Know Soil, Know Life Glossary
This glossary is designed for more advanced explorations of soil science terms and words. The words and definitions are from the SSSA Book Know Soil Know Life.
Not finding a word? Try the advanced Glossary of Soil Science Terms. Too advanced? Check out the Young Scientists glossary for introductory words and definitions.
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Capillary Zone or Fringe |
Zone, just above the water table or zone of saturation, where water is held in the soil against the force of gravity by the capillary attraction of water to the soil particles. Water content in the zone is highest near the water table and decreases with distance above the water table. |
| Carrying Capacity |
A measure of the ability of the soil to support tractors and other vehicles. |
| Cash Crop |
A crop, such as tobacco, grown for direct sale rather than for livestock feed. |
| Cation |
Positively charged ions (Ca+2, H+, Al+3). |
| Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) |
Quantity of negative charges on surfaces of mineral and organic matter that attracts cations. |
| Chlorophyll |
Molecule that allows organisms, including plants, to use sunlight as an energy source. |
| Chroma |
The relative purity, strength, or saturation of a color; directly related to the dominance of the determining wavelength of the light and inversely related to grayness; one of the three variables of color. See also Munsell color system, hue, and value. |
| CLORPT |
Acronym to helpt students remember the factors of soil formation: CLimate, Organisms, Relief, Parent material, and Time. |
| Colluvium |
Unconsolidated, unsorted earth material being transported or deposited on sideslopes and/or at the base of slopes by mass movement (e.g., direct gravitational action) and by local, unconcentrated runoff. |
| Complex |
A map unit composed of two or more soil series intimately intermixed geographically that they cannot be separated at the mapping scale. |
| Conidium (Plural: Conidia) |
Resting structures of actinomycetes and fungi. |
| Conservation Tillage |
Any tillage sequence, the object of which is to minimize or reduce loss of soil and water; operationally, a tillage or tillage and planting combination which leaves a 30% or greater cover of crop residue on the surface. |
| Consistence |
The attributes of soil material as expressed in degree of cohesion and adhesion or in resistance to deformation or rupture. |
| Consociation |
A map unit dominated by the named soil series while adjacent soils have properties and management requirements similar to the named soil. |
| Cover Crops |
Close-growing crop, that provides soil protection, seeding protection, and soil improvement between periods of normal crop production, or between trees in orchards and vines in vineyards. When plowed under and incorporated into the soil, cover crops may be referred to as green manure crops. |
