This document provides details about a course on introduction to soil science. It is divided into three modules that will be covered across 15, 9, and 8 classes respectively. Module 1 covers topics like soil formation processes, properties, classification, and profiles. Module 2 focuses on soil water, temperature, air, colloids, and adsorption. Module 3 examines soil organic matter, biology, and ion exchange. The corresponding practical sessions provide hands-on experience in analyzing various physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils.

1. Introduction to Soil Science
SC-111 3(2+1)
Prepared by Professor
Dr. B.K. Pany

2. Course Details
Module-1 (15 classes)
• Soilscience and its scope
• Pedological and edaphological concepts,
• Origin of the earth,
• Earth’s crust: Composition:
• Rocks and minerals,
• Weathering, soil formation factors and processes,
• Components of soils,
• Soil profile,
• Soil physical properties, like
• Soil texture, textural classes, particle size analysis,
• Soil structure, classification, soil aggregates, significance, soil
consistency, soil crusting,
• Dencities of soil:Bulk density and particle density of soils , porosity,
their significance and manipulation,
• Soil compaction, soil colour,
• Elementary knowledge of soil classification and soils of India;

3. Course Details...
Module-1I (9 classes)
• Soil water,
• Retention and potentials of soil water,
• Soil moisture constants,
• Movement of soil water, Infiltration, Percolation,
Permeability, Drainage,
• Methods of determination of soil moisture.
• Thermal properties of soil, soil temperature,
• Soil air, Gaseous exchange,
• Influence of soil temperature and air on plant growth;
• Soil colloids,
• Properties, nature, Types & significance;
• Layer silicate clays, their genesis and sources of charges,

4. Course Details...
Module-1II (8 classes)
• Adsorption of ions,
• Ion exchange, CEC and AEC ,
• Factors influencing ion exchange and its
significance.
• Soil organic matter, composition, decomposability,
• Humus, Fractionation of organic matter,
• Carbon cycle, C:N ratio,
• Soil biology, Biomass,
• Soil Organisms & their beneficial & harmful roles.

5. Practical
Module-1 (10 classes)
• Determination of Bulk density
• Determination of Particle density,
• Aggregate analysis,
• Soil strength,
• Soil moisture determination,
• Soil moisture constants-Field capacity,
• Infiltration rate,
• Water holding capacity,
• Soil Texture : Mechanical analysis-
• Soil temperature,
• Analytical chemistry-Basic concepts, Techniques & calculations-
Module-1I (6 classes)
• Collection & processing of soil for analysis-
• Organic carbon,
• pH and EC,
• Soluble cations and anions-
• Study of a soil profile-
• Identification of rocks and minerals.

6. L-1
• Introduction to soil science,
• Fields of application in soil science
• Soil
• Function of Soil and
• Major environmental issues
• Scope of soil science,
• Pedological and edaphological
concepts,

7. Soil
•Man is dependent on soils
and
• To certain extent good soils
are dependent upon man
and the use he makes of
them

8. Soil Science
Soil science
• Soil science is the study of soil as a natural
resource on the surface of
the earth including soil formation,
classification and mapping; physical,
chemical, biological, and fertility
properties of soils; and these properties in
relation to the use and management of
soils for crop production.

9. Fields of application in soil science
1.Soil survey 2.Soil management
3.Standard methods
of analysis
4.Soil fertility
/ Nutrient management
5.Ecosystem studies 6.Climate change
7.Watershed and wetland
studies
8.Pedotransfer function

10. Soil
• Soil is a dynamic natural body developed
as a result of pedogenic processes during
and after weathering of rocks, consisting
of mineral and organic constituents,
possessing definite chemical, physical,
mineralogical and biological properties,
having a variable depth over the surface
of the earth and providing a medium for
plant growth for land plants

11. SOIL...
• Soils lie at the interface of Earth's ,
atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithos
phere and interact with the hydrosphere and
atmosphere.
• To understand soil requires some knowledge of
metrology, climatology, ecology, biology,
Hydrology, geomorphology, geology and many
other earth sciences and natural sciences
• Soils play a vital role in the quality of our
environment.
• For example, soil impact the quality and
quantity of our food, and serve as foundations
of our structures,

12. SOIL...
• Soil can be a source, a sink, or an interacting
medium for many nutrients, as well as
contaminants that impact humans, plants,
wildlife, and other organisms.
• An understanding of soil properties and
processes is therefore critical to evaluate soil
management processes.
• The word “Soil” is derived from Latin word
‘Solum’ means ‘Floor’ or ‘Ground’ “With out
life, there is no soil and without soil, there is no
life on the earth planet”

