soil, the more lime it needs. It is important to remember that when applying lime, boron fertilizers are applied at the same time. Acidity should be checked periodically if adjustments need to be made.

After all, this indicator affects the fertility of the land, and, accordingly, the yield.

types of soils

Since childhood, I have been accustomed to working in the fields and in the garden. Every year my father and I pulled out weeds, plowed the land, fertilized it, sowed seeds and monitored the ripening of vegetables and wheat. Dad told why in one year good harvest, but in the other there is no, what is the difference between the soil in the field and in the desert, etc.

The importance of soil in nature

Soil provides life on our planet. Plants take root in it, small animals and tiny organisms live in it. Water and minerals are concentrated in the soil. Soil promotes plant photosynthesis and regulates the atmosphere and hydrosphere. Man plants in the ground cultivated plants, fruit trees. Countless herds of domestic animals graze in the meadows and pastures. This is possible due to the presence of soil.

Oil, coal, and peat formed in it. All this happened during the process of decomposition organic matter. Soil also reduces the harm of viral pathogens, radioactive substances and chemical compounds.

What types of soils are there?

Knowing which soil is fertile and which is not is an agronomist’s bread and butter. Because some are completely unsuitable for Agriculture. So, the soils are as follows:

• clayey;
• sandy;
• loamy;
• limestone;
• swampy;
• black soils;
• sandy loam.

So, I will selectively and briefly describe some types.

On clay soil It's hard to grow anything. It is heavy, takes a long time to heat up and is poorly ventilated. However, with the proper skill, it can be cultivated in a few years.

Sandy soil It’s easy to recognize: it crumbles and lets water through. You can plant plants on it and grapes, strawberries, onions and currants grow well here.

On marshy soil gardens should be planted. Minerals settle in it and are easy to cultivate. Gooseberries and currants grow best. They don’t even need cultivation - they’ll grow just like that, just don’t forget to water them.

Black soil is considered the most fertile. It contains a lot of humus, calcium, and retains heat and water well. The harvest on such soil is always rich and plentiful.

But do not forget that the earth also needs rest; it cannot be overused.

What types of soils are there?

• Look at the pictures of the soil samples. Compare them with each other. Which of these soils do you think is the most fertile? Why? Test yourself using the textbook text.

Sections of main soil types:
1. Tundra soil. 2. Podzolic soil. 3. Gray forest soil. 4. Chernozem. 5. Swamp soil. 6. Meadow soil.

The soils are not the same in different places in our country. Soil scientists distinguish between a large number of soil types.

Tundra soils are common in tundras, podzolic soils are common in taiga and mixed forests, gray forest soils are common in deciduous forests, and chernozem soils, or chernozems, are common in steppes. Swamps are characterized by bog soils, while meadows are characterized by meadow soils.

The most common soils in our country are podzolic. And the most fertile ones are chernozems. These soils are especially rich in humus, which gives them a very dark or even black color. Chernozem is one of the most fertile soils peace.

Bog soils are interesting because they contain a thick layer of peat. And in meadow soils, a thick layer of turf formed by the intertwining roots of herbaceous plants is clearly visible.

1. Find information about the soils of your region in local history literature. Make notes in your workbook. Think and tell us what human activities could threaten the soils of your region.
2. Make a mock-up of a section of soil characteristic of your region from plasticine.
3. Imagine that you need to convince your classmates of of great importance soils for life on Earth. Prepare your speech. Compare it with the example given on the “Self-Test Pages” (8).

Soil protection

One centimeter of soil is formed in nature in 250-300 years, twenty centimeters - in 5-6 thousand years!

You already know that plants protect the soil from wind and water flows. Where there are no plants, wind and water can quickly disperse and wash away all or part of the soil. This is what happens in many fields.

To protect the soil in the fields, it is necessary to plant shelterbelts and carry out snow retention in winter. The most common method of snow retention is the construction of snow banks. They are cut using a tractor with special snow plows at a distance of 5-10 meters from one another.

It is very important to properly plow the soil on slopes. Remember how to do this.

The soil is “afraid” of many things, for example, pesticides. If they are used more than normal, they accumulate in the soil and pollute it. As a result, worms, insect larvae, and bacteria die, without which the soil loses fertility.

If too much fertilizer is applied to the soil or it is watered too much, excess salts accumulate in it. And this is harmful to plants and all living things in the soil.

check yourself

1. Give examples various types soil
2. Which soil is the most fertile?
3. What are the soils like in your region?
4. Why do you need to take care of soils?
5. How should soils be protected?

Homework assignment

In the book “The Giant in the Clearing,” read the story “More precious than pearls and gold is under your feet.” How can each of us protect the soil?

