SOIL AND PLANT ANALYSIS (1+1)

Significance of soil structure and Formation of soil structure

Significance of soil structure

• Other soil properties like water movement, heat transfer, aeration, and porosity are influenced by structure.
• The important physical changes imposed by the farmer in ploughing, cultivating, draining, liming, and manuring his land are structural.
• Structure can be modified by cultivation and tillage operations while texture is an inherent property of soil and cannot be modified within short period of time.
• Soil structure controls the amount of water and air present in soil. Plant roots and germinating seeds require sufficient air and oxygen for respiration.
• Microbial activities also depend upon the supply of water and air in the soil.

Formation of soil structure


• Soil particles are present as single individual grains and as aggregates i.e. group of particles bound together into granules.
• These granules are known as secondary particles.
• Particles in sandy and silty soils are present as single individual grains while in loamy and clayey soils they are present in granulated condition.
• Most soils are mixtures of individual particles and aggregates.
• Soils predominated with individual particles are said to be structure-less, while those with higher proportion of aggregates would have different forms of structure.