Branches of Soil Science:
- Soil Chemistry:
- It deals with the chemical constitution, chemical properties and processes taking place in the soil.
- Soil Biology:
- It refers to the soil inhabiting organisms and their biology, functions and activities. For examples; Insects and Nematodes.
- Soil Mineralogy:
- This branch deals with the primary and secondary soil minerals and their contribution to the chemistry, physics, fertility and biology of the soils and their relation to soil genesis.
- Soil Genesis and Classification (Pedology):
- Soil genesis deals with the weathering of rocks and minerals and factors and processes of soil formation.
- soil classification is the systematic re arrangements of soils into groups or categories on the basis of their characteristics.
- Soil Physics:
- It concerns with the mechanical behavior of the soil mass, that is, the physical properties of soils with emphasis on the state and transport of matter especially water and energy in the soil.
- Soil Fertility:
- It concerns the ability of a soil to supply the essential plant nutrients for plant growth.
- Soil Salinity:
- It concerns with the excess soluble salts present in the oil their reclamation and soil management for saline agriculture.
- Soil Survey:
- The systematic examination of the soils in the field and lab, their description, classification, mapping and interpretation according to their suitability for different management systems.
- Soil Conservation:
- Soil conservation is concerned with a combination of all management and land use method that safeguard the soil against deterioration by natural or human induced factors.
- Soil Microbiology:
- Deals with the microbial communities in the soil, their roles and characteristics with respect to soil fertility and land reclamation.
- Especially it concerns with the nutrition of plant through root nodulation or diseases caused by plant pathogenic microbes in the soil.