1. Soil and Agriculture

2. Why is soil important? The medium for plants to grow in
Habitat for animals
Stores water and heat
Filters water and wastes
Provides materials for construction, makeup, art, medicine

3. Soil horizons
Principal (master) soil horizons found in managed agricultural fields are:
A horizon or mineral surface soil (topsoil)
B horizon or subsoil.
C horizon or partially weathered parent material.
rock (R) or unconsolidated parent materials similar to that from which the soil developed.
Unmanaged forest soils also commonly contain:
O (organic) horizon on the surface
E (eluviated) horizon: a light-colored leached zone just below the A horizon.
Jim Baker, Virginia Tech A E B C

4. Forest Soil Profile

5. (Photo by Jim Baker, Virginia Tech)
Soil particles
Sand:
Particles range in size from very fine (0.05 mm) to very coarse (2.0 mm) in average diameter.
Most particles can be seen without a magnifying glass.
Feel coarse and gritty when rubbed between the thumb and fingers, except for mica flakes.
Sand texture
(Photo by Jim Baker, Virginia Tech)

6. (photo by Jim Baker, Virginia Tech)
Soil particles
Silt:
Particles range in size from 0.05 mm to mm.
Cannot usually be seen by the unaided eye
When moistened, silt feels smooth but is not slick or sticky. When dry, it is smooth and floury
Silt loam texture
(photo by Jim Baker, Virginia Tech)

7. (Photo by Jim Baker, Virginia Tech)
Soil particles
Clay:
Can be seen only with the aid of an electron microscope.
Feels extremely smooth or powdery when dry, and becomes plastic and sticky when wet.
Particles are finer than mm.
Clay texture
(Photo by Jim Baker, Virginia Tech)

8. Soil conservation farming practices
Terracing, contour plowing
Strip cropping, cover crops
Alley cropping
Windbreaks
Conservation tillage – no till, low till

9. Terracing, contour plowing
Convert slopes into level terraces that run with the lands contour
Contour plowing- plowing and planting crops in rows that run across the slope

10. Strip cropping, Cover crops
Planting alternating strips of a row crop with another crop that completely covers the soil

11. Alley cropping
crops planted in alleys between orchard trees

12. Windbreaks
Planting trees between field crops

13. No till farming Drilling seed directly into the previous crop residue
Little disturbance to soil

14. Other

15. What if we don’t take care of our soil?
Stinging Sands and Forgotten Lives

16. Soil and Conservation

17. A method of conserving soil
Cover crops

18. NC agriculture NC Agriculture What types of crops are grown in NC?
What are the three regions of NC?
What types of crops are grown in each?
What other types of agriculture products are there in the piedmont?
Why is soil important?
Farming Today