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In the systematic description and study of soils, like any other natural objects, it is necessary to set in advance the degree of accuracy with which it is desirable to determine this or that object, depending on the scale of the study.

The word “soil” itself already gives the object some definition, shows its difference from other natural historical bodies, say, from rock, tree, forest, meadow, etc., of course, if the term “soil” » a very definite concept is preliminarily embedded. If you need to be more precise, you need to add something else to the word “soil”, some kind of definition showing what kind of soil is meant in this case. This task of soil taxonomy is solved using a system of taxonomic units, or levels of consideration.

The word "taxonomy" comes from the Greek. taxi- structure, order, or from lat. takso - evaluate and nomos - law. Taxonomic units (taxa) are classification, or systematic, units that show the class, rank or place in the system of any objects, giving the degree of detail or accuracy of their definition. In soil science, taxonomic units are sequentially subordinate systematic categories that reflect groups of soils that objectively exist in nature.

The basis of modern soil taxonomy lies Dokuchaev's doctrine of soil type, which was later developed into the doctrine of soil types and types of soil formation. The modern understanding of soil type has developed gradually as science has developed, and the volumes of certain specific soil types have changed quite significantly in different periods. For example, solonetz was at one time considered a soil type, but now it is a group of types.

Soil type is a large group of soils that develop under similar biological, climatic, and hydrological conditions and are characterized by a clear manifestation of the main process of soil formation under possible combination with other processes.

Examples of soil types: podzolic soils, chernozems, gray forest soils, gray soils, red soils.

Soil type is the basic, basic unit of soil taxonomy. Soil types can be divided into smaller units and, conversely, combined into larger ones. Taxonomic units larger than type will be considered when studying soil classification.

The characteristic features and unity of the soil type are determined: a) the uniformity of the supply of organic substances and the processes of their decomposition and transformation into humus; b) a similar complex of processes of decomposition of mineral mass and synthesis of organomineral new formations; c) the same type of migration and accumulation of substances; d) the same type of soil profile structure and the nature of genetic horizons; e) the same type of measures to increase and maintain soil fertility and reclamation measures.

Soil subtype - groups of soils within a type that differ qualitatively in the manifestation of the main and overlapping processes of soil formation; Soil subtypes are often identified as transitional formations between similar (geographically or genetically) soil types.

As a rule, within each type there is a “central”, most “typical” subtype and a number of subtypes transitional to other types. The appearance of subtypes may be due to the imposition of an additional soil formation process (gley-podzolic soil, podzolized chernozem); a significant change in the main characteristic of the type (light gray, gray, dark gray forest soils); specific location within the soil zone (southern chernozem); the specificity of the climatic facies within the soil zone or subzone (typical moderate chernozem, typical warm chernozem, typical cold chernozem).

Soil type- groups of soils within a subtype, the qualitative genetic characteristics of which are determined by the influence of a complex of local conditions: the composition of soil-forming rocks, the composition and position of groundwater, relict characteristics of the soil-forming substrate (solonetzic, solonchak, solodized, contact-gley, residual meadow, residual podzolic soils ). For example, among the subtype of typical moderate chernozems, the following types of soils are distinguished: ordinary, residual podzolic, deep-boiling, residual carbonate, solonetzic.

Soil type- groups of soils within a genus, differing in the degree of development of the main soil-forming process. For example, within podzolic soils, according to the degree of development of podzol formation, types of strongly, medium and weakly podzolic soils are distinguished; within chernozems, according to the degree of development of the humus horizon, there are, on the one hand, types of low-, medium-, powerful and super-dense chernozems, and on the other, types of low-, medium- and high-humus chernozems.

Soil subtype- groups of soils within a species, differing in the degree of development of the accompanying process. For example, subtypes of weakly, moderately and highly solonetzic soils can be distinguished within a medium-thick low-humus chernozem.

Soil variety- groups of soils within a species or subspecies, differing in the granulometric composition of the upper soil horizons (light loamy, medium loamy, sandy loam, clayey, sandy, etc. soils).

Soil discharge- groups of soils formed on lithologically or genetically homogeneous rocks (forests, moraine, alluvium, granite, limestone, etc.).

Soil subcategory- a group of soils that differ in the degree of agricultural development or degree of erosion (weakly, moderately, strongly washed away soil; weakly, moderately, strongly cultivated soil).

Thus, the full name of any specific soil, according to existing ideas, consists of the names of all taxa, starting with the soil type and ending with the level that is allowed by the scale of our research, which is especially important to take into account when soil-cartographic work.

The given example shows the cumbersomeness of the accepted nomenclature of soils, its essentially descriptive nature, and not terminological. On the other hand, this example clearly shows how difficult it is to replace such a name with some short, euphonious term that would characterize the essential features of a given object.

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