Significance of Soil Texture

Soil texture is one of the most studied property of soils. It is often accessed in almost every soil test analysis, thus showing it's high level significance in the understanding of soils.

 From the knowledge of soil texture we can get the following:

Ø  An idea of the accumulation or loss of clay from different horizons.

Ø  Information about the parent material from which the soil originated.

Ø  A lot about the other soil properties.

Ø  A judgement of soil usability and overall productivity etc.

Some Properties/Behaviours of the Soil Separates

Property/Behaviour	Sand	Silt	Clay
Surface area to volume ratio	Low	Medium	High
Water-holding capacity	Low	Medium to high	High
Ability to store plant nutrients	Poor	Medium to high	High
Nutrient supplying capacity	Low	Medium to high	High
Aeration	Good	Medium	Poor
Internal Drainage	High	Slow to medium	Very Slow
Organic matter levels	Low	Medium to high	High to medium
Compatibility	Low	Medium	High
Susceptibility to wind erosion	Moderate	High	Low
Susceptibility to water erosion	Low	High	Low if aggregated, high if not
Sealing of ponds and dams	Poor	Poor	Good
Pollutant leaching	Poor	Medium	Good

(Brady and Weil, 2008)

Study Themes: 

Soil Texture; Soil Morphological Characteristics

Related Articles:

Soil Texture

Determination of Soil Texture

Soil Texture Classes