Question

The least porous soil among the following is –
a. Loamy Soil
b. Clay soil
c. Sandy Soil
d. Peaty soil

Answer 1

Hint: Clay as well as silt soils tend to stick together, and not allow water and air to penetrate soil structure. The combination of both has poor soil porosity and they allow water to drain. Poor porosity contributes to soil erosion as rainwater washes particles off the surface rather than penetrating into soil.

Complete answer:
> Option - A – Loamy soil
The soil which is not predominantly sand, silt, or clay is called "loam" soil. Loamy soils normally consist of more nutrients, moisture, along with humus than sandy soil, and also have better drainage as well as infiltration of water and air than silt and clay-rich soils.

> Option-B- Clay soil
Clay soil is a fine-grained natural soil material that consists of hydrous aluminum phyllosilicate that is generally termed as clay minerals. The material develops plasticity when wet. Geologic clay soil deposits are mainly composed of phyllosilicate minerals consisting of variable values of water trapped in the mineral structure.

> