essay on soil for class 8

Notes of Ch 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources| Class 8th Geography

Study material and notes of ch 1 land, soil, water, natural vegetation and wildlife resources class 8th geography.

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Essay on Soil for School and College Students | Essay | Soil Science

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Here is a compilation of essays on “Soil” for class 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on “Soil” especially written for school and college students.

Essay on Soil

Essay Contents:

• Essay on the Formation of Soil

1. Essay on the Meaning and Importance of Soil:

Meaning of soil:.

Soil (sometimes called dirt) is the combination of rock, mineral fragments (pieces), organic matter (dead and living things), water, and air. It is mostly made up of grains of rock weathered by wind, rain, sun, snow, etc., and varying amounts of humus. The type of soil depends on the mix of humus and on the size of the grains of the rock. The grains can be very small and smooth, such as clay, or they can be larger, like grains of sand or even a piece of gravel.

Importance of Soil:

Soils are important to our ecosystem for six main reasons:

1. Soils are a place for plants to grow;

2. Soils control the speed and the purity of water that moves through them;

3. Soils recycle nutrients from dead animals and plants;

4. Soils change the air that surrounds the earth, called the atmosphere;

5. Soils are a place to live for animals, insects and very small living things called microorganisms;

6. Soils are the oldest and the most used building materials.

The climate is very important when soil is made. Soil from different climates can have very different qualities. Soil is a natural body consisting of layers that are primarily composed of minerals which differ from their parent materials in their texture, structure, consistency, color, chemical, biological and other characteristics.

It is the unconsolidated or loose covering of fine rock particles that covers the surface of the earth. Soil is the end product of the influence of the climate (temperature, precipitation), relief (slope), organisms (flora and fauna), parent materials (original minerals), and time. In engineering terms, soil is referred to as regolith, or loose rock material that lies above the ‘solid geology’.

In horticulture, the terms ‘soil’ is defined as the layer that contains organic material that influences and has been influenced by plant roots and may range in depth from centimeters to many meters. Soil is composed of particles of broken rock (parent materials) which have been altered by physical, chemical and biological processes that include weathering (disintegration) with associated erosion (movement).

Soil is altered from its parent material by the interactions between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. It is a mixture of mineral and organic materials in the form of solids, gases and liquids.

Soil is commonly referred to as “earth” or “dirt”; technically, the term “dirt” should be restricted to displaced soil.

Parent Material :

The mineral material from which a soil forms is called parent material. Rock, whether its origin is igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic, is the source of all soil mineral materials and origin of all plant nutrients with the exceptions of nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon. As the parent material is chemically and physically weathered, transported, deposited and precipitated, it is transformed into a soil.

Typical soil mineral materials are quartz:

SiO 2 Calcite: CaCO 3 , Feldspar: KAlSi 3 O 8 , Mica (biotite): K (Mg, Fe) 3 AlSi 3 O 10 (OH) 2 .

Organic Matter of Soil :

The organic soil matter includes all the dead plant material and all creatures, live and dead. Most of the living things in soils are including plants, insects, bacteria and fungi. Soils have varying organic compounds in varying degrees of decomposition. Organic matter holds soils open, allowing the infiltration of air and water, and may hold as much as twice its weight in water.

Many soils, including desert and rocky-gravel soils, have little or no organic matter. Soils that are all organic matter, such as peat (histosols), are infertile. Humus refers to organic matter that has been decomposed by bacteria, fungi, and protozoa to the final point where it is resistant to further breakdown.

Humic acids and fulvic acids, which begin as raw organic matter, are important constituents of humus. After the death of plants and animals, microbes begin to feed on the residues, resulting finally in the formation of humus. Humus formation is a process dependent on the amount of plant material added each year and the type of base soil. Both are affected by climate and the type of organisms present.

Humus usually constitutes only five percent of the soil or less by volume, but it is an essential Source of nutrients and adds important textural qualities crucial to soil health and plant growth. Humus also holds bits of un-decomposed organic matter which feed arthropods and worms which further improve the soil.

The degradation of water-soluble constituents contains cellulose, hemicellulose and nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur. Humus has a high cation exchange capacity that on a dry weight basis is many times greater than that of clay colloids. It also acts as a buffer, like clay, against changes in pH and soil moisture.

2. Essay on the Classification of Soil :

Soil is classified into categories in order to understand relationships between different soils and to determine the suitability of a soil for a particular use. One of the first classification systems was developed by the Russian scientist Dokuchaev around 1880. It was modified a number of times by American and European researchers, and developed into the system commonly used until the 1960s.

It was based on the idea that soils have a particular morphology based on the materials and factors that form them. In the 1960s, a different classification system began to emerge which focused on soil morphology instead of parental materials and soil- forming factors. Since then it has undergone further modifications.

The World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) aims to establish an international reference base for soil classification. Taxonomy is an arrangement in a systematic manner. They are, from most general to specific: order, suborder, great group, subgroup, family and series. The soil properties that can be measured quantitatively are used to classify soils. A partial list is: depth, moisture, temperature, texture, structure, cation exchange capacity, base saturation, clay mineralogy, organic matter content and salt content.

In the United States, soil orders are the top hierarchical level of soil classification in the USDA soil taxonomy. The names of the orders end with the suffix -sol. There are 12 soil orders in Soil Taxonomy.

The criteria for the order divisions include properties that reflect major differences in the genesis of soils:

a. Alfisol:

Soils with aluminium and iron. They have horizons of clay accumulation, and form where there is enough moisture and warmth for at least three months of plant growth. They constitute 10.1% of soils worldwide.

b. Andisols:

Volcanic ash soils. They are young and very fertile. They cover 1% of the world’s ice-free surface.

c. Aridisol:

Dry soils forming under desert conditions which have fewer than 90 consecutive days of moisture during the growing season. They include nearly 12% of soils on Earth. Soil formation is slow, and accumulated organic matter is scarce. They may have subsurface zones of caliche or duripan. Many aridisols have well-developed Bt horizons showing clay movement from past periods of greater moisture.

d. Entisol:

Recently formed soils that lack well-developed horizons. Commonly found on unconsolidated river and beach sediments of sand and clay or volcanic ash, some have an A horizon on top of bedrock. They are 18% of soils worldwide.

e. Gelisols:

Permafrost soils with permafrost within two meters of the surface or gelic materials and permafrost within one meter. They constitute 9.1% of soils worldwide.

f. Histosol:

Organic soils, formerly called bog soils, are 1.2% of soils worldwide.

g. Inceptisol:

Young soils. They have subsurface horizon formation but show little eluviation and illuviation. They constitute 15% of soils worldwide.

h. Mollisols:

Soft, deep, dark fertile soil formed in grasslands and some hardwood forests with very thick A horizons. They are 7% of soils worldwide.

Oxisol are the most weathered, are rich in iron and aluminum oxides (sesquioxides) and kayolin but low in silica. They have only trace nutrients due to heavy tropical rainfall and high temperatures. They are 7.5% of soils worldwide.

j. Spodosol:

Acid soils with organic colloid layer complexed with iron and aluminium leached from a layer above. They are typical soils of coniferous and deciduous forests in cooler climates. They constitute 4% of soils worldwide.

k. Ultisol:

Acid soils in humid climates, tropical to subtropical temperatures, which are heavily, leached of Ca, Mg, and K nutrients. They are not quite Oxisols. They are 8.1% of the soil worldwide.

l. Vertisol:

Inverted soils. They are clay-rich and tend to swell when wet and shrink upon drying, often forming deep cracks into which surface layers can fall. They are difficult to farm and on which to construct roads and buildings due to their high expansion rate. They constitute 2.4% of soils worldwide.

3. Essay on the Physical Properties of Soil:

The physical properties of soils, in order of decreasing importance, are texture, structure, density, porosity, consistency, temperature, colour and resistivity. Most of these determine the aeration of the soil and the ability of water to infiltrate and to be held in the soil.

Soil texture is determined by the relative proportion of the three kinds of soil particles, called soil “separates”: sand, silt, and clay. Larger soil structures called “peds” are created from the separates when iron oxides, carbonates, clay, and silica with the organic constituent humus, coat particles and cause them to adhere into larger, relatively stable secondary structures. Soil density, particularly bulk density, is a measure of soil compaction.

Soil porosity consists of the part of the soil volume occupied by air and water. Soil consistency is the ability of soil to stick together. Soil temperature and colour are self-defining.

The properties may vary through the depth of a soil profile. Soil organisms are hindered by high acidity, and most agricultural crops do best with mineral soils of pH 6.5 and organic soils of pH 5.5. The effect of pH on a soil is to remove from the soil or to make available certain ions.

a. Soil Texture :

The mineral soil particles differ widely in size. Some are seen with naked eye, while others are small enough to exhibit colloidal properties. The term soil texture is an expression of the size range of the individual particles and it has both qualitative and quantitative connotations.

Qualitatively, it refers to the ‘feel’ of the soil material, whether coarse and gritty or smooth. Quantitatively, soil texture refers to relative proportion of various sizes of particles in a given soil. Most natural field soils are composed of mineral particles, including coarse fragments, gravel, sands of varying sizes, silt and clay. Soil texture is not readily subjected to change.

Many particle size classifications exist, each, of which having different class limits for each size fraction. Classification of International Society of Soil Science (ISSS) renamed as International Union of Soil Science (IUSS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are widely followed (Table 4.1).

Physical Nature of Soil Separates :

Coarse fragments that range from 2 to 75 mm dia are termed gravel or pebbles, those ranging from 75 to 250 mm are called cobbles (if round) or flags (if flat) and those more than 250 mm across are called stones or boulders. Sand and gravel may be round or irregular. They are not sticky when wet. These are not plastic.

Water holding capacity of sand is low because of large pores between the particles. Soils dominated by sand are well drained. The specific surface area (total surface area of the particles per unit mass or unit volume of dry soil) may be about 0.1 m 2 g -1 for fine sand. Silt particles are intermediary in size and properties between sand and clay. Soil particles posses some plasticity, cohesion and adsorptive capacity, but much less than the clay separates. Silt may cause soil surface compact and crusty.

Clay particles vary in shape from plate like to round. When clay is wet, tends to be sticky and plastic or easily molded. Water and air movement is restricted. Water holding capacity is high. It becomes hard and cloddy when dry. The specific surface area ranges from 10 to 1000 m 2 g -1 compared to 1.0 and 0.1 m 2 g -1 for silt and fine sand, respectively.

Sand and loamy sand are the two recognised specific textural classes. Silt group includes soils with at least 80 per cent silt and 12 per cent or less clay. The properties of this group are determined by those of silt. A soil must contain at least 35 per cent clay and in most cases, not less than 40 per cent to be designated as clay.

In such soils, the characteristics of clay are dominant. The loam group is complicated in textural class. It is a mixture of sand, silt and clay and the properties are in equal proportion. Accurate and commonly used method for determining the soil textural class is laboratory method based on mechanical analysis. The USDA has developed triangular diagram for determining soil textural classes.

Importance of Soil Texture :

Coarse textured or sandy soils are loose, low water retentive, well drained, well aerated, easily cultivable and are called light soils. On the other hand, fine textured or clay soils tend to absorb and retain much more water as they have large surface area per unit volume. They become plastic and sticky when wet, hard and cohesive when dry, difficult to cultivate and are called heavy soils.

