Why is soil survey important?

PURPOSE AND USES OF SOIL SURVEY It is used by farmers and researchers to help determine whether a particular soil type is suited for crops and what type of crops, or livestock and what type of management might be required.

What does a soil survey tell you?

A soil survey contains maps and a description of each major soil in the survey area-generally a county. More important, the survey tells how soil properties affect a wide range of rural and urban land uses.

What is the purpose of using soil survey names?

In naming a map unit, soil taxa names (commonly a soil series name) are modified with phase terms (indicating surface texture, slope, flooding, stoniness, etc.) to convey information that is either more specific than the wider range of properties defined for the series (e.g., surface texture) or that represents a …

What is role of soil mapping in soil survey activity?

Soil maps and interpretations provide a resource to identify features associated with early settlements (e.g., access to rivers or tributaries, productive soils) as well as physiographic changes over time. Comparison of older surveys with current aerial photos can identify shifts that help to target potential sites.

Why is soil study an important area in agriculture?

Soil science provides support to crop production, raw materials to million industries, water quality for biota, animal and human survival, recycling of abundant dead materials, landscaping for engineering and research purposes, foreign exchange for national income and accommodation for animal and human interactions.

What is the difference between soil map and soil survey?

A soil survey describes the characteristics of the soils in a given area, classifies the soils according to a standard system of taxonomy, plots the boundaries of the soils on a map, stores soil property information in an organized database, and makes predictions about the suitability and limitations of each soil for …

What is the purpose of soil mapping?

Generally, soil maps are used to simply identify soils and their properties, but are sometimes required for more specific purposes, such as determining the suitability of a soil for particular crops, or the land drainage capabilities of an area. Like all maps, soil maps can be created in different scales.

What is in a soil survey report?

A soil survey is a detailed report on the soils of an area. The soil survey has maps with soil boundaries and photos, descriptions, and tables of soil properties and features. Soil surveys are used by farmers, real estate agents, land use planners, engineers and others who desire information about the soil resource.

How does soil affect the growth of plants?

Soil structure not only affects the ability of roots to grow and to supply the leaves with water and nutrients; if adverse, it also induces them to send hormonal signals that slow the growth of the shoot, even if they are currently able to take up adequate water and nutrients.

How does soil influence agricultural production?

Soil structure influences plant growth by affecting the movement of water, air and nutrients to plants. Sandy soils have little or no structure but are often free draining. With higher clay contents the soil structural strength increases, but its drainage ability often decreases.

What are the human activities that affect the quality and quantity of soil?

Nonetheless, some human activities have clear direct impacts. These include land use change, land management, land degradation, soil sealing, and mining. The intensity of land use also has a great impact on soils.

What are the objectives of applied soil survey?

Applied soil survey includes soil maps in addition to fundamental objective of soil survey. (i)The transfer of technology under different soil conditions and management practices. (ii) Providing information needed for developing optimum land use plans and for bringing new areas under agricultural uses.

What is included in a soil survey report?

Detailed aerial photographs with specific soil types outlined and indexed. Photographs of some of the typical soils found in the area. Tables containing general information about the various soils such as total area, comparisons of production of typical crops and common range plants.

What are the mapping units on a detailed soil map?

The mapping units on a detailed soil map show soil series, types and phases. Detailed soil surveys are laborious, time consuming and much expensive. Detailed soil survey is of two types, i.e. low and high intensity survey. This type of soil survey is undertaken to prepare resource inventory of large areas.

When is the annual refresh of the official soil survey database?

A yearly refresh of the official soil survey database (spatial and tabular) will take place on July 1 of each year. The adoption of a regular refresh rate is to allow internal and external users to better coordinate updates of official soils data in support of their activities.