Trivedi Science - Improve Soil Quality for Healthy Plant/Crop Growth

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Soil
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• Soil is the mixture of minerals, organic matter,
  gases, liquids, and the myriad of organisms. It
  is a medium for plant growth it is a means of
  water storage, supply and purification it is a
  modifier of the atmosphere. Soil is considered to
  be the "skin of the earth" with interfaces
  between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere,
  and biosphere.

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Types of Soil

• Laterite Soil
• Desert Soil
• Mountain Soil
• Saline and Alkaline Soil
• Peaty and Marshy Soil
• Cohesive Soil
• Residual Soil
• Alluvial Soil
• Marine Soil
• Aeolian Soil
• Glacial Soil

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Soil Testing

• In agriculture, a soil test is the analysis of a
  soil sample to determine nutrient and
  contaminated content, composition, and other
  characteristics such as the acidity or pH level.
  A soil test can determine fertility, or the
  expected growth potential of the soil, which
  indicates nutrient deficiencies, potential
  toxicities from excessive fertility and
  inhibitions from the presence of non-essential
  trace minerals.Laboratory tests often check for
  plant nutrients in three categories Major
  nutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and
  potassium (K) Secondary nutrients sulfur,
  calcium, magnesium Minor nutrients iron,
  manganese, copper, zinc, boron, molybdenum,
  chlorine

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Soil Testing parameters

• The Squeeze Test
• The Percolation Test
• The Worm Test
• Ph. Test

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Soil Erosion

• Soil erosion is the erosion of soil's upper and
  important layer through air and water. The
  effects of soil erosion go beyond the loss of
  fertile land. It has led to increased pollution
  and sedimentation in streams and rivers, clogging
  these waterways and causing declines in fish and
  other species.

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Reasons for Soil Erosion

• Overgrazing
• Heavy Water Flow
• Deforestation

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Importance of Plants for Soil!

• Plants provide protective cover on the land and
  prevent soil erosion for the following reasons.
• Plants slow down water as it flows over the land
  (runoff) and this allows much of the rain to soak
  into the ground.
• Plant roots hold the soil in position and prevent
  it from being washed away.
• Plants break the impact of a raindrop before it
  hits the soil, thus reducing its ability to
  erode.
• Plants in wetlands and on the banks of rivers are
  of particular importance as they slow down the
  flow of the water and their roots bind the soil,
  thus preventing erosion.

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How to Control SOIL EROSION?

• The use of contour sloughing and windbreaks.
• Leaving unplugged grass strips between ploughed
  land.
• Making sure that there are always plants growing
  on the soil, and that the soil is rich in humus
  (decaying plant and animal remains).
• Avoiding overgrazing and the over-use of crop
  lands.
• Allowing indigenous plants to grow along the
  river banks instead of sloughing and planting
  crops right up to the water's edge.
• Encouraging biological diversity by planting
  several different types of plants together.
• Conservation of wetlands.

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