Soils are composed of a mixture of sand, silt, clay and organic matter. Both the clay and organic matter particles have a net negative charge. Thus, these negatively-charged soil particles will ...

Sandy soil is pale coloured and has large particles. These create lots of small air gaps. Water drains through them easily so it usually feels dry. Clay soil is usually sticky and has small particles.

Ideal soils for agriculture are balanced in contributions from mineral components (sand: 0.05–2 mm, silt: 0.002–0.05 mm, clay: 0.002 mm), soil organic matter (SOM), air, and water. The ...

soil organisms take the oxygen they need from nitrates, leaving the nitrogen in a gaseous form which escapes into the air. This is known as denitrification and is the common source of nitrogen loss in ...

A worm burrows its way through the dark earth, ingesting particles of soil and expelling nutrient-rich casts in a constant forage for food. Charles Darwin described earthworms as one of the most ...

Sep. 13, 2024 — In a new study, researchers have determined through both statistical analysis and in experiments that soil pH is a driver of microbial community composition -- but that the need ...

Loamy textured soils (loams, sandy loams, silt loams, silts, clay loams, sandy clay loams and silty clay loams) have the highest PAW, because these textural classes give rise to a wide range in ...

Soil compaction might not seem like the most exciting topic, but the proper completion of this step is essential. If soil compaction is not performed adequately, settlement of the soil could occur ...

Following is a transcript of the video. Narrator: Every automobile you've ever seen once started as a full-size carefully sculpted clay model. Constructing these models can cost automakers ...

An award-winning sculptor who works in clay, Anina Major recalls the years as a child that helped drive the creativity she exhibits today. This week in Newly Reviewed, Will Heinrich covers ...

The 2021 peer-reviewed study Pesticides and Soil Invertebrates: A Hazard Assessment shows that pesticides widely used in American agriculture pose a grave threat to organisms needed for healthy soil, ...