Nature and Properties of Soil

In order to know the perceptions on the nature and properties of soil and its management. Soil is a naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose material on the surface of the earth, capable of supporting life. In simple terms, soil has three components: solid, liquid, and gas. The solid phase is a mixture of mineral and organic matter. Soil formation, or pedogenesis, is the combined effect of physical, chemical, biological and anthropogenic processes on soil parent material resulting in the formation of soil horizons. Soil is always changing. The long periods over which change occurs and the multiple influences of change mean that simple soils are rare. Approximately 13 billion hectares total land on earth, about 1 billion are affected by salinity/ sodicity. According to a report, saline/sodic soils cover about 26 per cent of the world's cultivated land. Incidentally, most of the developing and under-developed countries of south and southeast Asia. The Pakistan has more than 5.727 mh of salt-affected land, which is mainly situated in Indus plain, where about 4.2 mh of land are affected by salinity and water logging.