In general, sandy soils have low water and nutrient retentive capacity, low organic matter content, little or no swelling and shrinkage, high leaching of nutrients and pollutants. Fine sands are easily blown by wind. Silty soils have medium to high water and nutrient retentive capacity, moderate aeration, slow to medium drainage, medium to high organic matter content, usually, good supply of nutrients and moderate leaching of nutrients.

These soils are easily blown by wind and susceptible to water erosion, easily compacted, have little swelling and shrinkage and are relatively difficult to work at high moisture content. A loam soil contains a balanced mix of coarse and fine particles with properties intermediate among those of sand, silt and clay.

A loam soil is considered to be an ideal soil for crop growth. Its capacity to retain water and nutrients is superior to that of sand, while its drainage, aeration and tillage properties are often favourable than those of clay. The clayey soils have high water and nutrient retentive capacity, poor aeration, poor drainage, high to medium organic matter, medium to good supply of nutrients and high swelling and shrinkage. These soils resist wind erosion because of excellent sealing properties. They are easily compacted and retard leaching of nutrients and pollutants.

b. Soil Structure :

Soil structure is defined as the natural arrangement, orientation and organisation of particles in soil. It describes the overall arrangement or combination of primary soil separates into secondary groupings called aggregates or peds. Soil conditions and characteristics such as water movement, aeration, heat transfer and porosity are influenced by structure.

Types of Soil Structure :

Based on the arrangement of peds or aggregates, soil structure is classified into four principal types:

The aggregates are arranged in relatively thin horizontal plates. It is often formed from parent material and can also result due to compaction by heavy farm machinery.

Two types of this structure, columnar and prismatic, are vertically oriented aggregates, occurring commonly in surface horizons of semiarid and arid regions. The prisms having rounded tops called columnar structure mostly occur in subsoils of salt affected/sodic soils. Prismatic structures have the tops of prisms angular and are relatively flat horizontally.

All the three dimensions of the peds are more or less equal. They are cube­ like with flat or rounded faces. When the faces and edges are mainly round, they are called sub angular blocky. They are usually confined to subsoil.

Spheroidal:

Rounded aggregates are placed in this category. Relatively nonporous aggregates are called granules and the pattern granular. When the granules are especially porous, the term crumb is used.

Structural Management of Soils :

When the clay is deflocculated, as under the influence of exchangeable sodium, the soil aggregates, generally, collapse. Aggregates are also vulnerable to the effect of water, swelling and shrinkage, beating action of raindrop and scoring action of runoff. Cultivation when the soil is too wet or dry, excessive tillage and soil compaction also cause breakdown of soil aggregates. Close growing perennial plants with extensive root system such as grasses promote soil aggregation.

Unlike soil texture and specific soil surface, which are more or less constant for a given soil, structure is highly dynamic and may change gradually from time to time in response to changes in natural conditions, biological activity and soil management practices. Soil structure can be of decisive importance in determining soil productivity, since it greatly affects the water, air and heat regimes in the field.

Soil structure also influences the soil mechanical properties, which may in turn affect seed germination, seedling establishment and root growth. Soil structure can affect the performance of agricultural operations such as tillage, irrigation and drainage.

4. Essay on the Layers of Soil :

Soil is a thin layer of material on the Earth’s surface in which plants have their roots. It is made up of many things, such as weathered rock and decayed plant and animal matter. Soil is formed over a long period of time. Soil Formation takes place when many things interact, such as air, water, plant life, animal life, rocks, and chemicals.

The soil profile is one of the most important concepts in soil science. It is a key to understanding the processes that have taken in soil development and is the means of determining the types of soil that occur and is the basis for their classification. The soil profile is defined as a vertical section of the soil from the ground surface downwards to where the soil meets the underlying rock.

The soil profile can be as little as 10 cm thick in immature soils and as deep as several meters in tropical areas where the climate is conducive to rapid alteration of the underlying rock to form soil. In temperate areas, the soil/profile is often around a meter deep and in arid areas somewhat shallower than this.

All soil profiles are composed of a number of distinctive layers, termed horizons, interpretation of which is the key to understanding how the soil has formed. Most soils will have three or more horizons. Soils that have not been cultivated will normally have L, F and H layers at the surface.

These layers largely represent different degrees of decomposition of organic matter, the L layer representing the litter layer formed of recognizable plant and soil animal remains, the F layer below, the fermentation layer, usually consisting of a mixture of organic matter in different stages of decomposition, and the H layer, the humose layer, consisting largely of humified material with little or no plant structure visible. Below these, and in cultivated soils occupying the surface layer, is the A horizon composed of a more or less intimate mixture of mineral and organic matter.

(i) Organic Matter (O):

Litter layer of plant residues in relatively un-decomposed form. O horizons may be divided into O 1 and O 2 categories, whereby O 1 horizons contain decomposed matter whose origin can be spotted on sight (for instance, fragments of rotting leaves), and O 2 horizons containing only well-decomposed organic matter, the origin of which is not readily visible.

(ii) Horizon (P):

These horizons are also heavily organic, but are distinct from O horizons in that they form under water logged conditions. The “P” designation comes from their common name, peats. They may be divided into P 1 and P 2 in the same way as O Horizons. This layer accumulates iron, clay, aluminium and organic compounds, a process referred to as illuviation.

(iii) Surface Soil (A):

Layer of mineral soil with most organic matter accumulation and soil life. This layer is the top 15cm of the soil profile and has the highest percentage of organic matter. The layer was likely formed from decomposing plant and mineral. A” Horizons may be darker in color than deeper layers and contain more organic material, or they may be lighter but contain less clay or sesquioxides.

The A is a surface horizon, and as such is also known as the zone in which most biological activity occurs. Soil organisms such as earthworms, potworms (enchytraeids), arthropods, nematodes, fungi, and many species of bacteria and archaea are concentrated here, often in close association with plant roots.

A-horizons may also be the result of a combination of soil bio-turbation and surface processes that winnow fine particles from biologically mounded topsoil. In this case, the A- horizon is regarded as a “bio mantle”. This layer eluviates (is depleted of) iron, clay, aluminum, organic compounds, and other soluble constituents. When eluviation is pronounced, a lighter colored “E” subsurface soil horizon is apparent at the base of the “A” horizon.

(iv) Sub-Soil (B):

This layer accumulates iron, clay, aluminum and organic compounds, a process referred to as illuviation. A horizon, the B horizon may be divided into B 1 , B 2 , and B 3 types under the Australian system. B 1 is a transitional horizon of the opposite nature to an A3 – dominated by the properties of the B horizons below it, but containing some A-horizon characteristics.

The second layer or B1 horizon is similar to the A horizon and is found from 15-30cm. B 2 horizons have a concentration of clay, minerals, or organics and feature the strongest pedological development within the profile. It is sandy, with a slight increase in clay composition throughout its thickness of 30-60cm. B 3 horizons are transitional between the overlying B layers and the material beneath it.

The B 3 horizon is found from 60cm and beyond whether C or D horizon. The A 3 , B 1 , and B 3 horizons are not tightly defined, and their use is generally at the discretion of the individual worker. Plant roots penetrate through this layer, but it has very little humus. It is usually brownish or red because of the clay and iron oxides washed down from A horizon.

(v) Parent Rock (C):

Layer of large unbroken rocks. This layer may accumulate the more soluble compounds. The C Horizon may contain lumps or more likely large shelves of unweathered rock, rather than being made up solely of small fragments as in the solum. “Ghost” rock structure may be present within these horizons. The C horizon also contains parent material. It forms the framework of the soil. The A and B layers are formed by this layer. The C horizon forms as bed rock weathers and rock breaks up into particles.

(vi) Bedrock (R):

R horizons denote the layer of partially weathered bedrock at the base of the soil profile. Unlike the above layers, R horizons largely comprise continuous masses (as opposed to boulders) of hard rock that cannot be excavated by hand. Soils formed in situ will exhibit strong similarities to this bedrock layer.

(vii) Limnic (L):

Horizons or layers indicate mineral or organic material that has been deposited in water by precipitation or through the actions of aquatic organisms. Included are copro-genous earth (sedimentary peat), diatomaceous earth, and marl; and is usually found as a remnant of past bodies of standing water.

Sand and silt are the products of physical and chemical weathering; clay, on the other hand, is a product of chemical weathering but often forms as a secondary mineral precipitated from dissolved minerals. It is the specific surface area of soil particles and the unbalanced ionic charges within them that determine their role in the cation exchange capacity of soil, and hence its fertility.

Sand is least active, followed by silt; clay is the most active. Sand’s greatest benefit to soil is that it resists compaction and increases porosity. Silt is mineralogical like sand but with its higher specific surface area it is more chemically active than sand. But it is the clay content; with its very high specific surface area and generally large number of negative charges that gives a soil its high retention capacity for water and nutrients.

Clay soils also resist wind and water erosion better than silty and sandy soils, as the particles are bonded to each other. Calcium. Magnesium, Sulfur, Potassium; depending upon soil composition.

Nitrogen; usually little, unless nitrate fertilizer was applied recently.

Phosphorus; very little as its forms in soil are of low solubility.

Sand is the most stable of the mineral components of soil; it consists of rock fragments, primarily quartz particles, ranging in size from 2.0 to 0.05 mm (0.079 to 0.0020 in) in diameter. Silt ranges in size from 0.05 to 0.002 mm (0.002 to 0.00008 in). Clay cannot be resolved by optical microscopes as its particles are 0.002 mm (7.9 x 10-5 in) or less in diameter. In medium-textured soils, clay is often washed downward through the soil profile and accumulates in the subsoil.

Soil components larger than 2.0 mm (0.079 in) are classed as rock and gravel and are removed before determining the percentages of the remaining components and the texture class of the soil, but are included in the name. For example, a sandy loam soil with 20% gravel would be called gravelly sandy loam.

When the organic component of a soil is substantial, the soil is called organic soil rather than mineral soil.

A soil is called organic if:

Mineral fraction is 0% clay and organic matter is 20% or more.

Mineral fraction is 0% to 50% clay and organic matter is between 20% and 30%.

Mineral fraction is 50% or more clay and organic matter 30% or more.

5. Essay on the Formation of Soil:

Soil is the result of evolution from more ancient geological materials. Soil formation, or Pedogenesis, is the combined effect of physical, chemical, biological and anthropogenic processes on soil parent material. Soil is said to be formed when organic matter has accumulated and colloids are washed downward, leaving deposits of clay, humus, iron oxide, carbonate, and gypsum.

These constituents are moved (translocated) from one level to another by water and animal activity. As a result, layers (horizons) form in the soil profile. The alteration and movement of materials within a soil causes the formation of distinctive soil horizons. Soil formation proceeds are influenced by at least five classic factors. They are parent material, climate, topography (relief), organisms, and time.

The Weathering of lava flow bedrock, which would produce the purely mineral-based parent material from which the soil texture forms. Soil development would proceed most rapidly from bare rock of recent flows in a warm climate, under heavy and frequent rainfall. Under such conditions, plants become established very quickly on basaltic lava, even though there is very little organic material. The developing plant roots are associated with mycorrhizal fungi.

Soil Microbes :

Soil is the most abundant ecosystem on Earth, but the vast majority of organisms in soil are microbes, a great many of which have not been described. There may be a population limit of around one billion cells per gram of soil, but estimates of the number of species vary widely.

