(a) Explain the term soil structure and state its importance in agriculture. (b) State four properties each of clay and sandy soil.
Explanation
(a) Soil structure: This refers to the ways in which the different particles of the soil are packed or arranged. lt also refers to the shape and arrangement of primary particles to form compound. Examples are crumb, plate-like,prismatic and spheroidal structures.
The Importance of soil structure include: It determines the (i) level of aeration of the soil. (ii) the fertility of the soil. (iii) the amount of living organisms in the soil
(b) (i) Four properties of sandy soil are: (i) It is coarse and large – grained. (ii) It is loose and gritty. (iii) It has large air pores hence. it supports aeration. (iv) It cannot form. ribbon or castes since it is not sticky when wet.
(b)(ii) Four properties of clay soil are: (i) clay soil is smooth and finely grained (ii) It has small airpores. (iii) It is sticky, when wet. (iv) It supports erosion and water logging.