The fifth layer of fertile soil. Subsoil, clay
The soil- this is the upper fertile layer of the lithosphere, which has a number of properties inherent in living and inanimate nature.
The formation and existence of this natural body cannot be imagined without living beings. The surface layers of rock are only the initial substrate from which, under the influence of plants, microorganisms and animals, they are formed different kinds soil
The founder of soil science, Russian scientist V.V. Dokuchaev, showed that
the soil is an independent natural body formed on the surface of rocks under the influence of living organisms, climate, water, relief, and also humans.
This natural formation has been created over thousands of years. The process of soil formation begins with the settlement of microorganisms on bare rocks and stones. Feeding on carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water vapor from the atmosphere, using mineral salts of rock, microorganisms release organic acids as a result of their vital activity. These substances gradually change the chemical composition of rocks, making them less durable and ultimately loosening the surface layer. Then lichens settle on such rock. Unpretentious to water and nutrients, they continue the process of destruction, while simultaneously enriching the rock with organic matter. As a result of the activity of microorganisms and lichens, the rock gradually turns into a substrate suitable for colonization by plants and animals. The final transformation of the original rock into soil occurs due to the vital activity of these organisms.
Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water and minerals from the soil, creating organic compounds. As plants die, they enrich the soil with these compounds. Animals feed on plants and their remains. The products of their vital activity are excrement, and after death their corpses also end up in the soil. The entire mass of dead organic matter accumulated as a result of the vital activity of plants and animals serves as a food supply and habitat for microorganisms and fungi. They destroy organic substances and mineralize them. As a result of the activity of microorganisms, complex organic substances are formed that make up soil humus.
Soil humus- is a mixture of stable organic compounds, formed during the decomposition of plant and animal residues and their metabolic products with the participation of microorganisms.
In the soil, primary minerals decompose and clay secondary minerals form. Thus, the cycle of substances occurs in the soil.
Moisture capacity is the soil's ability to hold water.
Soil with a lot of sand does not retain water well and has low moisture holding capacity. Clay soil, on the other hand, holds a lot of water and has a high moisture holding capacity. In case of heavy rainfall, water fills all the pores in such soil, preventing air from passing deeper. Loose, lumpy soils retain moisture better than dense soils.
Moisture permeability is the soil's ability to pass water.
The soil is permeated with tiny pores - capillaries. Water can move through capillaries not only downwards, but also in all directions, including from bottom to top. The higher the capillarity of the soil, the higher its moisture permeability, the faster water penetrates the soil and rises upward from deeper layers. Water “sticks” to the walls of the capillaries and seems to creep upward. The thinner the capillaries, the higher the water rises through them. When the capillaries reach the surface, the water evaporates. Sandy soils have high moisture permeability, while clay soils have low permeability. If, after rain or watering, a crust (with many capillaries) has formed on the surface of the soil, the water evaporates very quickly. When loosening the soil, capillaries are destroyed, which reduces water evaporation. It’s not for nothing that loosening the soil is called dry watering.
Soils can have a different structure, that is, they can consist of lumps of different shapes and sizes into which soil particles are glued. U best soils, for example, chernozems, the structure is fine-lumpy or granular. By chemical composition soils can be rich or poor in nutrients. An indicator of soil fertility is the amount of humus, since it contains all the basic elements of plant nutrition. For example, chernozem soils contain up to 30% humus. Soils can be acidic, neutral and alkaline. Neutral soils are most favorable for plants. To reduce acidity, they are limed, and gypsum is added to the soil to reduce alkalinity.
Mechanical composition of soils. Based on their mechanical composition, soils are divided into clayey, sandy, loamy and sandy loam.
Clay soils have high moisture capacity and are best provided with batteries.
Sandy soils low moisture capacity, well permeable to moisture, but poor in humus.
Loamy- most favorable in their own way physical properties for agriculture, with average moisture capacity and moisture permeability, well provided with humus.
Sandy loam- structureless soils, poor in humus, well permeable to water and air. To use such soils, it is necessary to improve their composition and apply fertilizers.
Soil types. The most common soil types in our country are: tundra, podzolic, sod-podzolic, chernozem, chestnut, gray soil, red soil and yellow soil.
Tundra soils are located in the Far North in the permafrost zone. They are waterlogged and extremely poor in humus.
Podzolic soils common in the taiga under coniferous trees, and sod-podzolic- under coniferous-deciduous forests. Broadleaf forests grow on gray forest soils. All these soils contain enough humus and are well structured.
In the forest-steppe and steppe zones there are chernozem soils. They were formed under steppe and grassy vegetation and are rich in humus. Humus gives the soil a black color. They have a strong structure and high fertility.
Chestnut soils located further south, they form in drier conditions. They are characterized by a lack of moisture.
