Unit 1: All dirt is not created equal, Dirt and water make mud, When soil becomes dirt After completion, students will be able to 1)    identify important soil physical properties 2)    identify relevant concepts of soil water management 3)    identify impact of soil physical properties on hydraulic properties 4)    identify management impacts on soil physical properties 5)    identify soil management impact on soil temperature 6)    identify principles of soil and water conservation (erosion control) 7)    relate concepts to soil quality and environmental management Visit the sites below to find the definitions associated with conservation tillage (matching questions on the next exam).  Look through "What's a plow anyway?", especially the section on purposes of tillage, and soil and water conservation.  Read the "Dryland Soil Water Conservation Discussion" and "Erosion Control Methods".  Realize that both water and wind erosion control methods incorporate the same basic principles of cover, improved soil conditions, and slowing the flow of the fluid at the soil surface.  On a lighter note, visit the wind erosion from space links below to see the magnitude of suspension flow of soil particulates (they enrich the soils of  the Amazon rain forest, Caribbean Islands, and many other islands).

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Go to Clay Robinson, Ph.D., CPSSc