- Grade: Preliminary
- Subject: Agriculture
- Resource type: Notes
- Written by: N/A
- Year uploaded: 2021
- Page length: 62
- Subject: Agriculture
Resource Description
CORE 1: Plant and Animal Production
- Soil, Nutrients and Water
- chemical and physical characteristics of soil (includes 1.1A, 1.1B + 1.1C)
| Chemical Characteristic | Explanation |
| Soil pH | – a measure of the acidity/alkalinity of the soil
– critical pH level of soil = 4 – optimal: 5.5 – 7.5 – affects availability of plant nutrients – different plants can grow in different pH environments – affects the activity of soil microorganisms, thus affecting nutrient cycling and disease risk – INCREASE PH: lime, wood ashes, compost – DECREASE PH: ammonium and ammonium- forming N fertilisers, elemental sulphur |
| Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) | – a measure of the quantity of cations that can
be absorbed and held by a soil – NOTE: a cation is a positively charged ion – indicator of soil fertility and nutrient retention capacity – dependent upon amount of OM and clay – in general the higher the OM and clay content, the higher the CEC – the higher the CEC, the harder it is to change factors like pH as less leaching of both cations and anions will occur |
| Soil Carbon | – carbon stored within the soil
– made up of plant/animal materials in various stages of decay |
| Nutrient Status | – ability to maintain plant growth by supplying
suitable quantities of macro/micro nutrients – measured by CEC – in plants, it effects its ability to grow and produce yield – in animals, poor soil fertility can decrease pasture production and feed quality thus decreasing nutrients available for healthy animal growth and production |
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