soil je nebrojiva imenica

The part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock; SYN. dirt.
Loose covering of broken rocky material and decaying organic matter overlying the bedrock of the Earth’s surface. Various types of soil develop under different conditions: deep soils form in warm wet climates and in valleys; shallow soils form in cool dry areas and on slopes. Pedology, the study of soil, is significant because of the relative importance of different soil types to agriculture.
The organic content of soil is widely variable, ranging from zero in some desert soils to almost 100% in peats.

ETYM Old Eng. soilen, Old Fren. soillier, French souiller, (assumed) Late Lat. suculare, from Latin sucula a little pig, dim. of sus a swine. Related to Sow.
1. To make dirty or unclean on the surface; to foul; to dirty.
2. To stain or mar, as with infamy or disgrace; to tarnish.

Množina: soil banks

Land retired from crop cultivation and planted with soil-building crops; government subsidies are paid to farmers for their retired land.

Množina: soil compactors

Množina: soil conservations

Protection of soil against erosion or deterioration.

Množina: soil creeps

Gradual movement of soil down a slope in response to gravity. This eventually results in a mass downward movement of soil on the slope.
Evidence of soil creep includes the formation of terracettes (steplike ridges along the hillside), leaning walls and telegraph poles, and trees that grow in a curve to counteract progressive leaning.

Množina: soil depletions

Decrease in soil quality over time. Causes include loss of nutrients caused by overfarming, erosion by wind, and chemical imbalances caused by acid rain.

Množina: soil drifts

Singular of soil drifts is soil drift.

Množina: soil erosions

The washing away of soil.
The wearing away and redistribution of the Earth's soil layer.
It is caused by the action of water, wind, and ice, and also by improper methods of agriculture. If unchecked, soil erosion results in the formation of deserts (desertification). It has been estimated that 20% of the world's cultivated topsoil was lost between 1950 and 1990.
If the rate of erosion exceeds the rate of soil formation (from rock and decomposing organic matter), then the land will become infertile. The removal of forests (deforestation) or other vegetation often leads to serious soil erosion, because plant roots bind soil, and without them the soil is free to wash or blow away, as in the American dust bowl. The effect is worse on hillsides, and there has been devastating loss of soil where forests have been cleared from mountainsides, as in Madagascar.
Improved agricultural practices such as contour plowing are needed to combat soil erosion. Windbreaks, such as hedges or strips planted with coarse grass, are valuable, and organic farming can reduce soil erosion by as much as 75%.
Soil degradation and erosion are becoming as serious as the loss of the rainforest. It is estimated that more than 10% of the world's soil lost a large amount of its natural fertility during the latter half of the 20th century. Some of the worst losses are in Europe, where 17% of the soil is damaged by human activity such as mechanized farming and fallout from acid rain. Mexico and Central America have 24% of soil highly degraded, mostly as a result of deforestation.

Množina: soil horizons

A layer in a soil profile.

Množina: soil marks

Množina: soil mechanics

Branch of engineering that studies the nature and properties of the soil. Soil is investigated during construction work to ensure that it has the mechanical properties necessary to support the foundations of dams, bridges, and roads.

Množina: soil moistures

The water contained in the pore spaces in the unsaturated zone.