Serozem soils characteristic of deserts and semi-deserts. They are rich in nutrients, but poor in nitrogen, and there is not enough water.
Krasnozems And zheltozems are formed in the subtropics under humid and warm climates. They are well structured, quite moisture-absorbing, but have a lower humus content, so fertilizers are added to these soils to increase fertility.
To increase soil fertility, it is necessary to regulate not only the content of nutrients, but also the presence of moisture and aeration. The topsoil should always be loose to provide air access to the roots of the plants.
| |
§ 23. Relief globe
4. Water shell of the earth
The fact that soil is a multi-layered cake has been known since school. To verify this, you need to conduct a small experiment.
A small hole half a meter deep is dug so that one of its walls is straight and strictly vertical. This is what will show you how many layers the soil on yours consists of. suburban area. And by removing the top layers of soil one by one, you can see with your own eyes what they consist of.
The top layers of soil are usually dark in color. This color comes from humus, which is rich in the top layer. Let's turn again to school curriculum and let us remind you that humus is processed by microorganisms:
- Dead parts of plants;
- Remains of dead insects;
- Earthworms;
- Small animals.
It is the top layer that is considered the basis for the life and development of plants. Only the soil is suitable for cultivation, and only on it do plants grow. Although soil is considered one of the layers of the earth, it also consists of several layers. Of course, they are not so large, one might even say, quite small, but it is these layers that make it possible to grow on the ground the plants necessary for humans, which are included in their nutritious diet.
Soil layers
Terrain
There are two main layers of soil: the moistened layer and the humus layer. The first layer is biologically active because it contains the highest content of humus. And in color it is darker than all the others.
The humus layer is much thicker than the humid layer. Sometimes its thickness reaches 30-40 centimeters. If in your suburban area this layer has such dimensions, then you are lucky. This soil is classified as fertile. And rest assured, not only cucumbers and tomatoes will grow well here, but even exotic flowers and trees. It must be said that microorganisms live in this layer, which, like a processing factory, produce mineral substances, where the raw materials are the remains of plants and living organisms.
These minerals are a kind of food for plants, so they are absorbed by the roots. But before that, the process of their dissolution occurs groundwater. This solution is absorbed by the roots of the plants. These top layers of soil are the most biologically active.
If you remove the top layers of soil, which were discussed above, then such land is generally not suitable for any cultivation.
The next layer, which is less active, is the mineral layer. Its builders call it the subsoil horizon. There is practically no humus here, but the content of minerals is in huge quantities. True, in this form, mineral substances are not suitable for plant nutrition, so here, too, processing is necessary, in which microorganisms must participate.
AND last layer– This is a layer of parent rocks. So to speak, this is an empty layer. Most often it is this that is washed out and eroded. These processes occur slowly but constantly.
Soil composition
Division into different soil layers
If we talk about soil as a multilayered mass, then it is necessary to talk about its composition. The basis of the entire mass is solid particles. They can be like organic origin, and inorganic. Soil also contains air and water. The amount of water and air depends on the size of the particles and their density. If the space between the particles is large, then the air and water content is correspondingly greater.
Solid particles of inorganic origin include:
- Clay;
- Sand;
- Stone.
And here, as in everything in this world, it must be in certain proportions. For example, clay. This mineral substance has the ability to bind water and retain it in the soil. If there is not enough clay, then the water will quickly go down and join the groundwater. If the clay is more than normal, then soon a wetland will form on your site, which will have to be drained.
As mentioned above, it is humus or humus that particles of organic origin consist of. It is humus that determines the soil fertility indicator. It is he who will help you reap a wonderful harvest. True, there is one “but” here too. This is the mandatory presence of a sufficient amount of oxygen, which will help speed up the humification process. Otherwise, the usual process of rotting will take place.
True, the quantitative content of humus does not always contribute to soil fertility. Its biological state is also necessary here. Only the sum of two factors determines whether your plot will have a good harvest or not. You cannot add minerals to the soil uncontrollably; only a certain balance can make your garden bear fruit.
Now a little about water. The main purpose of water is to dissolve minerals, which form a kind of solution. It is this solution that is absorbed by the roots of the plants. Therefore one of the most important characteristics soil is to absorb and retain moisture.
But again, it is necessary to note that water, like everything else, must be in the soil in strictly a certain proportion. Therefore, soil drainage is considered one of the main elements that influence its fertility. Poor drainage leads to stagnation and excess water accumulation.
The soil is divided into several groups, which correspond to different structures and, accordingly, water conductivity. For example, sandy soils conduct water well, but their coarse-grained structure does not allow it to be retained. The same cannot be said about clay soils. Clay is a poor conductor of water. In addition, as life shows, it is clay soils that often lead to waterlogging.
Water also acts as a kind of thermostat. The process of heating and cooling the soil occurs the slower, the more water it contains. All avid gardeners know this.
