Necessary materials:

PowerPoint Guide
Teacher Information!
Soil Texture
Soil and Water Resources
Students will be able to
Describe the three basic soil particles
Identify the major textural classes
Soil texture
The way a soil feels
A name given a textural group based on the
relative proportions of each size of soil
particle
For example: sandy loam, silty loam, sandy
clay loam
Why is soil texture important?


Three Fractions of Mineral Matter
Sand
Silt
Clay
Soil Particles
Sand
Largest of the soil particles
Feels gritty
Spaces between particles allow drainage and air entry
Holds little water prone to drought
Contains fewer nutrients than smaller particles
How suitable are sandy soils for agriculture?
Soil Particles
Silt
Medium sized: Particle visible with microscope 0.05 mm to
0.002 mm
Feel soft, silky, or floury
Holds more nutrients than sand
Retains water, slower drainage than sand
Easily eroded
Soil Particles
Clay
Smallest particles <0.002 mm
Feels sticky
Easily formed into long ribbons
High adsorption of water and chemicals
Water is not readily available for plants
Very small pore spaces
Very slow movement of water and air
12 Soil Texture Classes
Sand (S)
Loamy Sand (LS)
Sandy Loam (SL)
Loam (L)
Silt Loam (SIL)
Silt (SI)
Sandy Clay Loam
(SCL)

Silty Clay Loam
(SICL)
Clay Loam (CL)
Sandy Clay (SC)
Silty Clay (SIC)
Clay (C)

Compositions of each of the 12 texture classes is defined by
the USDA Soil Triangle
What is loam?
The Best of All Worlds
A soil type that contains all three particle
sizes.
The most productive soil for farming crops
Has good water holding capacity (from clay)
Has good drainage (from sand)
Can be nutritious (from silt)



USDA Texture Triangle
USDA Texture Triangle
Example:
60% silt
10% sand
30% clay
= silty clay loam
60%
silt
30%
clay
10%
sand
What is a soil that is:
30% silt
0% sand
70% clay
Physical Properties of Soil
Soil texture
Soil structure
Soil color
Bulk density
** Remember These properties are used for
classifying soil.
Definitions
Aggregate
Mass or cluster of soil particles such as a clod,
crumb or granule
Soil Structure
The combination or arrangement of soil particles
into aggregates
Factors that Affect Soil Structure
Kind of clay
Amount of organic matter
Freezing and thawing
Wetting and drying
Action of burrowing organisms
Growth of root systems of plants
Bulk Density
Determined by dividing the weight of oven-
dried soil in grams by its volume in cubic
centimeters
The variation in bulk density is due largely to
the difference in total pore space
Influences water movement, rooting depth of
plants

Soil Color
Indicator of different soil types
Indicator of certain physical and chemical
characteristics
Due to humus content and chemical nature of
the iron compounds present in the soil
Major Forms of Iron and Effect on
Soil Color
Form Chemical Formula Color
Ferrous oxide FeO Gray
Ferric oxide
(Hematite) Fe
2
O
3
Red
Hydrated ferric oxide
(Limonite) 2Fe
2
O
3
3H
2
O Yellow
Can you
Describe the three basic soil particles
Identify the major textural classes