Collect and Study Soils from Two Different Sites

Soil is a mixture of minerals, dead, organic materials, organisms, air, and water. Term soil is derived from the Latin word ‘solum’ meaning earth material. Soil holds, absorbs, releases and purifies water. Earth's body of soil is the pedosphere. Soil content is approximately 46% mineral matter, 4% organic matter, 25% water and 25% air. But is the soil procured from all the sites the same? If yes then in which properties are they different? So to find out we need to conduct a simple experiment on soil from two different sites. 

Key Takeaways: Garden Soil, Roadside Soil, Water-holding Capacity, pH level

Experiment 1

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Aim: To study soil samples from two different sites (roadside and garden soil) for the analysis of water holding capacity. 

*Material Required 

• Soil from two different source – Garden Soil and Roadside soil
• Tile 
• Crucible
• Burner
• Tin Box
• Glass Rod
• Test Tube
• Filter Paper
• Distilled Water
• pH strip
• Mortar & Pestle
• Electronic balance

*All the materials required are enlisted under experiment 1.

Procedure

• Soil sample in mortar
• Weigh the soil sample 
• Grind it to a fine paste
• Place filter paper at the bottom 
• Weigh the tin box separately and with the powdered soil
•  Form uniform layer of the soil using glass rod, tap gently 
• Place two glass rods parallel not a large distance.
• Position the tin on top of the glass rod 
• Bottom of the tin is in contact with the water
• Leave the setup undisturbed for a while 
• On the other hand, weigh the crucibles
• Remove the tin and allow the water to flow out from the bottom into the crucible
• Calculate the difference between the weight of the crucibles with water.

Figure 1. Water Holding Capacity of Two different Soil Samples

Observation 

Water holding capacity is the amount held by the soil capillaries, even after the gravitational pull. Record all the values into the table and calculate the percentage of water holding capacity of the garden soil and in roadside soil.

Conclusion

On the basis of calculation, it is found that the soil sample from the garden has higher water holding capacity as compared to the soil sample obtained from the roadside.

Read More: Open Type Circulatory System 

Experiment 2

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Aim: To study the pH of soil samples from two different sites – roadside and garden soil.

Procedure

• Procure soil from two sites, in a beaker.
• Add water to both the samples.
• Stir and let both the sample sit idle for a while
• Use filter paper, funnel and strain the liquid part into a test tube, repeat for another sample as well.
• Mark the sample as A and B
• Take a few drops of the filtrate and put over the universal pH Indicator.
• Note the changes, as indicated in the pH indicator.

Observation

It was found that the roadside soil has a pH level of 7 while garden soil has a pH level of 6. 

Conclusion

It can be concluded that the soil from the garden is on the acidic side, while the roadside soil on the neutral side. It can be said both the soils can be used for crop production. 

Things to Remember

• Pedosphere is the part of the Earth’s surface that consists of soil.
• Soil is a mixture of air, water, organic solid particles, rocks and other geological matter.
• Different types of soil are present in different parts of the world. 
• Some of the commonly found soil types are black soil, sandy soil, loamy soil, red soil etc.
• Different types of soil has different water holding capacity based on which fertility of soil is calculated.
• Similarly, different soil types has different acidic and basic properties which helps in the growth of differentt types of plants.