Translations:Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Outdoor Industries/Agriculture/6/en
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2. Explain the difference between clay, sand, and loam soils. List three crops that grow well in each.
- Clay
- Clayey soils are made from very fine particles which stick together easily. Water does not easily soak through clayey soils, but once it penetrates, the clay holds it well. It must be broken up before it can be used for agriculture. This can be done by mixing it with sand, sawdust, wood chips, lime, or manure. Crops that grow well in clayey soils include celery, wheat, oats, beans, and clover.
- Sand
- Sandy soils are made from coarse particles. Water soaks into sand quickly, but will not remain there for very long. This can be addressed by adding clayey soil to it. Crops that grow well in sandy soil include melons, cucumbers, peaches, peanuts, and beans.
- Loam
- Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, manure, and clay in relatively even concentration (about 40-40-10-10% concentration respectively). Loams are gritty, plastic when moist, and retain water easily. They generally contain more nutrients than sandy soils. In addition to the term loam, different names are given to soils with slightly different proportions of sand, silt, manure and clay: sandy loam, silty loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, and manural loam. Loam soil is ideal for growing crops because it retains nutrients well and retains water while still allowing the water to flow freely. This soil is found in a majority of successful farms in regions around the world known for their fertile land. Crops that do well in loamy soil include barley, turnips, and potatoes.
