FIRST LAB REPORT : IMPATIENS BALSAMINA

ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL SCIENCE LAB ONE REPORT

(HS11) ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

SS11403 ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL SCIENCE

YEAR ONE SEMESTER 2 2017/2018

LECTURER: MDM. DIANA DEMIYAH

GROUP NAME: DINIE TEAM 5

          NAME MATRIC NUMBER

CHAN CHU YIN BS17110446

CHOW YIAN PENG BS17110592

DARREN NETANIEL ERIC ROGERS BS17110402

MIMORI SOGA BS17270765

NUR AISYIKIN BINTI ABDULLAH BS17160683

NUR DINIE DAYANA BINTI MOHAMAD RAFI BS17110064

 

Introduction

Soil is one of the three major natural resources, alongside air and water. Soil made up from three components which are mineral where can found from rocks below or nearby, organic matter which is remain of plants and animals that use the soil, and the living things in soil.

The particles that make up of soil are sand, silt and clay. Among the three particles, sand is the largest while clay is the smallest. The soil can separate by their size. These soil separates by the following range: sand = < 2 to 0.005 mm, silt = 0.05 to 0.002 mm and clay = < 0.002 mm. Sandy soil where loose and single grained. This can be feel or seen readily. When it is dry, sand is hard to form a ball shape and easily to scatter back to a pile of sand when pressed on it. Sand can be kneaded to a ball shape when mix with some water but it will also crumble when touched. Loamy has mixture of all component minerals which are the combination of sand, silt and clay. Loamy is smoother and sometimes gritty. Loamy easy to roll in a ball and not easy to scatter. Clay soil usually form very hard lumps or clods. Clay is very sticky when it is wet. Most of soil can be found in three components of sand, silt and clay. For example, a clay loam texture soil has nearly equal parts of sand, silt and clay.

Soil texture is the relative proportions of sand, silt or clay in a soil. In this experiment, soil texture classes represented on the soil texture triangle. This textural triangle used to be indicator to know type of soil by their physical properties and the soil texture triangle is used to determine the soil textural name after the percentage of sand, silt and clay are determined.

 

Soil texture 

Aim

Since soil is mostly apprehended as an undefined mixture of different components, soil texture refers to the relative proportion of mineral particles of various sizes (soil fractions): sand, slit, and clay expressed as a percentage. This experiment aims to conduct an investigation into the texture of a soil sample using both the ribbon and the feel test.The basis of the test is the particle size and its mass, as related to settling time when dispersed in solution.

Objective: 

1. Determine and calculate the amount of sand, silt and clay in a given soil sample.

2. Determine the textural class by using a textural soil triangle.

3. Recognize the differences in soil textures.

4. define the size classes of sand, silt, and clay; explain

the unique properties of each particle type

5. Use textural triangle to determine texture class and percentages of one type of soil particle given the others.

6. Utilize a mechanical settling method to approximate soil particle size distribution; use hand texturing methods to determine appropriate soil particle size distribution.

 

Soil Moisture

Aim

To determine the natural content of the given soil sample.

Objectives:

The moisture content analysis is used to determine the amount and percentage of moisture in soils. The water content is the ratio of the mass of water in a given mass of soil to the mass of the dry soil solids. The water content of soils aids in ascertaining soil properties and behavior.

Apparatus and material:

- 5 different soil (ODEC, mangrove forest, FSSA lake, black soil, red soil from hill land)

- 5 same size of pots

- 5 500ml mineral bottles

- 5 glass jars

- Balsamina seeds

- Containers

- Munsell colour chart

Procedure:

1st lab analysis

1. We filled up the pot with 5 different types of soil and patted the soil to compress it in order not to let the level of soil shrink after watering.

2. We divided the number of seeds equally for each pot and sowed seeds.

3. We covered approximately 5 mm thick of the soil after sowing. The reason is that Impatiens Balsamina needs sun light to germinate.

4. We watered the soil (1/3 of 500 ml mineral bottle).

5. Soil color analysis.

6. Soil texture analysis.

7. Soil moisture analysis.

8. We are watering the soil daily (the same amount as first day).

Soil colour analysis (Munsell colour chart)

We analyzed the soil colour in the order hue, value, and chroma.

1. Prepare light with right angle to the charts and the soil.

2. Check the colour of the soil with eyes.

3. Pick the colour sheet (hue: the color spectrum).

4. Take the soil in one hand.

5. Get the soil wet not soaking wet, but wet enough that soil color doesn’t change.

6. Hold the soil up against color sheets in order to make sure the color sheet picked before is right one or not

7. Observe and identify the colour of the soil.

8. Turn pages and switch back.

9. Find out the colour sheet that matches with the colour of the soil.

10. Decide which chip the soil matches most closely (value: the lightness of the colour) (chroma: the strength of the colour).

