Transcript Crops and Soil Section 15.2

Objectives:
1. Describe land-use practices that promote
sustainability and economic growth.
2. Identifying ways to manage waste.
3. Describe the composition of soil profiles.
4. Identifying various processes and activities that
promote soil formation.
5. Describe agents of erosion and methods for
preventing soil erosion.
Crops and Soil
Section 15.2
Agriculture
• Arable land: see your vocabulary for def.
Basic farming
process
Traditional
methods
Plowing
Read p.384 to
fill in this chart
Fertilization
Irrigation
Pest control
Modern
methods
Fertile Soil
• Can support healthy plant growth
• Topsoil:
– surface layer of soil;
– usually richer in organic matter than the
subsoil;
– where plant roots grow
• Formation of fertile soil:
– Weathered rock particles supply mineral
nutrients.
– Fungi and bacteria for decomposition
– Earthworms, insects, and small animals
break up the soil, allowing air and water
into it.
Soil Profile (Fig. 8,
p.385)
Assignment
• Fold your paper in half hotdog style.
• Draw and color a soil profile showing
details of all 6 layers. (Your drawing
should take up the whole front of your
folded paper.)
• Cut the layers apart, creating 6 flaps.
• On the inside, label and describe each
layer. (Example: O Horizon/Surface
litter – fallen leaves and dead animals)