Soil types - Definition and Overview

In agriculture, soil type usually refers to the different sizes of mineral particles in a particular sample. Soil is made up in part of finely ground rock particles, grouped according to size as sand, silt, and clay. Each size plays a significantly different role. For example, the largest particles, sand, determine aeration and drainage characteristics, while the tiniest, sub-microscopic clay particles, are chemically active, binding with water and plant nutrients. The ratio of these sizes determines soil type: clay, loam, clay-loam, silt-loam, and so on.

There are several recognized classifications of soil types.

Related articles

• soil structure
• FAO soil classification
• Canadian system of soil classification
• USA soil taxonomy
• International Committee on Anthropogenic Soils (ICOMANTH)

External links

• Soil classification systems (http://clic.cses.vt.edu/icomanth/02-AS_Classification.pdf)
• A Compendium of On-Line Soil Survey Information Soil Classification for Soil Survey (http://www.itc.nl/~rossiter/research/rsrch_ss_class.html)