Soil texture analysis (Ball and ribbon method)

1. Take a handful of soil.

2. Wet the soil.

3. The soil begins to stick together without sticking to the hand.

4. Make a ball of approximately 3 cm diameter.

5. Put the ball down.

6. If the ball shape sticks and not scatter, proceed to step 7.

7. Squeeze the soil between thumb and forefinger to form a flat ribbon or roll the ball into a sausage shape.

8. Determine the texture based on the length of the ribbon that is formed without breaking (loam, silt, or clay).

Soil texture analysis (Jar test)

1. Fill each soil into each jar (60%)

2. Add water almost filling the whole

3. Close the jar tightly

4. Shake the jar for 10 minutes

5. Leave the jar not to disturb for 24 hours (sand and large particles fall to the bottom first)

6. Mark separate layers

7. Make sure the percentage of sand to silt to clay

Soil moisture

1. We weighted 100 grams each of soils and recorded.

2. Then air-dried soils for 10 days.

3. After 10 days, we prepared an oven with 80 degrees Celsius

4. We used an oven for an hour in order to dry soils

5. We weighted soils again after drying them

 

Results

Soil colour

Type of soil Colour code

Mangrove 10Y 2/5

Black soil N 2/5

FSSA lake 2.5Y 4/4

Sand (ODEC) 2.5Y 6/3

Red soil (Tanah Bukit) 2.55Y 6/8

Ribbon test

Type of soil Length of the ribbon (cm)

Mangrove 5.05

Black soil 4.90

FSSA lake 2.90

Sand (ODEC) 0.00

Red soil (Tanah Bukit) 4.85

Ball shape test

Type of soil Ball shape (/)

Mangrove /

Black soil /

FSSA lake /

Sand (ODEC) /

Red soil (Tanah Bukit) /

Jar test

Each of the lines in every jar represent the layers of the soil after being mix with water, shaked and leave it for a week.

 

Discussion

Based on the experiments, there were some tests are taken to identify or differentiate the physical properties of the soil (soil colour analysis, soil texture, soil moisture). There are few steps taken. Soil texture is a classification instrument used both in the field and laboratory to determine soil classes based on their physical texture. To determine the soil texture, Ball and Ribbon method are taken.

For this experiment, a ball is made up by rolling a mixture of different soil and water. All soil in the experiment (red soil, black soil, mangrove, FSSA’s lake, ODEC) can be formed and rolled into a ball and the shape are maintained after a while. This is because, the water contain in the soil is high in each ball. The attraction of the water molecule in the soil holds the shape. Further tests are taken to identify the type of soil.

Next, ribbon test is taken to identify more deeply on what type of soil is it. For the ribbon test, ODEC soil cannot properly formed into a ribbon. This show that ODEC’s soil is a sandy soil. The mangrove can rub into the ribbon for a 5.05cm long, the red soil about 4.85cm, black soil for 4.90cm and the FSSA lake about 2.90cm. From the result, it can be concluded that the mangrove is a clay, and for the red soil and black soil are silt loam and sandy loam for the FSSA lake. The texture classification id not confirmed until further tests are taken.

The colour tests are taken for further information by reading the Munsell Colour chart. Soil colour does not affect the behaviour and use of soil; however, it can indicate the composition of the soil and give clues to the conditions that the soil is subjected to. This is to indicate the colour of each soil. The mangrove is in 10Y 2/5 colour, the black soil is in N 2/5 and ODEC is in 2.5Y 6/3. For the FSSA lake, 2.5Y 4/4 is its hue and for the red soil is 2.5Y 6/8. The results are subjective because of the lack of light and different view of each person.

For the last test, the Mason Jar Soil test, each of line represent the layers of soil which sand, silt and clay. The jar of each soil are shaken for 10 minutes to ensure the soil are properly mix with the water. This experiment results may be different with others and reference results because some the jars are not tightly closed, and some experiment of the jar need to redo because the soil stuck on the wall of the jar. To further identify accurately the composition of the soil, sieve analysis test must be conducted. Organic matter was also found floating on the top layer of each jar.

 

Conclusion

As a conclusion, there are three soil components which are sand, silt and clay. These soil has different of particles size. The particle size will affect the possibility of the soil to make into a ball and form the shape of ribbon. The shortest ribbon formed is clay where less than 0.002 mm while the longest is sand, 2.0 to 0.05 mm. The textural classes represented in soil texture triangle. We used bared hand to do the ball and ribbon making test.

Based from the experiment, mangrove-made soil ball can roll the longest ribbon which is 6-7cm, while the shortest is sand from ODEC, UMS which is about 1-2mm. The length of ribbon formed influenced by the particle size of soil. Besides, for the test to making a ball shape with three soil particles, all soil particles can roll be a ball except sand. In the result of jar test, the bottom layer usually the heavier particles, which is sand or rock. The next layer should be the silt particles and above always clay. The top layer always organic matter. Organic matters will always float at the top because they are thick particles. The color of soil also give clue to identify the characteristic of each soil texture. For example, light colour usually contained less of organic matter compared to the dark colour of organic matter.

 

References

1. bly.com/uploads/1/2/3/5/12357025/soil_sedimentation_and_texture_lab.doc

2. http://broome.soil.ncsu.edu/ssc012/Lecture/topic8.htm

3. https://d32ogoqmya1dw8.cloudfront.net/files/NAGTWorkshops/hydrogeo/HSG2013/teaching_soil_texture_online_1370700551.pdf

4. https://www.google.com/search?q=aim+soil+texture+experime

nt&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b

5. https://preparednessmama.com/jar-soil-test/

6. http://soils4teachers.org/physical-properties

7. http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/soil-texture-measuring-in-the-lab

8. http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/soil-texture-measuring-in-the-lab

9. http://www.senecahs.org/pages/uploaded_files/Soil%20Texture%20and%20Structure%20E%20Unit.pdf

10. https://www.soil-net.com/legacy/schools/what_is_soil1.htm