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00003 The Soil units of Guam and their agricultural capability By Dr. Albert A. Laplante¹ Introduction “The soil may be defined as a natural body, built in profile form from a variable mixture of broken and weathered minerals and decaying organic matter, which covers the earth in a thin layer and which supplies, when containing proper amount of air and water, mechanical support and, in part, food for plants.” The management of this mass of minerals, organic matter, water and air is, therefore, the key to agricultural development. Soil Components A silt loam surface soil in the best condition for plant growth contains: 45 percent mineral matter 5 percent organic matter 25 percent air 25 percent water Importance of Air and Water Without the proper proportion of air and water in soil, plant roots cannot find: (1) space to grow, (2) mineral nutrients, since all mineral nutrients must be dissolved in water before entering the plant and (3) the oxygen which is essential for growth and development.
¹ Professor of Agriculture and Chairman of the division of Agriculture and Home Economics at the College of Guam. Laplante, Albert A. The Soil Units of Guam and their Agricultural Capability Oct 1964 Div. of Agriculture and Home Economics, College of Guam Bulletin 2