One estimate put the number at over a million species per gram of soil, although a later study suggests a maximum of just over 50,000 species per gram of soil. The total number of organisms and species can vary widely according to soil type, location, and depth.

Plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and humans affect soil formation. Animals, soil meso-fauna and micro-organisms mix soils as they form burrows and pores, allowing moisture and gases to move about. In the same way, plant roots open channels in soils. Plants with deep taproots can penetrate many meters through the different soil layers to bring up nutrients from deeper in the profile.

Plants with fibrous roots that spread out near the soil surface have roots that are easily decomposed, adding organic matter. Micro-organisms, including fungi and bacteria, affect chemical exchanges between roots and soil and act as a reserve of nutrients. Humans impact soil formation by removing vegetation cover with erosion as the result.

Their tillage also mixes the different soil layers, restarting the soil formation process as less weathered material is mixed with the more developed upper layers. Micro-organisms are able to metabolize the organic matter and release ammonium in a process called mineralization. Others take free ammonium and oxidize it to nitrate.

Particular bacteria are capable of metabolizing N 2 into the form of nitrate in a process called nitrogen fixation. Both ammonium and nitrate can be lost from the soil by incorporation into the microbes’ living cells, where it is temporarily immobilized or sequestered. Nitrate may also be lost from the soil when bacteria metabolize it to the gases N 2 and N 2 O. In that gaseous form, nitrogen escapes to the atmosphere in a process called denitrification.

Vegetation impacts soils in numerous ways. It can prevent erosion caused by excessive rain that results in surface runoff. Plants shade soils, keeping them cooler and slowing evaporation of soil moisture, or conversely, by way of transpiration, plants can cause soils to lose moisture.

Plants can form new chemicals that can break down minerals and improve soil structure. The type and amount of vegetation depends on climate, topography, soil characteristics, and biological factors. Soil factors such as density, depth, chemistry, pH, temperature and moisture greatly affect the type of plants that can grow in a given location.

Dead plants and fallen leaves and stems begin their decomposition on the surface. There, organisms feed on them and mix the organic material with the upper soil layers; these added organic compounds become part of the soil formation process.

Soil Water:

Water is the chemical substance with chemical formula H 2 O. One molecule of water has two hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to a single oxygen atom. One molecule of water has two hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to a single oxygen atom. Water is a tasteless, odorless liquid at ambient temperature and pressure, and appears colorless in small quantities, although it has its own intrinsic very light blue hue.

Ice also appears colorless, and water vapor is essentially invisible as a gas. Water is a tasteless, odorless liquid at ambient temperature and pressure, and appears colorless in small quantities, although it has its own intrinsic very light blue hue. Ice also appears colorless, and water vapor is essentially invisible as a gas.

Water affects soil formation, structure, stability and erosion but is of primary concern with respect to plant growth. Water is essential for plants. It constitutes 85%-95% of the plant’s protoplasm. It is essential for photosynthesis. It is the solvent in which nutrients are carried to, into and throughout the plant.

It provides the turgidity by which the plant keeps itself in proper position. In addition, water alters the soil profile by dissolving and re-depositing minerals, often at lower levels, and possibly leaving the soil sterile in the case of extreme rainfall and drainage. In a loam soil, solids constitute half the volume, air one-quarter of the volume, and water one-quarter of the volume, of which only half will be available to most plants.

The amount of water remaining in a soil drained to field capacity and the amount that is available are functions of the soil type. Sandy soil will retain very little water, while clay will hold the maximum amount.

The time required to drain a field from flooded condition for a clay loam that begins at 43% water by weight to a field capacity of 21.5% is six days, whereas a sandy loam that is flooded to its maximum of 22% water will take two days to reach field capacity of 11.3% water. The available water for the clay loam might be 11.3% whereas for the sandy loam it might be only 7.9% by weight.

Soil Atmosphere :

The atmosphere of soil is radically different from the atmosphere above. The consumption of oxygen, by microbes and plant roots and their release of carbon dioxide, decrease oxygen and increase carbon dioxide concentration. Atmospheric CO 2 concentration is 0.03%, but in the soil pore space it may range from 10 to 100 times that level.

At extreme levels CO 2 is toxic. In addition, the soil voids are saturated with water vapour. Adequate porosity is necessary not just to allow the penetration of water but also to allow gases to diffuse in and out. Movement of gases is by diffusion from high concentrations to lower.

Oxygen diffuses in and is consumed and excess levels of carbon dioxide, diffuse out with other gases as well as water. Soil texture and structure strongly affect soil porosity and gas diffusion. Platy and compacted soils impede gas flow, and a deficiency of oxygen may encourage anaerobic bacteria to reduce nitrate to the gases N 2 , N 2 O, and NO, which are then lost to the atmosphere.

Aerated soil is also a net sink of methane CH 4 but a net producer of greenhouse gases when soils are depleted of oxygen and subject to elevated temperatures.

Influences on Soil Formation :

Soil formation would begin with the plants, which are supported by the porous rock as it is filled with nutrient-bearing water that carries dissolved minerals from the rocks and guano. Crevasses and pockets, local topography of the rocks, would hold fine materials and harbour plant roots. That assist in breaking up the porous lava, and by these means organic matter and a finer mineral soil accumulate with time.

Releted Articles:

• Notes on Soil Profile (With Diagram)

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Essay on Soil: Introduction and Formation

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In this essay we will discuss about soil. After reading this essay you will learn about: 1. Introduction to Soil 2. Components of Soil 3. Functions 4. Microclimate 5. Formation of Soil 6. Types of Pollutants 7. Fertiliser Contamination 8. Greenhouse Effect and Soil Fertility 9. Weathering 10. The Soil Profile 11. Textural Classes 12. Cation Exchange Capacity 13. Soil Reaction 14. Economy of Essential Elements.

Essay on Soil

Essay Contents:

• Essay on the Economy of Essential Elements of Soil

ADVERTISEMENTS: (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Essay # 1. Introduction to Soil : (500 Words)

Soils form a narrow interface between the atmo­sphere and the lithosphere and possess elements of both: water, a gaseous phase and mineral mat­ter, together with a diverse range of organisms and materials of biological origin.

They continu­ally interact with the atmosphere above and the lithosphere beneath. Soils are that part of the earth’s thin surface ‘rind’ within which organic ma­terials are broken down to form stable humic compounds thereby releasing their contained nu­trient elements for uptake by organisms and dissi­pating their contained energy.

This veneer of ma­terials supports the growth of higher plants and therefore the primary production on which the human population directly depends. Soils provide other important services including the stabilisation of waste materials and part of the excess CO 2 re­leased to the atmosphere by human activities.

The thin veneer of soil is readily damaged or lost by misuse. Following such effects, it does not reform in any major sense within the time frames of human existence and must be considered a non-renewable resource.

Many current systems of agricultural management are not sustainable in the longer term because of the pressures they place on the soil. Production levels may frequently be set on the basis of economic goals rather than the capacity of the soil to withstand particular stresses.

Most cropping systems, for example, require sub­stantial regular inputs of energy and nutrient ele­ments and the sustainability of their use of this purpose is contingent upon continuing inputs. Similar principles apply in other situations. Con­tinued overgrazing in pastoral environments situ­ations soon leads to soil degradation and loss and stresses imposed by chemical contamination may eventually result in impaired functioning.

Faced with such pressures, soils are clearly a threatened resource. From this, one of the emerg­ing challenges facing soil ecologists is the mainte­nance or amelioration of soil fertility in the devel­opment of long-term sustainable agricultural sys­tems. This requires the integration of biological process knowledge into general models of soil functioning and the design of land management systems based on such models.

An understanding of soil functioning and the definition of appropriate management options demand a knowledge of the processes operating in both the above and below ground subsystems and identification and quantification of fluxes of energy and materials between and within them. The maintenance of the physical integrity and fer­tility of soils depends largely on these transfers.

The soil is a unique environment that com­bines solid, liquid and gaseous phases to form a three-dimensional matrix. The organisms that in­habit this porous, humid and amphibious environ­ment face quite specific constraints due to:

(i) The predominance of poor-quality food resources for species at the lower trophic levels;

(ii) Spatial con­straints in an environment where most organism live within pores that differ broadly in size, shape and inter-connectedness; and

(iii) The rapid alter­nation, in both space and time, of air and water- filled porosities. The adaptive strategies evolved under such conditions are certainly different from those of their above ground counterparts.

Essay # 2. Components of Soil: (500 Words)

Soil components may be classified in many ways, depending on the intended purpose of the classi­fication. Some common ways of classifying such materials are on their sizes, shapes and origins, the phases they belong to, their chemical or physical characteristics, their mineralogical compositions or on combinations of these.

The classification of soil components employed here is arbitrary and hierarchical and attempts to characterize the indi­vidual components in ways that reflect their eco­logical interrelationships (Fig. 10.1).

The division of soil materials into separate components in no way implies that associations and interactions between the various components do not occur, or are unimportant. Indeed, nearly all-solid and liquid phase entities that occur within soils include both organic and inorganic compo­nents, or are influenced by them.

The formation and functioning of soil depends on the myriad interactions that occur between the organic and inorganic, and the living and non-living components of soils. An enormous variety of organic and in-organic components are available within soils to interact in the synthesis and development of the unique substance which is soil.

Table 10.1 presents the indicative value of concentrations of selected major and minor ele­ments in surface soils together with the ranges that may be expected to occur in areas where mineralization has occurred or which have been polluted by human activities.

The most important of the inorganic com­ponents in terms of soil behaviour is undoubt­edly the highly-diverse group of substances characterised generally as clays. The term clay may refer to three distinct entities. In the textural sense, clay refers to the important colloidal particles less than 0.002 mm (2 µm) in diameter.

More loosely, it may also refer to a class of soils with a high proportion of such particles. It may also be ap­plied to the phyllosilicate clay minerals discussed below. Here, the term clay will refer to clay-sized particles unless otherwise qualified.

The phyllosilicate and other mineral particles in the clay size range have large surface areas relative to their masses and, in soils with appreciable clay contents, they control many reactions important to biologi­cal processes. Surface area is also closely corre­lated with a range of other properties that regu­late the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil mass and influence plant growth.

Organic materials found in soils may be di­vided into the living organisms and non-living materials of biological origin. The later comprise a diversity of materials including roots and other plant and animal remains in all stages of subdivision and decomposition.

In addition, dead fungal hyphae, spores, bacteria and other larger constructs of microbial (e.g., the sporocarps of mycorrhizal fungi) and faunal (e.g., termitaria) origin are frequently present. During the later stages of decomposition of plant materials, less resistant materials are lost leaving only cell wall outlines and fragments which, in the terminal stages of decomposition, may appear amorphous under microscopic examination.

Other directly-derived biological materials include such diverse products as plant root lysates and exudates, the faeces, excreta and secreta of animals, the cutane­ous mucus secreted by earthworms and gels pro­duced by microorganisms.

Essay # 3. Functions of Soil: (400 Words)

i. Mechanical Support:

The role of the soil in providing a mechanical support for plants is clear.

All the rooted plants get such support from soil in varying degree to resist the wind pressure on aerial parts of plant.

ii. Habitat Provision:

The vast majority of soil organisms are too small and too weak to cre­ate their own habitats and these latter must exist within the soil to sustain the organisms essential to its functioning. Small organisms must live within existing voids formed through physical processes or through the activities of such larger organisms as plant roots and soil-dwelling invertebrates and vertebrates.

