Glossary

At the earth’s surface, the soil material is not present as a continuum, but in the form of soil particles. These particles are granular and consist of inorganic material. Soil particles are classified according to grain size into sand, silt and clay. The size of the soil particles determines the pore volume and thus the […]

The water and air-filled cavities in the soil are called “soil pores”. The pore space represents the entirety of all soil pores. Pore spaces and pore size distributions can be very different depending on the grain size distribution, the soil structure, the content of organic matter and the humus form.

To classify different soils, a distinction is made between soil types such as brown soil, podzol, gley, etc. The soil types are systematically classified with diagnostic features and properties. The characteristic horizons and horizon sequences play a major role for the classification.

The southern hemisphere is the part of the earth located south of the equator.

Succulents are plants with a high-water storage capacity. Because of this trait, the plants are well adapted to drier climates. One of the best-known succulents are cacti.

Synthetic fertilisers or mineral fertilisers are inorganic plant fertilisers that can be used in conventional agriculture. The most common ingredients are nitrogen and phosphate compounds.