5.2 Characteristics of Soil
Name ____________________
Date ______________
Define the following:
Regolith:
Write a sentence using the word regolith:
Soil:
List three important characteristics of soil:
Soil is the part of the ________________ that supports the growth of plants.
What are the four major components of soil?
Soil Composition
The ________________________ in soil, or humus, consists of the decayed
remains of _______________ and ___________ life. The other half consists of
pore spaces where air and water circulate.
Name two reasons why humus is an essential component in most soils.
1.
2.
Air is the source of the ___________________ plants use to produce sugar during ___________________ .
Soil Texture
Most soils contain __________________ of different sizes. Soil
_______________ refers to the proportions of different particle
____________ . The texture of any soil can be represented by a
point on this diagram.
What type of soil consists of 10 percent clay, 60 percent silt, and
30 percent sand?
Texture strongly influences a soil’s ability to support plant
___________ .
Sandy soils may ________________________________________________________________ .
Clay rich soils _____________________________________________ .
Loam soils are _____________________________________________ because they
__________________________________________________ .
Soil Structure
Soil structure determines how easily a soil can be _________________ and how susceptible it is to
______________.
What does it mean to cultivate something?
Soil structure also affects the ease with which water can _______________ the soil which influences the
__________________ of nutrients to plant ______________.
What does the word permeable mean?
Assignment: Txtbk p. 153 #4, 5, 35