In par­ticular, decomposing roots comprise an im­portant habitat for many soil organisms.

iii. Storage of Organic Matter:

The soil is an important store of dead organic materials present in all stages of decomposition from freshly-fallen litter and recently-dead plant roots to highly humified materials of great age and chemical complexity.

Dead biological materials are important energy sources for many soil organisms and the more decom­posed fractions interact with inorganic mate­rials to form organo-mineral structures cen­tral to the organisation and stability of the soil matrix.

iv. Element Release:

In addition to such ele­ments as silicon and aluminium which nor­mally dominate the soil mass, the soil also con­tains stores of elements that are of biological and pedological importance. Certain forms of such elements as iron, aluminium and silicon are important in both these respects.

These and other elements may he held within the organic materials (living and dead) considered above but are also present in the soil solution, retained at and near the surfaces of the or­ganic and inorganic soil colloids and, in less accessible forms, within the mineral soil par­ticles.

Decomposition of organic materials lib­erates the contained elements in inorganic forms (mineralization) in a controlled or ‘slow-release’ way for uptake by plant roots and other soils organisms, or for involvement in ped­ological processes.

v. Water Storage:

Soils possess a store of water that supports the growth of plants and other organisms. The magnitude of this store dif­fers substantially between soils depending on soil depth, the size distribution and organisation of the soil particles and location in the landscape.

Within soils, plants may have access to stores of different sizes, depending on their individual capacities to extract water from the smaller pores and on such factors as their rooting depths, mycorrhizal associations and salt tolerances.

Other soil organisms also have their own characteristic physiological tol­erance ranges beyond which they become in­active, or die. By and large, soil harbour a variety of organ­isms which can be categorized as producer, con­sumer and decomposer.

Essay # 4. Microclimate of Soil : (300 Words)

The microclimate of the soil is defined in terms of its internal temperature and hydrological re­gimes and is therefore generally determined by the external climate. Since this varies broadly with lati­tude, elevation, rainfall distribution and, to a lesser degree, with vegetation type and cover, aspect and a range of other factors, it is clear that soil micro­climates are likely to differ almost as widely as those of the surface, albeit increasingly buffered from rapid change with greater depth in the profile.

The soil properties that determine water en­try and movement within the soil are clearly im­portant in defining the microclimate. Soil tempera­ture regimes and the factors governing their varia­tion in time and space form the remaining part of its definition.

The temperature regimes that per­tain in soils influence many processes that occur therein and play a part in controlling the rates and processes of soil development and the composi­tion and activities of the biota. Agricultural pro­ductivity is frequently limited by either low or ex­cessively high temperatures, although both effects are often related to moisture status.

In the pedogenetic sense, water is a major agent of physi­cal weathering through expansion: contraction processes and particularly the frequency with which the 0°C boundary is crossed. The rates of many biological and chemical weathering processes are also temperature dependent.

All species have required minimum and maxi­mum temperatures for growth and survival and, in the arthropods, these may differ between de­velopment stages. However, most species usually have a somewhat narrower preferred range.

The species present in extreme environments usually possess specific adaptations to permit their survival therein. However, a minimum requirement for the persistence of most species is that tem­perature and moisture regimes be regularly within a favourable range for a sufficient period to per­mit successful reproduction and development.

Essay # 5. Formation of Soil : (300 Words)

The formation and evolution of soils involve a series of physical, chemical and biological pro­cesses which act progressively over time, are con­trolled by climatic variables and are greatly influ­enced by topography. Simonson (1978) divides such processes into additions from without the soil system, removals or losses, translocations (or transfers) within the system and transformations of Contained materials.

The original parent material is transformed by in situ weathering into a mixture of stable mineral components which blend intimately with organic materials to form the soil. The parent material is first broken down into its primary minerals whose decomposition products may be partially trans­formed into secondary or neo-formed minerals (Table 10.2).

From this early stage, the nutrients necessary for plant production an such other essential com­ponents as A1 and Fe accumulate progressively in the upper parts of the incipient soils. Clay frac­tions are formed firstly through alteroplasmation i.e., transformation of primary minerals into clays with no subsequent modification of rock struc­ture.

Pedoplasmation is a subsequent transforma­tion whereby clay minerals acquired a pedological structure and such specific properties as swelling and shrinkage.

The initiation of biological activities within the developing substrate leads to the accumula­tion of organic matter. This organic matter mixes with the weathering mineral components to form an A horizon that becomes an active source of further physicochemical changes in the underly­ing parent material to develop a C horizon. CO 2 evolved from decomposing organic matter also participates in the process.

With further develop­ment, weathering and downward transport of materials progressively modify the deeper strata of the parent material and, depending on the pro­cesses operating, E and B horizons may form. At this stage, translocation, biological transport and erosion become the dominant processes in the evolution and differentiation of the soil profile.

Nutrient and other elements (e.g., Si and Al) and organic materials are continually lost in solu­tion and suspension through erosion and by trans­port in subsurface water flows. Such losses are expected to be greatest in incipient soils with ju­venile ecosystems and to diminish with ecosystem and soil development.

Essay # 6. Types of Pollutants of Soil: (700 Words)

i. Pesticides:

Whether pesticides are applied to plant foliage, to the soil surface, or are incorporated into the soil, a high proportion of the chemicals eventually moves into the soil. These chemicals then move in one or more of six major directions (Fig. 10.4).

a. They may vaporize into the atmosphere with­out chemical change.

b. They may be absorbed by humus and clay par­ticles.

c. They may move downward through the soil in liquid or solution form and be lost from the soil by leaching.

d. They may undergo chemical reactions within or on the surface of the soil.

e. The may be broken down by soil microorgan­isms.

f. They may be absorbed by plants and detoxi­fied within the plants.

ii. Toxic Inorganic Compound Sources and Accumulation:

There are many sources for the inorganic chemi­cal contaminants that can accumulate in soils. The burning of fossil fuels, smelting, and other pro­cessing techniques release into the atmosphere tons of these elements, which can be carried for miles and later deposited on the vegetation and soil.

Lead, nickel, and boron are gasoline additives that are released into the atmosphere and carried to the soil through rain and snow. Borax is used as a detergent and in fertilizer, both of which com­monly reach the soil. Superphosphate and lime­stone usually contain small quantities of cadmium, copper, manganese, nickel, and zinc.

Cadmium and chromium are used in plating metals, and cadmium in the manufacture of batteries. Arsenic, for many years used as an insecticide on cotton, tobacco, and fruit crops, is still being used as a defoliant or vine killer and on lawns. Some of these elements are found as constituents in specific organic pesti­cides and in domestic and industrial sewage sludge.

The quantities of most of the products in which these inorganic contaminants are used have increased notably in recent years, enhancing the opportunity for contamination. They are present in the environment in increasing amounts and are daily ingested by people either through the air or through food and water.

The domestic and industrial sewage sludge are considered to be the major sources of potentially toxic chemicals, and at least one-third of these wastes in the United States is being applied to the soil. Sewage sludge commonly carry significant quantities of inorganic as well as organic chemi­cals that can have harmful environmental effects.

iii. Organic Waste Contamination:

Soils have long been used as disposal “sinks” for municipal refuse. “Sanitary landfills” are widely employed to dispose of a variety of wastes from our towns and cities. These wastes include paper products, garbage, and non-biodegradable mate­rials such as glass and metals.

The sites are often located in swampy lowland areas that eventually become built up by the dumping to create upland areas for such uses as city parks and other facili­ties.

iv. Soil Salinity and Irrigation:

Contamination of soils with salts is one form of soil pollution primarily agricultural in origin. Fur­thermore, it is not a new problem. Ancient civilizations in both the New and Old Worlds crumbled because salts built up in their irrigated soils. The same principles govern the management of irri­gated soils today and the same dangers exist of salt build up and concomitant soil deterioration.

Salts accumulate in soils because more salts move into the plant rooting zone than move out. This may be due to application of salt-laden irri­gation waters or it may be caused by irrigating poorly drained soils. Salts move up from the lower horizons and concentrate in the surface soil lay­ers.

v. Acid Rain Impact on Soil:

Effects of acid rain are more pronounced on the acidity of water than on soil acidity. Soils gener­ally are sufficiently buffered to accommodate acid rain with little or no increase in soil acidity on an annual basis. But continued inputs of acid rain at pHs of 4.0-4.5 would have significant effects on the pH of soils, especially those that are weakly buffered.

This is also serious for soils that are al­ready quite acid, since increased acidity could well make them even less fertile.

Essay # 7. Fertiliser Contamination: (200 Words)

Fertiliser applications that supply nutrients in quan­tities far in excess of those taken up by plants can result in contamination of both surface and drain­age waters. Nitrates and phosphates are the chemi­cals most often involved. Nitrate contamination can occur in both surface runoff and drainage waters, while excessive levels of phosphates gen­erally occur only in surface runoff.

The loss of nitrogen and phosphorus from the soil has adverse effects on soil fertility, but the effect on water quality is even more serious. Ni­trate levels in drinking water above about 10 mg per liter are considered a human health hazard. In some heavily fertilised areas, the drainage waters are sufficiently high in nitrates to be a problem. Some rural wells have been found to contain ni­trates significantly above this safe limit.

A second problem stemming from high nu­trient-bearing waters coming from soils is the “over fertilisation” of lakes. Nitrogen and phosphorus in lake waters stimulate the growth of algae and other water-loving plants in the lakes.

Algal growth depletes the water of oxygen, which is essential for fish. Other aquatic plants (weeds) are stimu­lated and produce heavy mats near the shoreline interfering with recreational uses of the lakes.

Essay # 8. Greenhouse Effects and Soil Fertility: (400 Words)

Widespread concern has been expressed that the Earth is warming up. Furthermore, it is predicted that this warming trend will continue and even accelerate in the future. The cause of this warm­ing is thought to be the so-called greenhouse ef­fect.

When certain gases are emitted from the earth, they move into the upper atmosphere, capture, and return to the earth radiant heat that would ordi­narily escape into space. In so doing the gases serve the same purpose as the glass in a greenhouse.

With the advent of modern industrialisation the content of these greenhouse gases in the at­mosphere has increased markedly. For example, the carbon dioxide content of the upper atmosphere is thought to have been about 280 parts per mil­lion (ppm) in pre-industrial times.

It has increased to about 350 ppm in the past 30 years. Significant increases have also occurred in nitrogen and sulphur-bearing compounds and in organic synthetics such as the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used as aerosol propellants, refrigerants, and solvents.

The soil is a source of several of the gases involved in the greenhouse phenomenon includ­ing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), and methane (CH 4 ). The breakdown of soil or­ganic matter as land is cleared and put under culti­vation has been a major source of released CO 2 . This loss is small however, in comparison with the much larger releases from the combustion of fos­sil fuels (petroleum and coal) and the burning of tropical forests.

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) content of the atmo­sphere has increased about 25% in this century. About two thirds of this increase is thought to be due to the combustion of coal and oil, the remain­der to agricultural practices. The N 2 O is released during the process of de-nitrification, which is fuelled by the presence of nitrates in the soil and in the organic matter cover.

Although heavy nitro­gen fertilisation may be a source of part of the nitrates that undergo de-nitrification, much nitrate reduction occurs in un-fertilised areas. For example, tropical forests have been found to be a signifi­cant year-round source of N 2 O.