13. Function of Soil
Soils perform six key functions in the global ecosystem.
Soil serves as a
• Medium for plant growth (provides nutrients), it store
and supply nutrients to plants.
• As an anchor for plant roots enabling plants to stand
erect
• Regulator of water supplies (water holding tank, it
absorb and store the moisture for later use),
• Recycler of raw materials ( Decomposition)
• Habitat for soil organisms
• Landscaping and engineering medium (Soils are the base
material for roads, homes, buildings, and other
structures) and ,
• It provide space for air which creates healthy
environment)

14. Major environmental issues
Major environmental issues addressed will be:
• Soil stability and erosion
• Soil hydrology
• Biodiversity of soils
• Plant nutrition
• Quality of agricultural crops
• Pollution by trace elements and nutrients in excess
• Climate change and global warming
• Water quality
• Role of micro and meso faune in soil

15. Scope of Soil Science
• Soil Science has several well defined and developed
disciplines. Scope of soil Science is reflected through
these disciplines.
1. Soil physics: Involves the study of physical properties
of soils as well as the measurements and control of
physical processes that takes place in and through the
soil
2. Soil chemistry: Chemical constituents, chemical
properties and the chemical reactions
3. Soil biology: Soil biology deals with soil ecology -
micro organisms, its population, classification, its role
in transformations

16. Scope of Soil Science….
4. Soil mineralogy: Soil mineralogy deals with the
minerals (primary rock minerals and secondary
minerals present in soil and their contribution
to the chemistry, physics, biology and fertility
of soil and their relation to genesis of soil
5.Soil fertility: Soil fertility deals with the nutrient
status or ability of soil to supply nutrients for
plant growth under favorable environmental
conditions such as light, temperature and
physical conditions of soil. (Nutrient supplying
properties of soil)

17. Scope of Soil Science….
6. Soil genesis and classification (Pedology): It
deals with weathering of rocks and minerals,
factors and processes of soil formation, and
classification of soils in a recognized system
7. Soil survey: It is the systematic examination of
soil in the field and laboratories, their
description and classification, the mapping of
kinds of an area, and also interpretation of soils
according to adaptability to various crops and
their productivity under different management
systems.

18. Scope of Soil Science….
8. Soil Technology: It is an applied science
and deals with the principles and practices
of soil erosion and conservation, and
management of problem soils, viz. saline,
sodic (alkali), acid, waterlogged and other
degraded soils
9. Soil conservation: Dealing with protection
of soil against physical loss by erosion or
against chemical deterioration i.e.
excessive loss of nutrients either natural or
artificial means.

19. Pedological and edaphological concepts
• Approaches of Soil Study: Two approaches
(Concepts)
• There are two main branches/ divisions of soil
science,
• Pedology
• Edaphology

20. (a) Pedology
(a) Pedology (From Greek word pedon, means soil or
earth).
• Pedology is a branch of soil science that focusing soil as
a natural body on the formation (pedogenesis-soil
genesis), morphology, classification (or studies the soil
profile or solum in its natural setting) and distribution
patterns of soils worldwide that have developed along
with broader landforms, biogeochemical environments,
and habitats of living organisms of soils as bodies within
the natural landscape.
• A soil: A soil (means- pedology) is studied as a natural
body from the point of view of pedology (formation,
chemistry, morphology and classification of soil), and as
a part of the landscape

21. (a) Pedology...
• Pedogenic (soil-forming) processes act to both
create and destroy order within soils; these
processes can proceed simultaneously.
• The resulting soil profile reflects the balance of
these processes, present and past.
Pedological Approach
• The origin of the soil, its classification and its
description are examined in Pedology.
• Pedology is the study of soil as a natural body and
does not focus on the soil’s immediate practical
use.
• A pedologist studies, examines and classifies soil
as they occur in their natural environment.

22. (b) Edaphology
(b) Edaphology(from Greek word edaphos, means soil
or ground and logia means science or study)
• Edaphology is concerned with the influence of soils as
a medium of growth for living things, particularly
plants, fungi, and other living things
• The term Edaphology is also applied to the study of
how the soil influences human’s use of the land for
growing plants and overall use of the land of the man.
• General subfields within edaphology are agricultural
soil science and environmental soil science.
• Soil: ( Sudy of soil means edaphology) Soil is a
material who’s chemical, physical, mineralogical and
biological characteristics are studied in relation to
plant growth or to any other use (edaphology)

23. Edaphological Approach
• Edaphology, studies the soil from the standpoint of crop
production of higher plants.
• Edaphologists examin and consider the various
properties of soil in relation to plant production (food,
fiber and timber crops)
• Edaphologists also studies the causes of the variation in
soil productivity and find means of conserving and
improving this productivity.
• From the edaphological viewpoint, the soil has certain
functions in relation to plant life and these are:
– It serves as a medium in which seeds can germinate or
tubers and cuttings can start to take roots;
– It provides support for vertically growing plants;
– It serves as an absorber of moisture for the use of plants;
and
– It furnishes most of the nutrients which sustain plant life.