What are the different properties of sandy, clay, and loam soil?
1 Answer
A sand particle is greater than a clay particle.
Explanation:
Sand does not hold water due to the fact that sandy soils have greater (and larger opening type) porosity. Sand particles (grain size) vary between 0.05 mm and 2 mm. Clay particles, on the other hand, are smaller than 0.002 mm. Although porosity of clay type soils is 45% (greater than that of sand (which is 34%)), specific yield of clay type soil is 3% (very low compared to that of sand (which is 25%)).
Specific yield is described as the volume of water that can actually be drained from an unconfined aquifer per unit of area per unit decline in the water table.
Conductivity (of water) in sandy soil is high (more than 40 m per day), whereas conductivity of clay is very low (0.4 cm per day).
Loam does not contain equal percentages of sand, silt, and clay. It exhibits approximately equal properties of these three.
Their adsorption mechanisms are different too.