The methane (CH 4 ) content of the upper at­mosphere has essentially doubled in the past hun­dred years, and there is no consensus as to the reasons for this increase. However, the soil is a known source of methane. It is released under anaerobic conditions such as are common in swamps or in a rice paddy.

Also, termites can and do produce methane, and some investigators have suggested that 20-40% of the methane reaching the atmosphere may come from this source.

Essay # 9. Weathering of Soil : (300 Words)

Weathering is the sum of the processes involved in the alteration of materials and not the surface through complex interactions between the lithosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the biosphere that occur over time.

It may extend far below the surface and includes all the physical and chemical processes responsible for soil fragmen­tation and the production of dissolving ions.

Weathering in the upper part of the parent mate­rials has been considered separately as pedochemical weathering because of the consid­erable influence of the biomass in the production of, inter alia, complexing agents, substances that attack clay minerals or form organo-mineral com­plexes.

However, biological weathering influences may extend well into the underlying regolith al­though increasingly attenuated with depth.

While physical weathering is often considered separately from chemical weathering, in reality they operate together, often in a synergistic way. Weath­ering involves the simultaneous activities of a range of processes including physical fragmentation, inorganic chemical processes (hydrolysis, oxida­tion, hydration and dissolution) and biologically- mediated processes (e.g., acidolysis and acidocomplexolysis).

The weathering processes predominating at a site are determined by climatic, biological and lithological factors and the degree of evolution of the soil.

In all weathering systems, water plays domi­nant physical and chemical role. In the solid phase it is a major agent of landscape sculpting and trans­port while as a liquid, it is also an important agent for the diffusion and transport of materials.

It is a potent medium of physical disruption through volume change, both as a consequence of phase change and through involvement in hydration and related reactions. Chemically, it is an effective sol­vent, a component of many reactions and of neo-formed products, and an important buffering agent. Little chemical weathering occurs in very dry and frozen environments.

Thus, studies of soil throughout the world have shown that the kinds of soil that develop are largely determined by major factors:

1. Climate (particularly temperature and precipi­tation)

2. Living organism (especially native vegetation, microbes, soil animals and human beings)

3. Nature of parent material

4. Topography of the site

5. Time that parent materials are subjected to soil formation

Essay # 10. The Soil Profile : (400 Words)

The layering or horizon development described in the previous section gradually gives rise to natu­ral bodies called soils. Each soil is characterised by a given sequence of these horizons. A vertical ex­posure of the horizon sequence is termed a soil profile. Attention now will be given to the major horizons making up soil profiles and the termi­nology used to describe them.

For convenience in study and description, five master soil horizons are recognised. These are des­ignated using the capital letters O, A, E, B, and C. Subordinate layers or distinctions within these master horizon are designated by lowercase let­ters.

O Horizon (Organic):

The O group is com­prised of organic horizons that form above the mineral soil. They result from litter derived from dead plants and animals. O horizons usually occur in forested areas and are generally absent in grass­land regions.

The A horizons are the topmost minerals horizons. They contain a strong mixture of partially decomposed (humified) organic mat­ter, which tends to impart a darker color than that of the lower horizons.

E horizons are those of maxi­mum leaching or eluviation’s of clay, iron and aluminium oxides which leaves a concentration of resistant mineral, such as quartz, in sand and silt sizes. E horizon is generally lighter in color and is found under the A horizon.

The subsurface B horizon include layers in which evolution of materials has taken place from above and even from below. In humid regions the B horizons are the layers of maximum accumulation of materials such as iron and aluminium oxides and silicate clays. In arid and semi- arid regions, Calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate and other salts may accumulate in the B horizons.

The C horizon is the unconsoli­dated material underlying the solum (A and B) it may be or may not be the same as the parent ma­terials from which the solum form. The C hori­zon is outside the zone of major biological activi­ties and is generally little affected by the processes that formed in horizons above it. Its upper-layers may be with time become apart of the solum as weathering and erosion continues.

Underlying consolidated rock, with little evidence of weathering.

Transition Horizons:

These horizons are transitional between the master horizons (O, A, E, B and C). They may be dominated by proper­ties of one horizon but have prominent charac­teristics of another. Both capital letters are used.

Essay # 11. Textural Classes of Soil : (100 Words)

To convey an idea of the textural make-up of soils and to give an indication of their physical proper­ties, soil textural class names are used. Three broad groups of these classes are recognised-sands, loams and clays (Table 10.3, Fig. 10.2).

The silt group includes soils with at least 80% silt and 12% or less clay. Naturally the properties of this group are dominated by those of silt. The sand group includes all soils in which the sand separates make up at least 70% and the clay separate 15% or less of the material by weight. The properties of such soils are therefore charac­teristically those of sand in contrast to the stickier nature of clays included.

To be designated a clay, a soil must contain at least 35% of the clay separate and, in most cases, not less than 40%. In such soils the characteristics of the clay are separated.

Essay # 12. Cation Exchange Capacity of Soil : (100 Words)

The cation exchange capacity (CEC) of a given soil is determined by the relative amounts of dif­ferent colloids in that soil and by the CEC of each of these colloids. Thus, sandy soils have lower CECs than clay soils because the coarse-textured soils are commonly lower in both clay and humus content.

Likewise, a clay soil dominated by 1: I- type silicate clays and Fe, Al oxides will have a much lower CEC than will one with similar humus content dominated by smectite clays.

ADVERTISEMENTS: (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Essay # 13. Soil Reaction: Acidity and Alkalinity : (100 Words)

Perhaps the most outstanding characteristic of the soil solution is its reaction—that is, whether it is acidic, alkaline, or neutral. Microorganisms and higher plants respond markedly to soil reaction because it tends to control so much of their chemi­cal environment.

Soil acidity is common in all regions where precipitation is high enough to leach appreciable quantities of exchangeable base-forming cations (Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , K + , and Na + ) from the surface lay­ers of soils. The condition is so widespread and its influence on plants is so pronounced that acid­ity has become one of the most discussed properties of soils.

Essay # 14. Economy of Essential Elements of Soils: (200 Words)

i. Nitrogen and Sulphur Economy of Soils:

Of the various essential elements, nitrogen prob­ably has been subjected to the most study, and for many good reasons still receives much attention. The amount of this element in available forms in the soil is small, while the quantity withdrawn an­nually by crops is comparatively large.

When there is too much nitrogen in readily soluble forms, it is lost in drainage and may become a water pollut­ant. Nitrogen can be added to the soil by some microbes that “fix” it from the atmosphere, and can then be released back to the atmosphere by still other organisms. Nitrogen can acidify the soil as it is oxidised. Most soil nitrogen is unavailable to higher plants. All in all, nitrogen is an impor­tant nutrient element that must be conserved and carefully managed.

ii. Phosphorous and Potassium Economy of Soils :

Next to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are most critical essential elements in influencing plant growth and production throughout the world. Un­like nitrogen, these elements are not supplied through biochemical fixation but must come from other sources to meet plant requirements.

The sources include:

(a) Commercial fertiliser;

(b) Animal manures;

(c) Plant residues, including green manures;

(d) Human, industrial, and domestic wastes; and

(e) Native compounds of potassium and phospho­rus, both organic and inorganic, already present in the soil.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

August 12, 2024 by phani

Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources Ncert Textbook Questions Solved

Question 1. Answer the following questions. (i) Which are the two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation? (ii) Write any two reasons for land degradation today. (iii) Why is land considered an important resource? (iv) Name any two steps that the government has taken to conserve plants and animals. (v) Suggest three ways to conserve water. Answer. (i) Temperature and rainfall are two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation. Rainfall contributes in breaking the rocks by applying pressure. Temperature fluctuations between hot and cold also form cracks in the rocks.

(ii) Reasons for land degradation are:

• Ever-growing demand of the growing population
• Destruction of forest‘cover

(iii) Land is an important resource because it provides surface for agriculture, living, forestry, industries, construction, etc. Most activities take place on land.

(iv) Steps taken by the government include establishment of natural parks and wildlife sanctuaries in different parts of India. Their purpose is conservation of vegetation and wildlife, respectively.

(v) Three ways to conserve water are as under:

• Rainwater harvesting: It is a method of collecting water while it rains so that it may come of use in the future.
• The canals used for irrigation should be properly built so that loss of water does not take place while the water is transported to the field.
• In dry regions, drip or trickle irrigation is suggested.

Question 2. Tick the correct answer. (i) Which one of the following is NOT a factor of soil formation? (a) time (b) soil texture (c) organic matter

(ii) Which one of the following methods is most appropriate to check soil erosion on steep slopes? (a) shelter belts (b) mulching (c) terrace cultivation

Soil Profile Diagram For Class 8

(iii) Which one of the following is NOT in favour of the conservation of nature? (a) switch off the bulb when not in use (b) close the tap immediately after using (c) dispose polypacks after shopping Answer. (i) (b), (ii) (c), (iii) (c).

Question 4. State whether the given statement is true or false. If true, write the reasons.

• Ganga-Brahmaputra plain of India is an overpopulated region.
• Water availability per person in India is declining.
• Rows of trees planted in the coastal areas to check the wind movement is called intercropping.
• Human interference and changes of climate can maintain the ecosystem.

Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources Exercise Questions

Question 1. Multiple Choice Questions Choose the correct option. (i) Which of these resources covers about three-fourths of the total surface of earth? (a) land (b) soil (c) air (d) water

(ii) What are low-lying areas very susceptible to? (a) earthquakes (b) landslides (c) flooding (d) tsunamis

(iii) Which of these physical features are best suited for living? (a) plains and river valleys (b) mountains (c) deserts (d) lakes and rivers

(iv) Which of these is example of community land? (a) the Sunderban forests (b) a bungalow (c) the Parliament House (d) none of these

(v) What is the majority of land in India used for? (a) cultivation (b) pasture (c) forests (d) none of these

(vi) Which of these countries is mainly covered with forest land? (a) India (b) Brazil (c) USA (d) both b and c

( vii) Due to what feature is ocean water unfit for human consumption? (a) poisonous (b) salinity (c) water temperature (d) none of these Answer: (i)(d), (ii)(c), (iii)(a), (iv)(a), (v)(a), (vi)(d), (vii)(b).

Question 2. Fill in the blank spaces given to complete each sentence.

• The percentage of fresh water on …………..
• The process responsible for soil formation is called ……………
• Private land is owned‘by a fan ………………
• The grainy layer on land is called …………….
• Soil becomes fertile due to the right mix of …………… and ……….
• The colour, texture, etc of soil is determined by ……………….
• Climate factors influencing rate of weathering include and …………….
• ………….. is the growing of different crops in alternate rows.
• 70% of fresh water exists as ……………..
• weathering,
• minerals, organic matter
• parent rock
• rainfall, temperature
• intercropping
• ice sheets.

Question 3. State whether each of the following statements is true (T) or false (F).

• The land has similar features all over the surface of the earth.
• Plains and valleys are densely populated because of soil fertility.
• Population and technology are important factors that determine land use pattern.
• The growing population is not a cause of soil erosion.
• Topography and organic material affect the soil composition of soil.
• Time affects the rate of humus formation during the process of soil formation.
• The earth is called the water planet because of the large amount of water available over it.
• Africa and West Asia are areas facing serious water scarcity.
• Forest and other vegetation promote surface run-off.
• The convention, CITES, lists species which should not be traded.

Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. What are the possible reasons behind the uneven distribution of population around the world? Answer. The reasons behind uneven population distribution are mainly the varied conditions of land and climate.

