Give the importance of soil. Explain factors responsible for soil formation.
(1) Soil is the most important renewable natural resource. It is the medium of plant growth and supports different types of living organism on the earth. (2) The soil is a living system. It takes millions of years to form soil up to a few centimeter in depth. Relief, parent rock or bed rock, climate, vegetation and other forms of life and time are important factors in the formation of soil. Various forces of nature such as change in temperature, actions of running water, wind and glaciers, activities of decomposers contribute to the formation of soil. Chemical and organic changes which take place in the soil are equally important. Soil also consists of organic (humus) and inorganic materials.