Another factor in soil fertility is the sufficient oxygen content in it, which provides respiration. root system plants and microorganisms. If the upper part of the plants produces oxygen, the root system only produces carbon dioxide. Therefore, the carbon dioxide content in the soil is quite high.
Humus layer of soil for planting
Lack of oxygen in the soil leads to reduced plant growth, so the supply fresh air into the soil an essential component of fertility. It can be summarized that sufficient soil moisture is not a complete success in growing a good crop. Only the combination of all factors can create conditions that will have a positive impact on the productivity of your site.
If we talk about upper layers soil, as the foundation on which a country house will be built, then many factors will have to be taken into account. After all, different layers have different structures. Let's look at some options.
The most important indicator of soil for building a house is its sufficient strength and low compressibility coefficient. But not all soils have such indicators. Let's give examples.
On peat soils a lot of work will have to be done related to drainage and strengthening upper layers. Typically, houses on such soils are built on stilts. This is enough expensive pleasure, but nothing can be done. All this work will still have to be carried out.
The presence of groundwater in the upper layers is a big problem. This will be especially noticeable in the spring, when the snow begins to melt and it rains. After winter cold, the soil thaws, creating a large number of moisture. And this has a detrimental effect on the foundation. Therefore, it will be necessary to intensively carry out waterproofing work. Again financial expenses.
On soils containing large amounts of sand, it is also problematic to build a country house. Sand is a bad base. True, there are many methods for strengthening sandy soils. But this will again lead to unnecessary expenses Money. There are, however, sandy soils that are quite dense and deep. You can easily build on these stone house, even two-story.
In the classification of soils, there are those that contain several main components at once. For example, sandy loam, in which the content of clay particles is 3-10%. Or loams with clay content in the range of 10-30%. Or loess soils, which differ from the above in the content of loam in the granular state. Although both of them belong to sandy soils.
All these types of soils are natural bases for building a foundation. country house. The last three can also be attributed to solid foundations if they are kept dry.
Structure of the top layer of the earth
In soils with weak soil layers, it is necessary to carry out engineering work to strengthen these layers. There is quite a lot of experience here, and this does not cause problems today. Although it is not cheap.
The most ideal option for the foundation is rocky soils, which have the highest strength. In addition, they do not shrink, frost is not a problem for them, and water is the same. During floods, such soil is not washed away, which does not lead to displacement of the foundation itself.
But they have one drawback that will upset gardeners, this is a small layer fertile soil. You will have to tinker for several years to create a garden or vegetable garden on such a plot. But perseverance and work will grind everything down, as popular wisdom says.
Having examined all layers of soil in this article, we can draw a simple conclusion. Whatever the soil is on your site, do not be upset. Everything can be fixed, because modern technology has come a long way. And with their help you can solve seemingly impossible tasks.
Natural resources and their isolated fragments as objects of rights have long been the subject of legal regulation, but not always qualitative certainty the relevant legal concepts are sufficient to ensure that regulation is carried out with the required efficiency. Such “legal insufficiency” is not characteristic of some secondary and secondary aspects, but of the most fundamental, initial provisions. In this regard, it would be appropriate to note that the long-awaited Land Code of the Russian Federation of October 25, 2001, in defining the basic concept of objects of land relations, turned out to be extremely laconic, establishing in Article 6 only that the objects of land relations are:
1) land as a natural object and natural resource;
2) land plots;
3) parts of land plots.