Question 2. Give three common forms of land use. Answer. Three common land use forms are: (i) As cropland, (ii) Pasture, (iii) Forests.

Question 3. What human factors determine land use pattern? Answer. Human factors affecting land use pattern are population and technology.

Question 4. Define soil. Answer. The thin layer of grainy substance covering the surface of the earth is called soil.

Question 5. What is required to make soil fertile? Answer. The right mix of minerals and organic matter is needed to make soil fertile.

Question 6. What is parent rock? Answer. The rock from which soil is derived is called parent rock.

Question 7. What are the factors threatening soil as a resource? Answer. Two factors that threaten soil as a resource are soil erosion and its depletion.

Question 8. What method of soil conservation may be used in coastal and dry reqions? Answer. Shelter belts are used to protect the soil in coastal and dry regions.

Question 9. Why is the earth called the “water planet”? Answer. The earth’s surface has about three- fourths water, so it is called “water planet”.

Question 10. In what forms is fresh water found on the earth? Answer. Fresh water is found in the forms of groundwater, water in rivers and lakes, and water vapour.

Question 11 . What is the name given to the process involved in rain formation? Answer. The process involved in the formation of rain is called “water cycle”.

Question 12. Name some regions of water scarcity in the world. Answer. Africa, West Asia, South Asia, parts of western USA, northwest Mexico, parts of South America, and Australia face water scarcity.

Question 13. Name a method to save surface run-off. Answer. Water harvesting is a method to save surface run-off.

Question 14. How is a bird like vulture important for the ecosystem? Answer. A vulture feeds on dead livestock and so it cleanses the environment.

Question 15. What is the distinguishing feature between evergreen and deciduous forests? Answer. Evergreen forests never shed their leaves whereas deciduous forests shed their leaves once a year.

Question 16. What is the Vanamahotsava? Answer. The social programme of planting trees, organized at the community level is called vanamahotsava.

Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. How is land being degraded? Suggest methods to conserve land resource. Answer. The ever-growing population has increased demand for living space, due to which forests are being destroyed, thus causing land degradation. The rate of degradation of land resources can be checked by promoting afforestation, land reclamation, regulated use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and checking to overgraze.

Question 2. What is weathering? Answer. Weathering refers to the breaking up and decay of exposed rocks. This breaking up and decay are caused by temperature fluctuations between too high and too low, frost action, plants, animals, and even human activity. Weathering is the major process involved in the formation of soil. It takes millions of years to form soil by this process.

Question 3. How is water an important resource? Answer. Water is an indispensable resource of life. Firstly water serves the most basic purpose of drinking, without which life is impossible. It is helpful in cleaning our bodies, clothes, and utensils. Farmers depend on water for irrigation. Water is also used in cooking food. Water is a source of electricity as well. Plants require water for their growth. Water is required for various industrial purposes in factories.

Question 4. Write a short note on wildlife. Answer. The animal kingdom, which consists of animals, birds, aquatic creatures and insects, is called wildlife. These creatures provide us various important products such as milk, meat, hides, and wool. Bees give us honey and help in pollination. They play the role of decomposers in the environment. Birds like the vulture are scavengers and they help in cleansing the environment. All forms of wildlife are an integral part of our ecosystem.

Question 5. What are the major types of vegetation in the world? Describe vegetation in different rainfall conditions. Answer. The major types of vegetation in the world are grouped as forests, grasslands, scrubs and tundra.” In areas of heavy rain, huge trees can be found. Forests are abundant in areas of heavy rainfall. With moisture and rainfall the density of forests declines. In moderate rainfall areas, grasslands are found. In diy areas, we find thorny shrubs and scrubs. Plants here have deep roots and leaves have thorny surface to reduce loss of moisture. The tundra vegetation consists of mosses and lichens.

Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. Describe methods of soil conservation. Answer. Some common methods of soil conservation are mentioned below: Mulching. Mulching is the process of covering the bare ground between plants with a layer of organic matter like straw. It contributes in retaining soil moisture.

Terrace Farming. Terrace farming is the method of farming in which broad flat steps or terraces are made on the steep slopes so that flat surfaces are available to grow crops 4 They reduce run-off and soil erosion. Intercropping. In intercropping, different crops are grown in alternate rows and are sown at different times to protect the soil from being washed away by rain. Contour Ploughing. Ploughing parallel to the contours of a hill slope to form a natural barrier for water to flow down a slope is called contour ploughing.

Shelter Belts. Rows of trees that are planted in certain areas to check wind movement are called shelter belts. Contour Barriers. Stones, grass, and soil are used to build barriers along contours. Trenches are made in front of the barriers to collect water. Rock Dams. This prevents gullies and further soil loss since rocks are piled up to slow down the flow of water. Q.2. What is the threat to vegetation and wildlife? What is the need to conserve them? How can we do this? [V. Imp.] Ans. Forests and wildlife are an important resource. Climate change and human interferences in the animal kingdom can cause loss of natural habitat for plants and animals. Certain species have become endangered and many have become extinct now.

Poaching incidents contribute to their extinction. Plants and animals are an important part of the ecosystem. Plants provide food, oxygen and shelter to humans and animals. Animals provide us important products such as milk, meat, honey, etc. There exists a balance in the environment if we do not disturb the natural number of species living on the earth. A single extinction can affect the ecosystem badly. So animals and plants obviously need to be conserved. The government has introduced national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and biosphere reserves for this purpose. Poaching should be severely dealt with. Indiscriminate killings need to be discouraged. Social awareness must be created about the importance of trees, social forestry. Students should be involved in vanamahotsavas at regional and community levels.

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Paragraph On Preparation Of Soil: The Importance of Proper Soil Preparation for Successful Gardening

Paragraph On Preparation Of Soil: Gardening is a wonderful hobby that offers many benefits, such as fresh produce, beautiful flowers, and a sense of accomplishment. However, to have a successful garden, proper soil preparation is crucial. In this article, we will discuss the importance of soil preparation and provide tips on how to prepare your soil for a thriving garden.

Paragraph On Preparation Of Soil

In this blog Paragraph On Preparation Of Soil, we include Paragraph On Preparation Of Soil, in 100, 200, 250, and 300 words. Also cover the Paragraph On Preparation Of Soil belonging to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and up to the 12th class and also for kids, children, and students.

You can read more Essay writing in 10 lines, and about sports, events, occasions, festivals, etc… Paragraph On Preparation Of Soil is also available in different languages. In the Paragraph On Preparation Of Soil, the following features are explained in the given manner.

Soil Testing

Soil testing is the first step in proper soil preparation. Testing your soil helps you determine the pH level, nutrient content, and soil type. Knowing these factors helps you choose the right amendments and fertilizers to create optimal growing conditions for your plants.

There are different methods for soil testing, including sending samples to a laboratory, using at-home testing kits, or consulting with a local cooperative extension service. It’s important to interpret the results correctly to determine which amendments are necessary for your soil.

Soil Amendments

Soil amendments are substances added to the soil to improve its quality. They help correct nutrient deficiencies, balance pH levels, and improve soil structure. Some common types of soil amendments include compost, manure, peat moss, and vermiculite.

Before adding amendments to your soil, it’s essential to know which ones are necessary based on your soil test results. Adding too much of an amendment can have negative effects on your plants, so it’s crucial to follow the recommended application rates.

Soil Tilling

Soil tilling is the process of breaking up and loosening the soil to create an optimal growing environment for plants. Tilling helps improve soil aeration, drainage, and water retention.

There are different methods of soil tilling, including hand tilling, using a hoe or rake, or using a rototiller. The method you choose will depend on the size of your garden and the type of soil you have. It’s important not to over-till, as this can damage soil structure and lead to compaction.

Mulching is the process of covering the soil surface with organic or inorganic materials. Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature.

There are different types of mulch, including organic mulch, such as bark, leaves, or straw, and inorganic mulch, such as gravel or plastic sheeting. Choosing the right type of mulch will depend on your garden’s needs and the type of plants you’re growing.

Composting is the process of decomposing organic matter, such as food waste, yard waste, and manure, to create nutrient-rich compost. Compost is an excellent soil amendment that helps improve soil structure and fertility.

There are different methods of composting, including hot composting, cold composting, and vermicomposting. The method you choose will depend on your preferences and the resources you have available.

Tips for Effective Soil Preparation

Now that we’ve covered the importance of proper soil preparation, let’s discuss some tips for effective soil preparation.

Start Early

It’s important to start preparing your soil early, ideally a few months before planting. This gives you time to test your soil, amend it, and let the amendments integrate with the soil. Starting early also allows you to avoid working in wet soil, which can damage soil structure.

Consider Raised Beds

If your soil is of poor quality, or if you have limited space, consider using raised beds. Raised beds allow you to create a growing environment that’s separate from the native soil. This gives you more control over soil quality and helps prevent soil-borne diseases.

Use Organic Amendments

When choosing amendments for your soil, choose organic amendments over synthetic ones. Organic amendments, such as compost, manure, and peat moss, are better for soil health and long-term sustainability. Synthetic fertilizers can be harmful to soil life and can leach into groundwater.

Rotate Your Crops

Crop rotation is the practice of growing different types of crops in the same area over different seasons. Crop rotation helps prevent soil-borne diseases and nutrient depletion. It also improves soil structure and fertility over time.

Don’t Over-Till

Over-tilling can damage soil structure and lead to soil compaction. It’s important to till only as much as necessary to create an optimal growing environment for your plants. If your soil is already in good condition, you may not need to till at all.

Use Cover Crops

Cover crops are crops grown specifically to improve soil health. They help prevent erosion, suppress weeds, and add organic matter to the soil. Some common cover crops include clover, rye, and buckwheat.

Mulch Regularly

Mulching is an excellent way to improve soil health and plant growth. It helps retain moisture in the soil, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature. Be sure to mulch regularly and use the appropriate type of mulch for your garden’s needs.

In conclusion, proper soil preparation is crucial for a thriving garden. Soil testing, soil amendments, soil tilling, mulching, and composting are all essential steps in creating optimal growing conditions for your plants. By taking the time to prepare your soil correctly, you’ll be rewarded with healthy plants and a bountiful harvest. Happy gardening!

Also Read: Write a paragraph on balance in an ecosystem

FAQ’s On Paragraph On Preparation Of Soil

Question 1. What is preparation of the soil?

Answer: Preparation of the soil involves a set of practices aimed at making the soil ready for planting. It includes plowing, harrowing, and leveling the soil surface. The main goal is to create a suitable environment for seed germination and root growth. Soil preparation can also involve adding fertilizers, lime, or other soil amendments to improve soil fertility and structure.

Question 2. What is the preparation of soil for Class 8?

Answer: Soil preparation is an essential part of farming for Class 8. It involves loosening the soil and adding nutrients to make it suitable for planting. The steps include plowing, leveling, adding manure, and tilling the soil to break up clumps. Proper soil preparation helps to ensure healthy plant growth and better crop yields.

Question 3. Why is preparation of soil important?

Answer: The preparation of soil is important for several reasons, such as:

• It helps to create an ideal environment for the growth of plants by loosening the soil and improving its structure.
• It increases the soil’s nutrient content and makes it more fertile, which enhances plant growth and yield.
• It helps to control soil-borne diseases, pests and weeds, which can damage crops and reduce their productivity.
• It also facilitates the proper drainage and aeration of the soil, which is essential for healthy plant growth.

