Soil and Water Conservation Final Exam Study Guide

<p>They improve soil health and reduce erosion. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Acidic soil pH (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Irrigation/drainage practices (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Oxygen (O2) (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It refers to the soil's ability to improve overall environmental health. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Organic matter (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Precision farming (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Regulating water (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>By enhancing water holding capacity (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The types of crops grown and their management over years (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Enhancing biodiversity (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Physical stability and support (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Aggregation and structure (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The capacity of soil to support various ecosystems (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Growing multiple crops simultaneously in the same field (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Corn yields are expected to decrease in both irrigated and non-irrigated fields (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Chemical pesticide application (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Increased soil saturation early in the growing season (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Denitrification (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Physical and chemical properties of the soil affecting productivity (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Soil health relates to biological and ecological characteristics, whereas soil quality concerns physical and chemical properties (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Infiltrates soil and carries fine particles (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>By providing vegetative cover and root networks (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Soil organic matter decomposition (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Facilitating nutrient turnover and cycling (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Weathering (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>By enhancing soil organic matter decomposition (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It was the first mention of drainage in Indiana statute (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Soil color (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Act of 1832 (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To lower the water table (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Matric Potential (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Acreage of tillable land almost doubled. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Gravitational Potential (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Surface Water Ditches (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It decreases. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Internal Drainage (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Pressure exerted by a fluid at equilibrium due to gravity (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Polarity (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Smaller pore sizes in clay loam (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Clay Loam (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Midwest (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Simultaneously with surface runoff peaks (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Water moves up or in any direction due to adhesion and cohesion (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Excess nitrogen and phosphorus (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

A 150-point final exam evaluating knowledge of soil and water conservation principles and practices.

The crops, their sequence, and management techniques used in a field over several years. Typically emphasizes maximizing yield but increasingly accounts for environmental impacts.

The method used to prepare the soil for planting crops. Different tillage methods have profound impacts on soil and water conservation.

Examining why certain conservation methods work or don't, and understanding the principles behind those methods.

The ability of soil to continue supporting animal, human, and environmental health.

Methods and techniques employed to sustain and improve soil health and water quality.

The wearing away of topsoil by natural forces like wind and water.

A method of farming that maintains residue on the soil surface; it promotes soil conservation and water quality.

Low oxygen (poor drainage/waterlogged), high organic matter, temperatures >59°F, available nitrate, and acidic pH are needed for denitrification to occur.

Denitrification releases nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O), and di-nitrogen (N2) gases.

Organic matter is the key factor influencing soil health.

Organic matter improves the water holding capacity of soil.

Healthy soil leads to clean air/water, bountiful crops/forests, productive grazing lands, diverse wildlife, and beautiful landscapes, by performing vital functions.

Soil controls water flow by influencing where rain, snowmelt, and irrigation water go.

Soil stores, transforms, and cycles important nutrients like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

Soil structure supports plant roots and provides a base for human structures and protection for archaeological treasures.

Farming methods that avoid synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, using techniques like no-till, residue mulch, integrated nutrient management, and cover cropping.

Growing multiple crops simultaneously in the same field.

Changes in Indiana's climate, including earlier spring soil warm-up, later autumn freezes, increased soil saturation, reduced water availability, and higher evaporation, ultimately impacting crop yields.

The ability of soil to function as a living ecosystem that supports plants, animals, and humans.

Soil health is about the biological and ecological characteristics of soil, while soil quality focuses on physical and chemical properties and productivity.

A process where bacteria convert soil nitrate into nitrogen gases, leading to loss of usable nitrogen for plants.

Organic matter breakdown in the presence of oxygen, releasing carbon dioxide, water, and energy.

When soil is waterlogged, oxygen is scarce, and bacteria use nitrate instead of oxygen for respiration, leading to denitrification.

Soil's ability to recover from disturbance or stress, such as erosion or drought.

Precipiation, temperature, humidity, and evaporation influence soil's ability to recover.

Plant roots create channels, add carbon, improve structure, support aggregation, and are part of soil-forming processes.

Animals in soil help cycle nutrients, increase organic matter, enhance aggregation, and chemical changes.

Physical forces like weathering, aggregation, and shrinking/swelling affect soil structure and resilience.

Chemical reactions like weathering, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration impact soil's capacity for recovery.

Activities of organisms like plants and microbes, weathering, organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling contribute to soil resilience.

Analyzing soil layers to understand their resilience based on characteristics like structure, composition, and water holding.

Laws that gave landowners the legal right to enter neighboring lands to improve drainage by creating ditches or channels in order to remove excess water from their own property.

Drainage laws significantly impacted land use, leading to increased arable land as forested areas and wetlands were drained, resulting in the expansion of agriculture and urbanization.

A measure of the energy water has in the soil, determining how easily water can move through the soil profile.

The force of gravity pulling water downwards towards the Earth's core.

The force of attraction between water molecules and soil particles, which can either hold water in the soil or draw it towards the particles.

The pressure created by the difference in concentration of solutes (salts and nutrients) between the soil solution and the water outside the soil.

Man-made systems designed to lower the water table by removing excess groundwater from within the soil.

Drainage where the water pathways are located below the water table, facilitating the removal of excess water.

The pressure exerted by water in the soil at equilibrium due to gravity. It increases with depth in the soil profile.

Movement of water upward in soil due to the combined forces of adhesion (water attracted to soil particles) and cohesion (water attracted to other water molecules).

Clay loam has the highest capillary rise due to its small pore size, leading to stronger adhesive forces.

A condition of low oxygen levels in a body of water, often occurring in the Gulf of Mexico.

High levels of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from agricultural runoff in the Midwest contribute to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.

The measure of how much tile drainage is present per unit area. Highest density is typically found in agricultural regions.

The highest rate of water flow through tile drainage systems, often occurring concurrently with or before surface runoff.

Surface water often rapidly infiltrates the soil and is discharged through tile drains. This results in peak tile discharge occurring at approximately the same time as surface runoff.