At the same time, only a land plot received a relatively detailed definition as an object of land relations, which is understood as a part of the earth’s surface (including the soil layer), the boundaries of which are described and certified in in the prescribed manner. But similar construction the definition can hardly be considered successful: one unknown (a plot of land) is defined as part of another unknown (the surface of the earth), and the latter includes a third unknown (the soil layer). In this way, not only the logical rules of definition are violated, but also, most importantly, the actual state of affairs is presented in a deformed form. Unfortunately, the current land legislation turned out to be impervious to the fact that not only in everyday life, but also in the language of law, there are the words “land” and “soil”, which refer to the same natural resource, but characterize it from different aspects. Concerning land, That this concept“lucky” to a much greater extent than soil. According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, land and other natural resources are used and protected in Russian Federation as the basis for the life and activities of the peoples living in the corresponding territory (Article 9 of Chapter 1 “Fundamentals of the Constitutional System”). In Chapter 2 of the Constitution, “Rights and freedoms of man and citizen,” the legislator again mentions land rights. Such attention to land in the Basic Law of the country is, of course, largely due to the urgency that the land issue has acquired in the course of recent socio-economic reforms. Developing these constitutional provisions, the Land Code (clause 1 of Article 1) speaks of land as a natural object protected as the most important component of nature, a natural resource used as a means of production in agriculture and forestry and the basis for the implementation of economic and other activities on the territory of the Russian Federation, and at the same time as about real estate, about the object of ownership and other rights to land. In relation to soil the legislator prefers not to speak out definitively. This is all the more strange since it is the soil that is the first and real value of the land in the above understanding of the latter. According to science, soil is a surface film one and a half to two meters thick with a radius of the globe of 6,000 kilometers, but in this vanishingly thin shell the potential is concentrated, allowing a person to obtain about 99% of food, more than 95% of the gene pool of the planet is concentrated in it - plants and animals. There are only 9% of soils suitable for farming in the world. In Russia, chernozem occupies only 7% of the territory, but 80% of agricultural products are obtained from it. At the same time, in Russia, as well as throughout the world the process is underway loss of fertile soils, which experts call the “silent crisis of the planet.” Every year, Russian arable land loses more than 1.5 billion tons of fertile layer, the increase in eroded areas reaches 1.5 billion hectares, the growth of ravines is 80 - 100 thousand hectares, every third hectare of arable land and pastures is eroded . It would seem that these data could already stimulate the legislator to develop a normative understanding soil, however, this has not yet happened. Even in the “core” Law of July 16, 1998 No. 101-FZ “On state regulation of ensuring the fertility of agricultural lands,” the concept of “soil” is not among the basic concepts and is used only as a complete synonym for “agricultural land.” In general, it is most difficult to define the things and phenomena that constitute the material and spiritual basis of the existence of man and humanity. The task of defining the concept “soil” is no exception. Even soil scientists approach the task of characterizing soil in completely different ways, using different starting points: from structural and qualitative and quantitative analytical parameters to emotional and poetic assessments .
Very timely was the initiative taken in 2001 by a number of deputies (Greshevnikova A.N. and others) to submit to the State Duma the draft Federal Law “On Soil Protection”, where soil as the initial concept was defined asthe surface layer of the earth, which forms the basis of life and is both a component of nature and a strategic natural resource, represents an independent natural-historical organomineral natural formation that arose on the surface of the earth as a result of a long-term interaction of biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic factors, microflora, micro- and mesofauna, which has specific genetic and morphological characteristics and properties and has fertility. Unfortunately, the idea of the bill did not receive support from the Government of the Russian Federation, which considered it inappropriate to consider it before the adoption of the Land Code of the Russian Federation and the Federal Law “On Environmental Protection”. Expectations that specifically “ground-level” issues will be resolved by future legislation did not materialize. Law “On Environmental Protection” natural environment" dated December 19, 1991 in all its editions (February 21, 1992, June 2, 1993, July 10, 2001) did not use the concept of soil, naming the land, its subsoil, surface and groundwater, atmospheric air, forests and other vegetation, animal world, microorganisms, genetic fund, natural landscapes (Article 4). The new version of this law dated January 10, 2002 No. 7-FZ “On Environmental Protection” in relation to soils is also extremely laconic, using this term by listing it along with other components of the natural environment. The Land Code, as noted above, operates with the concept of soil only in the context of defining the concept land plot, and that was very unfortunate. Firstly, the Land Code does not indicate the actual relationship between land and soil as its surface, resulting in the impression that the presence of a soil layer is a sign only of a land plot, but not of land as such. Secondly, it remains unclear what the legislator meant by indicating that the soil layer is included in the surface of the earth "including". This mysterious vagueness and meaningfulness of the wording makes us assume the worst: since the soil layer is mentioned “including,” it means that the legislator knows more about the structure of the earth’s surface than representatives of the natural sciences. Fortunately, this fear is not based on anything (except the text of the Land Code). As before (and, we dare to hope, in a visible perspective), the soil layer was and remains the surface of the earth (of course, and the land plot as part of the earth) without any “including”. In defining such basic concepts Any approximation and vagueness are unacceptable. But thirdly, the Land Code creates another, now truly practical problem. Pointing out that "“a plot of land is a part of the surface of the earth, the boundaries of which are described and certified in accordance with the established procedure,” the legislator is clearly not guided by the task of determining qualitative parameters and spatial boundaries of the soil layer, while the characterization of a land plot as a discrete object of civil rights without this data, in our opinion, is impossible.