Question 4. Why is preparation of soil first step?

Answer: Soil preparation is the first and most important step in farming because it helps to create the ideal growing conditions for crops. Properly prepared soil ensures good soil texture, fertility, and drainage. By preparing the soil, farmers can also control weed growth, pests, and diseases, which can help to increase crop yield and quality. Overall, soil preparation sets the foundation for a successful and productive harvest.

Question 5. What is preparation of soil Wikipedia?

Answer: Soil preparation refers to the process of improving the physical and chemical properties of soil to create an optimal environment for plant growth. This typically involves activities such as tilling, adding organic matter, and fertilizing the soil. The goal is to create a loose, aerated soil structure that allows plant roots to penetrate and absorb nutrients. Proper soil preparation is important because it can significantly impact crop yields and overall plant health.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources are given below. These solutions contain answers to all the exercise questions given in the Geography textbook. All our solutions are updated as per the latest CBSE Syllabus and Guidelines. These solutions will also help you to score higher marks with the help of well-illustrated answers. All the questions and answers of Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources are provided here in PDF format.

Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources NCERT Solutions

For a better understanding of this chapter, you should also read the NCERT book and other resources related to Class 8 Geography 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources. Here at study path we also provide you with NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Maths, Science, English for free.

Exercise Questions

1. Answer the following questions.

(i) Which are the two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation?

Answer: Two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation are Temperature and Rainfall, wherein rainfall influences the rate of weathering and humus formation.

(ii)   Write any two reasons for land degradation today.

Answer:  Deforestation and the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers in agricultural lands are two factors contributing to land degradation.

(iii) Why island considered an important resource?

Answer: Land is considered an important resource because it can be used for various purposes like agriculture, forestry, mining, building houses, roads and setting up of industries. It also serves as a habitat for a variety of flora and fauna.

(iv) Name any two steps that government has taken to conserve plants and animals.

Answer: Two steps that the government has taken to conserve plants and animals:

• Has set up national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves for protecting natural vegetation and wildlife; for example, the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
• Has banned the killing of lions, tigers, deer, great Indian bustards and peacocks. It has also prohibited the trade of the species of plants and animals protected under the international agreement CITES.

(v)   Suggest three ways to conserve water.

Answer: Three ways to conserve water:

• Rain-water harvesting.
• Lining irrigation canals to avoid seepage of water.
• Replenishing ground water by promoting afforestation.

2. Tick the correct answer.

(i) Which one of the following is NOT a factor of soil formation?

(a) time (b) soil texture (c) organic matter

Answer: (b) Soil texture

(ii) Which one of the following methods is most appropriate to check soil erosion on steep slopes?

(a) shelter belts (b) mulching (c) terrace cultivation

Answer: (c) Terrace cultivation

(iii) Which one of the following is NOT in favour of the conservation of nature?

(a) switch off the bulb when not inuse

(b) close the tap immediately after using

(c) dispose polybags after shopping

Answer: (c) Dispose polybags after shopping

3. Match the following

4. State whether the given statement is true or false. If true, write the reasons.

(i) Ganga–Brahmaputra plain of India is an overpopulated region.

Answer: True.

Reason: Plains and river valleys offer suitable land for agriculture. Hence, these are densely-populated areas of the world.

(ii) Water availability per person in India is declining.

Reason: Increasing population, increasing urbanization, the rising standards of living and the rising demands for food and cash crops are leading to shortages in the supply of fresh water. The shortages are either due to drying up of water sources or water pollution.

(iii) Rows of trees planted in the coastal areas to check the wind movement is called intercropping.

Answer: False.

Reason: The described process is called shelter belts. Inter cropping is the process in which different crops are grown in alternate rows, and are sown at different times to protect the soil from rain wash.

(iv) Human interference and changes of climate can maintain the ecosystem.

Reason: Human interference and climatic changes for the most part adversely affect the balance of the ecosystem.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

• NCERT Solutions
• Social Science Resources And Development
• Chapter 2 Resources And Development Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation And Wildlife Resources Pdf

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Question Answer - FREE PDF Download

Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 - Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources offers an in-depth exploration of the Earth's essential resources. This chapter helps students understand the distribution, utilisation, and conservation of these vital resources. It covers the importance of land, the types and formation of soil, the significance of water bodies, and the role of natural vegetation and wildlife in maintaining ecological balance.

NCERT Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Question Answer are detailed according to the NCERT textbook, helping students understand the complex concepts related to the Geography Class 8 Chapter 2. Class 8 Geography NCERT Solutions are prepared by Vedantu’s Master Teachers, ensuring clarity and accuracy in explanations. Download the FREE PDF for Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Questions And Answers, updated according to the latest CBSE Class 8 Social Science Syllabus , and enhance your historical knowledge with Vedantu!

Glance on NCERT Solutions for Geography Chapter 2 Class 8

Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 - Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation, and Wildlife Resources provides an in-depth exploration of these vital resources on Earth.

Geography Chapter 2 Class 8 covers the distribution, utilisation, and conservation of land, soil, water, natural vegetation, and wildlife, emphasising their importance and interdependence.

Land Soil Water Natural Vegetation And Wildlife Resources Class 8 discusses the formation of soil, types of soil, methods of soil conservation, and the significance of different types of vegetation and wildlife in maintaining ecological balance.

Geography Class 8 Chapter 2  explores how human activities impact these resources and the importance of sustainable management and conservation efforts.

Utilising the Class 8 Geography Chapter 1 Questions And Answers PDF can help students evaluate their knowledge and enhance their grasp of Geography.

Access NCERT Solutions for Class 8 - Land Soil Water Natural Vegetation And Wildlife Resources

1. Answer the Following Questions:

(i). Which are the two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation?

Ans: Two main factors responsible for soil formation are Temperature and Rainfall.

(ii). Write any two reasons for land degradation today.

Ans: Two reasons for land degradation are deforestation and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides on agricultural land.

(iii). Why is land considered an important resource?

Ans: Land provides habitat for various varieties of flora and fauna. Humans also use it for various purposes like agriculture, building houses and roads, forestry, mining, and setting up industries. It serves many purposes like these and is thus considered an important resource.

(iv). Name any two steps that the government has taken to conserve plants and animals.

Ans: The steps taken by the government to conserve plants and animals are as follows:

Various national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and biosphere reserves have been set up for protecting natural vegetation and wildlife. For example, Kaziranga National park, Assam.

The killing of lions, tigers, deer, peacocks, and great Indian bustards has been banned. The trade of the species of plants and animals has also been banned under the international agreement CITES.

(v). Suggest three ways to conserve water.

Ans: Three ways to conserve water are:

Replenishing groundwater by encouraging afforestation.

Avoiding seepage of water by lining irrigation canals.

Rainwater harvesting.

2. Tick the Correct Answer.

(i). Which one of the following is NOT a factor of soil formation?

(a) Time (b) Soil texture (c) organic matter

Ans: (b) Soil texture

(ii). Which one of the following methods is most appropriate to check soil erosion on steep slopes?

(a) Shelterbelts (b) Mulching (c) terrace cultivation

Ans: (c)terrace cultivation

(iii). Which one of the following is NOT in favour of the conservation of nature?

(a) switch off the bulb when not in use

(b) close the tap immediately after using

(c) dispose poly bags after shopping

Ans: (c) Dispose poly bags after shopping.

3. Match the following.

(i) Land use – (c) Productive use of land

(ii) Humus – (d) Organic matter deposited on topsoil

(iii) Rock Dams – (a) Prevent Soil erosion

(iv) Biosphere– (b) Narrow zone of contact between the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere

4. State Whether the Given Statement is True or False. If True, Write the Reason.

(i). Ganga-Brahmaputra plain of India is an overpopulated region.

Ans: True. These are densely populated areas because plains and rivers provide suitable land for agriculture.

(ii). Water availability per person in India is declining.

Ans: True. Although water is present in abundance on the Earth, freshwater resources are limited. The availability of water has become a serious problem throughout the world. The availability of water is declining very fast because of wastage of water, deforestation, and the pollution and depletion of freshwater resources like rivers and groundwater.

(iii). Rows of trees planted in the coastal areas to check the wind movement are called intercropping.

Ans:  False. The given process is known as Shelterbelts. Intercropping is when different crops are grown in alternative rows and also sown at different times so as to protect the soil from rain wash.

(iv). Human interference and changes in climate can maintain the ecosystem.

Ans: False. The ecosystem is adversely affected by human interference and climatic changes.

Topics Covered in Geography Class 8 -Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

Benefits of  Referring to Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Questions and Answers

By studying the formation and types of soil, methods of soil conservation, and the importance of water bodies, students can develop better critical thinking and analytical skills.

Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Questions And Answers PDF explains complex ideas in simple terms, making it easier to understand important concepts like resource management and sustainable development.

Students can understand the critical role of these natural resources in supporting life and how their mismanagement can lead to severe environmental issues.

Chapter 2 Geography Class 8 encourages students to critically analyse the use and conservation of natural resources, fostering a deeper understanding of environmental stewardship and sustainability.

NCERT Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Questions and Answers PDF, prepared by expert educators at Vedantu, ensure a thorough understanding of fundamental geographical principles.

In addition to the solutions, Vedantu's subject experts provide important questions for NCERT Chapter 2 Geography Class 8, facilitating easy syllabus revision before exams.

Important Study Material Links for Class 8th Geography Chapter 2 

Conclusion 

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Chapter 2 Geography covers essential topics like land, soil, water, natural vegetation, and wildlife resources. They provide a clear understanding of these concepts in simple language. It's important to focus on understanding the characteristics of different types of soil, the significance of water resources, the importance of biodiversity, and the conservation of natural resources. Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Questions And Answers PDF help students grasp these concepts effectively. It's crucial to practise answering these questions to get a better grip on the subject matter. Overall, these solutions serve as a valuable resource for Class 8 students to excel in their geography studies, helping them understand the environment and its resources comprehensively.

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Geography Other Chapter-wise Links - Download the FREE PDF

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FAQs on NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

1. How can students access the Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 PDF in one place?

Vedantu's app is the one-stop solution for your exam preparations. Students can see everything in one place. NCERT Solutions are freely available for use in our app. You can download it too, and you can use it offline later. You can also attend free live master classes from experienced teachers by downloading our app. All the solutions are made in such a way as to make learning simpler for all students.

You will get a completely ad-free interface on our website so that you do not deviate from your studies and concentrate exclusively on your studies. The student can still count on Vedantu if the student faces difficulties. We, at Vedantu, have some of India's best Geography teachers. These academic experts share our goal for all students to understand meaningful learning. So, download Vedantu’s app right now to access free NCERT Solutions now.

2. How to reduce the fear of Class 8th Geography Chapter 2?

A lot of students face difficulties while studying Geography. We at Vedantu are trying to make it easier for all the students out there. With the help of the expert teachers, Vedantu has made the topic easier to understand. The easiest way to understand is to download NCERT Solutions now. One of the necessary items of Class 8 Geography Study materials is Vedantu's NCERT Solutions. To make the preparation for exams simpler, these solutions have been designed with the utmost care by the expert and qualified teachers.

3. On what basis land is divided according to Class 8 Chapter 2 Geography?

The land is divided based on ownership. That is private land and community land. Private land is owned by individuals. Community land is owned by the community for the welfare of the community and commonly used for the collection of fodder, fruits, nuts, or medicinal herbs. Community land is commonly known as a property resource. Vedantu provides a detailed explanation of the Chapter-Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation, and Wildlife Resources for the students to understand the theory.

