Download Soil Conservation

Soil Conservation
• Describe three important benefits
that soil provides.
• Describe four methods of
preventing soil damage and loss.
I. The Importance of Soil
A. Nutrients Soil provides
minerals and other nutrients
for plants. All animals get their
energy from plants.
B. Housing Soil provides a
place for animals to live.
C. Water Storage Without soil
to hold water, plants would not
get the moisture or the
nutrients they need.
II. Soil Damage and Loss
A. Overuse Overused soil can
lose its nutrients and become
infertile.
B. Soil Erosion When soil is left
unprotected, it can be exposed to
erosion. Erosion is the process by
which wind, water, or gravity
transport soil and sediment from
one location to another.
III. Contour Plowing and Terracing
A. Contour Plowing
In contour plowing,
the rows of soil act as
a series of dams to
prevent water from
eroding topsoil away.
B. Terracing If hills
are steep, farmers
can using terracing.
Terracing changes
one steep field into a
series of smaller,
flatter fields.
IV. Cover Crop and
Crop Rotation
A. Cover Crops Cover crops
are crops that are planted
between harvests to
replace certain nutrients
and prevent erosion. Cover
crops prevent erosion by
providing cover from wind
and rain.
B. Crop Rotation Farmers
can rotate crops that use
different nutrients so that
nutrients in the soil have
time to become
replenished.