Across
- 3. Accumulation of water-worn pebbles larger than two millimeters in diameter.
- 4. A mineral calcium sulfate, combined with water of hydration. In arid regions, large tonnages are used to treat sodic soils.
- 8. The artificial application of water to soil for the purpose of increasing plant production.
- 9. An element or compound in a soil that is essential for the growth of a plant.
- 10. The ion OH-.
- 12. In soil science, a group of textural classes in which the particles are finer than gravel but coarser than silt, ranging in size from 2.00 to 0.5 millimeters in diameter. It is the textural class of any soil that contains 85 percent or more of sand and not more than 10 percent of clay.
- 13. A colorless, odorless, flammable gas, the lightest of the elements that combine chemically with oxygen to form water.
- 14. The mineral and organic surface of the earth capable of supporting upland plants. It has been (and is being) formed by the active factors of climate and biosphere exerting their influence on passive parent material and topography over neutral time.
- 16. Refers to the extent of voids or openings in the soil that exist between soil particles and soil peds or clods. These pores hold water and air for absorption by plant roots. About half of soil volume which is in a good physical condition for plant growth is pore space.
- 17. The horizon of weathered rock or partially weathered soil material from which the soil is formed.
- 20. The property or power of conducting heat, electricity, or sound.
- 24. Mineral matter of variable composition, consolidated or unconsolidated, assembled in masses or considerable quantities in nature.
- 25. Matter found in or produced by, living animals and plants, which contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and often nitrogen and sulfur.
- 28. To supply the necessary mineral and organic nutrients to soil or water to aid the growth and development of plants.
- 30. A layer of soil, approximately parallel to the surface, having distinct characteristics produced by soil forming processes.
- 31. Soil that consists of less than 52 percent sand, 28 to 50 percent silt, and 7 to 27 percent clay, resulting in a soil texture ideal for gardening.
- 33. Unweathered hard rock that lies directly beneath the soil layers or beneath superficial geological deposits, such as glacial drift.
- 34. A vertical section of a soil. The section, or face of an exposure made by a cut, may exhibit with depth a succession of separate layers, although these may not be separated by sharp lines of demarcation.
- 36. A size term denoting particles, regardless of mineral composition, with a diameter less than two microns.
- 37. The relative proportion in a soil of the various size groups of individual soil grains.
- 38. Plantlike organisms that have no chlorophyll; they get their nourishment from living or decaying organic matter.
- 39. Microscopic, wormlike, transparent organisms that can attack plant roots or stems to cause stunted or unhealthy growth.
- 40. Single-celled microorganisms; some cause human, animal, or plant diseases; others are beneficial.
- 41. The capacity of soil or rock for transmitting a fluid. The degree of permeability depends upon the size and shape of the pores, the size, and shape of their interconnections, and the extent of the latter.
Down
- 1. A chemical term referring to a basic reaction where the pH reading is above 7, as distinguished from acidic reaction where the pH reading is below 7.
- 2. The quantity of saltiness in seawater or freshwater, most commonly expressed in parts of dissolved salt per 1,000 parts of water.
- 5. An organism so small that it cannot be seen clearly without the use of a microscope, a microscopic or submicroscopic organism.
- 6. A substance which gives off hydroxyl ions when dissolved in water, as contrasted with an acid, which gives off hydrogen ions.
- 7. Any living individual, whether plant or animal.
- 11. A numerical measure of acidity or hydrogen ion activity of a substance such as food or soil. The neutral point is pH 7.0. All pH values below 7.0 are acid, and all above 7.0 are alkaline.
- 15. The removal of soluble constituents from soils or other materials by percolating water.
- 18. phylum or division of the animal kingdom; includes insects, spiders, and Crustacea; characterized by a coating which serves as an external skeleton and by legs with distinct movable segments or joints.
- 19. A soil containing soluble salts in such quantities that they interfere with the growth of most crop plants.
- 21. Produced by plants and animals; of plant or animal origin.
- 22. The relative degree of downward movement of water in a soil. Also called permeability.
- 23. Strictly, calcium oxide, CaO, but, as commonly used in agricultural terminology, calcium carbonate, CaCO3, and calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2, are included. Agricultural lime refers to any of these compounds, with or without magnesium carbonate, which are used as amendments chiefly for acid soils.
- 26. A substance containing hydrogen that dissociates to form hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. Term applied to any substance with a pH less than 7.0.
- 27. cover Any vegetation that grows close to the ground, producing protection for the soil.
- 29. An atom or a group of atoms carrying an electrical charge, which may be positive or negative.
- 32. A textural class of soils containing 80 percent or more of silt and less than 12 percent clay.
- 34. The arrangement of primary soil particles into compound particles or aggregates that are separated from adjoining aggregates.
- 35. A substance used to resist change in pH.