4. What are land, soil, and water resources from class 8 geography chapter 2?

Resources can be classified as abiotic and biotic resources. Land, soil, and water resources come under abiotic resources as they are exhaustible resources since they are present in limited quantities and need judicial help since people’s demand is constantly increasing. Since NCERT solutions are important for the exam, the Vedantu experts prepare solutions to make sure students get benefits out of it. Students are advised to download these solutions from the official website of  Vedantu  or use the Vedantu app on their phones to access the PDF free of cost.

5. What is the importance of land resources according to class 8 chapter 2 geography?

Land resources are described as important because they provide shelter for various flora and Fauna. The land is used for agriculture, to set up industries, mining, building houses, roads, and forestry, etc. To take up the preparation for exams, students can download a PDF on NCERT solution for the second chapter in Class 8 geography. Vedantu syllabus is prepared in a way that helps the students understand the concepts clearly. 

6. What are the major types of vegetation in the world according to Chapter 2 of Class 8 Social Science?

The major types of vegetation in the world can be classified into grasslands, forests, scrubs, and tundra. Students can practise with the help of the NCERT solutions designed by the experts at Vedantu to get well versed in this chapter. Download these solutions on the Vedantu website or the app for free of cost to prepare for the exams and study them at your own pace. 

7. Name the other chapters except NCERT Class 8 Geography Chapter 2.

The NCERT Geography for Class 8 has 6 chapters in total. They are:

Chapter 1- Resource.

Chapter 3- Mineral and power resources.

Chapter 4- Agriculture.

Chapter 5- Industries.

Chapter 6- Human resources.

To get well versed in this chapter, students can  download the NCERT solutions   provided by a qualified group of experts. With the help of these solutions, students will get well versed in the concepts and ace the exams.

8. What are the different types of soil discussed in the Class 8 Chapter 2 Geography?

The chapter discusses different types of soil such as alluvial soil, black soil, red soil, laterite soil, and desert soil.

9. How are water resources important for humans and the environment?

Water resources are essential for human survival, agriculture, industries, and maintaining ecosystems.

10. What are the major threats to wildlife resources discussed in Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 PDF?

Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 PDF highlights threats such as habitat destruction, poaching, pollution, and climate change affecting wildlife resources.

NCERT Class 8 Social Science Resources and Development Chapter wise Solutions

Ncert solutions for class 8 social science, cbse study materials.

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Class 8 Essay Topics List for Students & Children | 8th Std English Essays

May 2, 2023 by Veerendra

Writing essays is one of the arts & teaches everyone to communicate with others professional with their own thoughts & ideas. Students of standard 8 should show some interest in writing essays and improve their writing skills. To aid in your practice sessions, we have compiled a variety of  essay writing topics for class 8  in a simple language for students to read and understand their own. Subject Specific Class 8 Essay Topics will help kids to improve their creativity and broaden their mindset and intellect.

List of Class 8 Essay Writing Topics for Kids & Children in English

Students who are looking for Class 8 Essay Topics & Ideas can stop your search right away and refer to this section. Here, we have curated the most & frequently asked  Essay Writing Topics for Class 8 Students  to understand and learn who to write down the imaginary views on the particular topic in just less time. Writing skills & vocabulary skills are the two eyes to complete an essay in an attractive way to engage the audience. So, check out the prevailing Short & Long Essays for 8th Std and add your creative writing ideas in essays.

• Essay on School’s Surroundings and Examinations
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FAQs on Essay for Class 8 Students

1. How to become perfect at writing essays?

First and foremost, you should be strong at obtaining a solid understanding of grammar, punctuation. Utilize Vocabulary in a correct way and write down attractive Intro lines then go for topic-related body thesis and conclusion which aid your thoughts.

2. From where can I attain Class 8 Essay Topics in English?

You can attain different categories of grade 8 Essay Topics & ideas in English from the AplusTopper provided Class 8 Essay Topics page.

3. Is there any online web portal that offers the free 8th Grade Essays Writing Topics?

Yes, Aplustopper.com is a reliable and genuine online portal that offers the 8th Class Subject Specific Essay Writing Topics free of cost. These free resources will surely improve your writing skills.

Final Words

Hoping that the details and list of Class 8 Essay Topics shared above benefit you while writing essays at competitions. So, make use of these several ideas on  Essay Writing Topics for Class 8  & improve your analytical, writing, vocabulary skills. Want to give any suggestions or need to ask some other essay topics for Grade 8 students? Shoot your comments below and get the answers at the earliest. Meanwhile, visit Aplustopper.com & find different Classes and Topics of English Essays.

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• NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science
• Class 8 Geography
• Chapter 2 Land Soil Water Natural Vegetation And Wildlife Resources

NCERT Solutions For Class 8 Geography Social Science Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

Ncert solutions class 8 social science geography chapter 2 – land, soil, water, natural vegetation and wildlife resources.

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 – Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources are given here for students to excel in their board exams. About 90% of the world population occupies only 30% of the land area. The remaining 70% of the land is either sparsely populated or uninhabited. You also see that the people who stay in two different parts of the world lead different lives, because of the differences in the quality of land, soil, water, natural vegetation, animals and the usage of technology. The availability of such Resources is the main reason places differ from each other. These concepts related to Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources are discussed in NCERT Solutions  to the exercises provided by subject experts at BYJU’S.

Students are advised to practise on a regular basis to achieve good scores in the exams. NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 – Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources contain solutions to the exercises given in the Geography book – Resources and Development .

• Chapter 1 Resources
• Chapter 2 Land Soil Water Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources
• Chapter 3 Mineral and Power Resources
• Chapter 4 Agriculture
• Chapter 5 Industries
• Chapter 6 Human Resources

Students can download the NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Geography PDF below.

NCERT Solutions For Class 8 Geography Social Science Chapter 2 Land Soil Water Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

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NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 – Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

1. Answer the following questions.

(i) Which are the two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation?

Answer: Two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation are temperature and rainfall, in which rainfall influences the rate of weathering and humus formation.

(ii) Write any two reasons for land degradation today.

Answer:  The overuse of chemical fertilizers and deforestation are the two main reasons for land degradation. The growing population and their ever-growing demand has led to large scale destruction of forest cover and arable land and has created a fear of losing this natural resource.

(iii) Why is land considered an important resource?

Answer: Land is considered an important resource because it can be put to use for various purposes like agriculture, forestry, mining, building houses, roads and setting up of industries.

(iv) Name any two steps that the government has taken to conserve plants and animals.

Answer: Two major steps taken by the government to protect and conserve plants, animals and natural vegetation are as follows:

• National parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves are made to protect our natural vegetation and wildlife.
• Awareness programmes like social forestry and tree plantation- ‘Vanamahotsava’ are organised to conserve forests, which are a valuable natural resource.

(v) Suggest three ways to conserve water.

Answer:  Three main ways to conserve water are:

a. Increasing forest cover and other vegetation to slow the surface runoff

b. Replenishing underground water through rainwater harvesting

c. Reducing the loss of water in irrigation and shifting to less water-intensive methods of agriculture

2. Tick the correct answer.

(i) Which one of the following is NOT a factor of soil formation?

(b) Soil texture

(c) Organic matter

Answer : b. Soil Texture

(ii) Which one of the following methods is most appropriate to check soil erosion on steep slopes?

(a) Shelterbelts

(b) Mulching

(c) Terrace cultivation

Answer: c) Terrace cultivation

(iii) Which one of the following is NOT in favour of the conservation of nature?

(a) switch off the bulb when not in use

(b) close the tap immediately after using

(c) dispose poly packs after shopping

Answer: c) Dispose poly packs after shopping

3. Match the following.

4: State whether the given statement is true or false. If true, give the reasons.

(i). Ganga–Brahmaputra plain of India is an overpopulated region.

True : River valley and plains offer suitable land for agriculture. Hence, they are densely populated.

(ii) Water availability per person in India is declining.

True: Increasing population, increasing urbanization, the rising standards of living and the rising demands for food and cash crops are leading to shortages in the supply of freshwater. The shortages are either due to drying up of water sources or water pollution.

(iii) Rows of trees planted in the coastal areas to check the wind movement are called intercropping.

False: Rows of trees are planted to check the wind movement and protect soil cover. These are called shelterbelts.

(iv) . Human interference and changes of climate can maintain the ecosystem.

False:  Climate change and human interferences can cause the loss of natural habitats, and hence destroy the ecosystem.

Chapter 2 – Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources Summary

Land, soil and water come under abiotic resources and are the most important resources. Natural vegetation and wildlife resources come under biotic resources. Both biotic and abiotic resources are exhaustible in nature, therefore a judicial use of these resources should be maintained for enhancing their longevity.

The land is among the most important natural resources. It covers about 30% of the total area of the earth’s surface. 90% of the world population occupies only 30% of the land area. The remaining 70% of the land is either sparsely populated or uninhabited.

The land is unevenly inhabited due to various factors like land and climate, water fertility of the soil, etc.

Generally, the sparsely populated or uninhabited areas are because of the rugged top soil.

You will also learn about the following topics:

• Uses of Land
• Conservation of Land Resources
• Soil, soil formation, factors affecting soil formation, Degradation and conservation of soil
• Water, Problem of water availability and conservation of water
• Natural vegetation & wildlife, its distribution and conservation

Resources and Development is an important book for Class 8 Social Science subject. Apart from this chapter, the solutions for full set of NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science is provided here. Students can refer and easily download the solutions PDF for free from the links given.

Frequently Asked Questions on NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Geography Chapter 2

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• CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 2 – Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wild Life Resources Class 8 Notes

Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wild Life Resources Class 8 Revision Notes

The class 8 geography chapter 2 notes Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wild Life Resources is a step further into the mentioned things. The chapter helps students understand how their lives are determined by the differences in these resources. It enumerates the fact that the living conditions of people are determined by varying factors. Moreover, it also explains how places differ from each other due to the availability of such resources.

Other than that, the chapter explains in detail about land and land use. Other than that, it also helps to make students aware of the conservation of land resources like soil. Students will be able to understand the process of soil formation after this. Similarly, it explains the degradation of soil and the measures for its conservation. It further explains about water and its resources plus the natural vegetation and wildlife.

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Sub-topics covered under  Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wild Life Resources :

• Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

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Toppr is a great learning platform for kids who want to secure good marks easily. Our members get the opportunity to easily understand the concepts of their chapters. We make use of easy and simple language which allows the students to understand chapters better. Moreover, the multiple features we provide are also very beneficial. For instance, you get self-explanatory solutions which our expert teachers formulate.  This way you can study on your own without any help from others. Other than that, we offer engaging video lectures for clearing basics of students.

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CBSE Class 8 Geography Revision Notes

• CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 6 – Human Resources Class 8 Notes
• CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 5 – Industries Class 8 Notes
• CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 4 – Agriculture Class 8 Notes
• CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 3 – Mineral and Power Resources Class 8 Notes
• CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 1 – Resources Class 8 Notes

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CBSE Class 10th Sample Paper 2025: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) releases sample papers every year for the students appearing for the board exams. These papers are dummy question papers that follow the exact pattern and question typology as the real question paper. These papers are prepared by the CBSE experts to help students prepare better. Thus, students need to have a copy of these model papers to solve before the final examination. 

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