Federal Law of January 2, 2000 No. 28-FZ “On the State Land Cadastre” determined in Art. 14 (clause 2), that the Unified State Register of Lands contains the following basic information about land plots: cadastral numbers; location(address); square; category of land and permitted use of land plots; description of the boundaries of land plots and their individual parts; property rights and restrictions (encumbrances) registered in accordance with the established procedure; economic characteristics, including land payments; quality characteristics, including indicators of the state of land fertility for certain categories of land; the presence of real estate objects firmly connected with land plots. It is easy to see that at least some possibility of taking into account the parameters of the soil layer of a land plot during cadastral registration of land exists only in relation to certain categories of land, specifically agricultural land, since the law connects such an assessment with the tasks of studying fertility indicators. By Order of the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Land Policy dated November 22, 1999 No. 84, documents for maintaining the State Land Cadastre were put into effect, from which it follows that the characteristics of the quality of agricultural land are reduced mainly to a description of characteristics that reduce fertility (salinity, acidity, rockiness, erosion and deflationary danger, excess moisture, etc.). This line can be traced in Art. 12 of the Federal Law of June 18, 2001 “On Land Management”, according to which the assessment of land quality is carried out in order to obtain information about the properties of land as a means of production in agriculture. Other purposes of land use, apparently, are not considered as a reason for discussing the quality of land. However, land quality is primarily (if not exclusively) soil quality. The soil forms the surface any plot of land, but the surface is not as an ideal outer shell, but as a very real, physically tangible layer of soil, this “rust of the Earth,” having certain dimensions both in plane and in depth. This circumstance is very significant: it is difficult to imagine land plot, from which the soil layer was carefully collected and transported to another place. Will it such"groundless" area land- this is a big question, and not only of a theoretical nature .
A mandatory essential feature of any land plot (regardless of its purpose), in our opinion, should be the spatial and qualitative characteristics of the soil layer, and such characteristics should be included in the description (establishment) of the boundaries of the land plot as an object of law. This is necessary at least for the reasons that the establishment of spatial and qualitative boundaries of the soil layer makes it possible to distinguish between the scope of land legislation and the “sphere of responsibility” of subsoil use legislation. As stated in the preamble of the Law of February 21, 1992 “On Subsoil”, subsoil is part of earth's crust, located below the soil layer, and in its absence - below the earth's surface and the bottom of reservoirs and watercourses, extending to depths accessible for geological study and development. Based on this norm, it can be seen that the soil layer is not only component“earth”, but also a kind of border separating “earth” from the subsoil. Below the soil layer the subsoil begins, above the soil layer the air space extends . If everything seems clear with the definition of the lower boundary of the airspace, then with regard to the upper boundary of the subsoil there is a rather serious problem. The fact is that the law, while correctly characterizing the subsoil as part of the earth’s crust, “skips” over the fact that another integral part The earth's crust is the soil layer lying above the subsoil. Where is the border between them, it's not always clear .
Increasingly, practitioners are asking questions that few people seriously worried about in the previous economic system. For example, the construction of underground structures (communications, underground passages, garages, fuel storage facilities, shopping malls, etc.), which requires digging a pit with excavation and removal of the soil layer, may involve registration of land allotment, allocation of a subsoil plot, or both. But it is clear that in legal and economic terms these options are by no means equivalent and not interchangeable. It is possible to determine exactly what kind of relationship will arise in this case - land use and/or subsoil use - only taking into account the parameters (in particular, depth) of the soil layer on the corresponding land plot. The issue becomes particularly acute in cases where above-ground and underground spaces are developed by different economic entities. There are also situations when the method of placement (above-ground or underground) of functionally similar objects determines the issue of changing intended purpose land plot, accordingly, the preemptive right of the tenant of the land plot, who has duly performed his duties, to conclude a lease agreement for new term(Article 621 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation) . Now, after the entry into force of the Land Code of the Russian Federation, similar problems will arise in geometric progression. But given the existing regulatory uncertainty regarding the soil layer and its spatial and qualitative characteristics, courts will not always have reliable tools in their hands to resolve emerging conflicts. It seems that the issue of the definiteness of boundaries, the discreteness of a land plot, could be resolved by analogy with the determination of the spatial boundaries of subsoil plots. Yes, Art. 2 of the Law “On Subsoil” determines that the state subsoil fund consists of used areas, which are geometrized blocks of subsoil, and unused parts of subsoil within the territory of the Russian Federation and its continental shelf. In the same way used land plots can be defined as geometrized blocks of the soil layer, which will create the required clarity in establishing the legal boundaries of used (in use and in circulation) land plots. Gazette of the SND and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, 03/05/1992. No. 10. Art. 457.
NW RF, 01/14/2002. No. 2. Art. 133.
The same mistake, following the Land Code, is repeated by the Federal Law “On Land Management” dated June 18, 2001 No. 78-FZ, in Art. 11 of which it is established that soil, geobotanical and other surveys and surveys are carried out in order to obtain information about the condition of the lands, including soil. It must, however, be taken into account that current legislation recognizes the existence of earth surfaces without soil cover, but it is unlikely that such “soilless” surfaces can be considered land in sections.
