CAPUTA, S.D.— Understanding your soil type is a vital tool to developing your farming and ranching practices. “Those properties of the soils dictate how we are going to basically utilize those soils ...

Scientists classify soil based on factors such as mineral content, texture, drainage capacity, and fertility. Globally, the 7 most common types of soil form the basis of farming and ecosystem balance: ...

Soil organic matter (SOM) is formed through the partial decomposition and transformation of plant inputs (for example, above- and below-ground litter and exudates) by soil organisms. Although much is ...

Soil is one of the important components of the sustainability of an ecosystem because it is the vitally important natural medium for the growth of vegetation. It can be defined as, the upper layer of ...

Salts are compounds formed when positively charged cations such as sodium (Na⁺), calcium (Ca²⁺), magnesium (Mg²⁺) and potassium (K⁺) combine with negatively ...

I often mention my veg patch’s clay soil in this column, and that’s because soil type affects what we grow and how. Getting to know your soil is an essential part of becoming a great grower of edible ...

We know that soil feeds plants, but do we know how it got there in the first place? Soil forms via the interaction of five factors: parent material, climate, living beings, a land’s topography, and a ...

Matthew Wallenstein is a co-founder of Growcentia, Inc. His research is supported by grants from the US National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and USDA. Our soils are in trouble. Over the ...