It is known that when discussing the draft of the new Land Code, one of the arguments in the dispute was the possibility of “wasting” the soil layer, its sale and export as an independent product. It should be noted that in purely technical terms such a possibility exists. And from a legal point of view, the transportability of the soil layer is beyond doubt. So, for example, paragraph 4 of Art. 13 of the Land Code directly stipulates that when carrying out activities related to soil disturbance construction work and mining operations, the fertile soil layer is removed and used to improve unproductive lands. A rather curious situation arises: a significant necessary part of the land plot, which is classic real estate, turns out to be completely movable. This circumstance has not yet been subjected to an exhaustive analysis, which, perhaps, can lead to a revision of some theoretical provisions on the relationship between movable and immovable property.
In Article 1, Clause 2 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation, airspace is understood as airspace above the territory of the Russian Federation, including airspace above inland waters and the territorial sea.
The literature rightly notes that ownership of subsoil is sometimes combined with ownership of the earth's surface, but such a combination is not mandatory. This means that the current legislation on subsoil “breaks” the right to the subsoil and the right to the surface of the earth. – See, for example: Sheinin L. B. Underground farming: legal regulation // Journal Russian law. 2001. No. 11. But it is clear that in such conditions it is all the more necessary to reliably distinguish between the subsoil as an object owned by the state, on the one hand, and the soil layer of the land plot located above the subsoil plot, which may belong to other entities.
Resolution of the Federal Arbitration Court of the Moscow District of July 5, 2001 in case No. KG-A40/3340-01.
Dear club members, farmers. I offer my opinion about soil and agriculture. About the Earth as a carrier of soil
The word "Farmer" in Russian comes from the phrase to make land. Not to grow, but to make fertile land. The word "Earth" is used as a geographical, historical, mathematical, symbolic, literary symbol.
The term “Soil” refers to the biological, biophysical, biochemical environment or soil substrate. Soil is a living thing. Soil is the stomach of plants. Soil is light plants. Soil is the environment where the root system of a plant is located.
Thanks to the soil, the plant is kept in an upright position and determines where is up and where is down. Soil is a part of the plant’s body. Soil is the habitat of nano and microflora and microfauna, through whose efforts natural soil fertility is created.
Soil fertility depends on its physical and biophysical state: looseness, density, porosity. Chemical and biochemical composition, presence of primary chemical elements and chemical elements included in the hydrocarbon-mineral-organic chains. Soil fertility can be artificial, mineral, chemical. And natural biological fertility.
Soil is a thin layer, a unique component of the biosphere, separating the gas and solid environment of the planet’s biosphere.
In fertile soil, all life support processes for plants and animals begin, aimed at creating a healthy, fulfilling, stable life. This means that the full life of all earthly plants and animals depends on the condition of the soil.
Natural, unlimited soil fertility is created by: obsolete (remains) plant organic matter (hay, grass, straw, litter and sawdust, branches), and the remains of obsolete, deceased, animal organic matter. (microorganisms, bacteria, algae, microfungi, worms, insects and other animal organisms). Nano and microplants (algae). These animal microorganisms, integral representatives of fertile soil, are invisible to our eyes. The weight of the living part of the soil reaches 80% of its mass.
Living microflora and microfauna found in fertile soil are united by one name: “Soil-forming microflora and microfauna.” Together, soil-forming microflora and microfauna are united under one name: soil-forming microbiocenosis. Soil-forming microbiocenosis is a key link in restorative bioprocesses that create limitless, natural soil fertility.
Nature creates from plant-animal remains, with the help of soil-forming microflora and microfauna, an infinitely fertile, multi-layered soil structure.
The infinitely fertile soil consists of five consecutive interdependent layers. Successive layers of soil annually thicken, expand, grow, and move into each other. They create a fertile layer of chernozem and mineral clay.
The first soil layer. Mulch. Consists of plant-animal remains. Last year's grass, stubble, leaf litter. Various, diverse microorganisms, fungi, molds, and dead micro-animals and animals.
Under a layer of mulch, nature has created a latrine for a variety of micro-animals and micro-insects. Worms, beetles, midges, fleas. The number of microanimals in fertile soil reaches several tons per hectare of land. This whole living army moves, moves, drinks, eats, fulfills its natural needs, reproduces, and dies. Dead bodies of animal organisms, bacteria, microbes, viruses, worms, insects, animals living in the soil, after death, decompose to their primary biogas and biomineral state.
All animal bodies are composed of large amounts of nitrogen compounds. Ammonia released during their decomposition and absorbed by the roots of plants.
Question. Is it necessary to add nitrogen fertilizers to the soil if it contains a large number of living and various bacteria, microfungi, insects, various worms and many other plant and animal organisms?
Second soil layer; Vermicompost. Vermicompost is excretions, waste, feces, various micro-animals and insects. The thickness of the vermicompost layer of fertile soils reaches 20 centimeters or more. (Vermicompost is processed in the stomachs of various worms and insects, the remains of the deceased root system of plants, plant and animal, organic remains. These are the food remains of microanimals and microinsects. Various midges and fleas). Vermicompost serves as colostrum for plants. It gives the plant, through its root system, complete nutrition, which helps to enhance development, stimulates the immune system and develops the plant’s immunity. Protects the sprout emerging from the grain from stress. A grain sown in cold, dense and dark soil, from the first minutes of germination, finds itself in an unnatural situation not foreseen by the evolutionary process of development, and immediately falls into a stressful situation.
Vermicompost is plant colostrum. Vermicompost is necessary for plants in the first hours of their life, for successful growth and healthy development. So are animals that did not receive in the first minutes of their birth mother's milk(colostrum), grow and grow up frail, weak, sick. Likewise, plant seeds planted in a plowed, dug up, dead layer of cold soil, without vermicompost, grow frail and weak.
Third soil layer. Biomineral.
The biomineralized soil layer consists of natural remains of plant-animal organic matter and vermicompost. The biomineralized soil layer of soil, over many years, is gradually created by microorganisms, microplants, microanimals, from the top, mulching layer and the vermicompost layer. Atmospheric moisture (fog, dew, drizzle), atmospheric water (rain, melted snow, spring water), and atmospheric gases dissolved in them freely penetrate into the top mulch layer of soil. (Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, nitrogen oxides. Carbon. Carbon oxides). All atmospheric gases are easily absorbed by atmospheric moisture and atmospheric water. And together (water and gases dissolved in it) penetrate into all underlying soil layers. A mulching layer of soil prevents drying out and weathering of the soil. Prevents soil erosion processes. Allows the superficial, fibrous, root system of plants to develop freely in a large area of soft, loose soil. Receiving from the soil abundant, digestible, natural bionutrition, moisture and atmospheric gases dissolved in it.
Microorganisms living in the upper, mulching layer of soil gradually, over many years, destroy the remains of moist plant and animal organic matter to its primary biogas and biomineral state. Biogases escape or are absorbed by the root system of plants. Biominerals remain in the soil and are gradually, over a number of years, absorbed by plants as bioavailable, biomineral plant nutrition. Various trace elements enter this biomineral layer from space, the atmosphere, and with ground moisture. Ground moisture collected by plants using main, tap, aquatic, roots. The length of aquatic plant roots is equal to the height of the plants themselves or more. For example, in potatoes, depending on its variety, the length of the water main root reaches up to 4 meters in length. The mass of the root part of plants is 1.6 – 1.7 times greater than the above-ground mass. Therefore, plants do not need fertilizers. Plants grow for many years to come without fertilizing the soil. Due to the remains of their predecessors and the cosmic atmospheric mineral supply.
The fourth soil layer. Humus.
Humus is created by a variety of microorganisms, from deceased plant-animal organic matter, with LIMITED ACCESS to the underlying, compacted soil layers, atmospheric moisture and water with atmospheric gases dissolved in them.
The process of humus formation in the soil is called biosynthesis with the formation of plant humus, humus. In the process of biosynthesis of humus, energy-saturated HYDROCARBONS COMPOUNDS and combustible biogases are formed; carbon dioxide and methane gas series.
Humus acts as a source of hydrocarbon energy for plants. The accumulation of humus in the underlying layers of soil provides plants with warmth. Hydrocarbon compounds of humic acids warm plants in cold weather. Carbon dioxide and methane are absorbed by the root system of plants, soil-forming, nitrogen-fixing microflora and microfauna, creeping and low growing plants. By creating bionitrogen accumulations in the soil.
The fifth layer of fertile soil. Subsoil, clay. This is a layer of clay located at a depth of 20 cm and deeper. The clay layer of the subsoil provides regulation of moisture and gas exchange of soil layers and underlying soils.
Soil is the surface layer of the Earth's lithosphere, which has fertility and is a structural system formed as a result of the weathering of rocks and the activity of organisms.
Morphology Soil profile is a set of genetically related and regularly changing soil horizons into which the soil is divided in the process of soil formation. Soil horizon is a specific layer of the soil profile formed as a result of the influence of soil-forming processes. Soil cover[ - the totality of soils covering the earth's surface. The following types of horizons are distinguished: Organogenic - (litter (A 0, O), peat horizon (T), humus horizon (Ah, H), turf (Ad), humus horizon (A), etc.) - characterized by biogenic accumulation organic matter. Eluvial - (podzolic, loessified, solodized, segregated horizons; designated by the letter E with indices, or A 2) - characterized by the removal of organic and/or mineral components. Illuvial - (B with indices) - characterized by the accumulation of matter removed from eluvial horizons. Metamorphic - (Bm) - are formed during the transformation of the mineral part of the soil in place. Hydrogen-accumulative - (S) - are formed in the zone of maximum accumulation of substances (easily soluble salts, gypsum, carbonates, iron oxides, etc.) brought by groundwater. Crustal - (K) - horizons, cemented various substances(easily soluble salts, gypsum, carbonates, amorphous silica, iron oxides, etc.). Gley - (G) - with prevailing reducing conditions. Subsoil - the parent rock (C) from which the soil was formed, and the underlying underlying rock (D) of a different composition.
Solid phase of soils The soil has a large total surface area of solid particles: from 3-5 m²/g for sandy soils to 300-400 m²/g for clayey soils. The soil has significant porosity: the pore volume can reach 30% of the total volume in wetlands mineral soils ah up to 90% in organic peat. On average, this figure is 40-60%. The density of the solid phase (ρs) of mineral soils ranges from 2.4 to 2.8 g/cm³. Soil density (ρb) is lower: 0.8-1.8 g/cm³ and 0.1-0.3 g/cm³, respectively. Porosity (porosity, ε) is related to densities according to the formula: ε = 1 - ρb/ρs
Mineral part of the soil Mineral composition About 50-60% of the volume and up to 90-97% of the mass of the soil are mineral components. The mineral composition of the soil differs from the composition of the rock on which it was formed: the older the soil, the stronger this difference. Minerals that are residual material during weathering and soil formation are called primary. Feldspars are more stable, constituting up to 10-15% of the mass of the solid phase of the soil. Most often they are represented by relatively large sand particles.
Particle size distribution Soils can contain particles with a diameter of less than 0.001 mm or more than several centimeters. Heavy (clayey) soils may have problems with air content, while light (sandy) soils may have problems with air content. water regime. The determination of the mechanical composition of soil using the Ferret triangle is also widely used in the world: on one side the proportion of silt particles (silt, 0.002-0.05 mm) is deposited, on the second - clay particles (clay,
Organic Part of Soil Soil contains some organic matter. In organic (peaty) soils it can predominate, but in most mineral soils its amount does not exceed several percent in the upper horizons. The composition of soil organic matter includes both plant and animal remains that have not lost their features. anatomical structure, and individual chemical compounds called humus.
Soil structure Soil structure - physical structure the solid part and pore space of the soil, determined by the size, shape, quantitative ratio, nature of the relationship and location of both mechanical elements and the aggregates consisting of them. The solid part of the soil is the totality of all types of particles found in the soil in solid state at natural humidity levels. Pore space in soil is the gaps of various sizes and shapes between mechanical elements and soil aggregates, occupied by air or water.
New formations and inclusions New formations are accumulations of substances formed in the soil during the process of its formation. Inclusions include any objects located in the soil, but not associated with soil formation processes (archaeological finds, bones, mollusk and protozoan shells, rock fragments, garbage). The classification of coprolites, wormholes, molehills and other biogenic formations as inclusions or new formations is ambiguous.
Soil air consists of a mixture of various gases: oxygen, which enters the soil from atmospheric air; its content may vary depending on the properties of the soil itself (its looseness, for example), on the number of organisms that use oxygen for respiration and metabolic processes; carbon dioxide, which is formed as a result of the respiration of soil organisms, that is, as a result of the oxidation of organic substances; methane and its homologues (propane, butane), which are formed as a result of the decomposition of longer hydrocarbon chains; hydrogen; hydrogen sulfide; nitrogen; nitrogen is more likely to be formed in the form of more complex compounds (for example, urea)
Living organisms in soil Soil is the habitat for many organisms. Creatures that live in the soil are called pedobionts. The smallest of them are bacteria, algae, fungi and single-celled organisms that live in soil waters. Up to 10 organisms can live in one m³. Invertebrate animals such as mites, spiders, beetles, springtails and earthworms. They feed on plant remains, mycelium and other organisms. Vertebrates also live in the soil, one of them is the mole. It is very well adapted to living in completely dark soil, so it is deaf and almost blind.
Soil formation Soil-forming factors Elements of the natural environment: soil-forming rocks, climate, living and dead organisms, age and terrain, as well as anthropogenic activities that have a significant impact on soil formation.
The importance of soils in nature Soil as a habitat for living organisms The soil is fertile - it is the most favorable habitat for the vast majority of living beings - microorganisms, animals and plants. It is also significant that in terms of their biomass, the soil (land of the Earth) is almost 700 times greater than the ocean, although land accounts for less than 1/3 of the earth's surface.
Economic importance Soil is often called the main wealth of any state in the world, since about 90% of humanity's food is produced on it and in it. Soil degradation is accompanied by crop failures and famine, leading to poverty in states, and soil loss can cause the death of all humanity. Earth was also used in ancient times as a building material.
History of the study Man has paid attention to the description of the properties of soils and their classification since the emergence of agriculture. However, the emergence of soil science as a science occurred only at the end of the 19th century and is associated with the name of V.V. Dokuchaev. V.I. Vernadsky also made contributions to soil science. He called the soil a bioinert formation, that is, consisting of living and nonliving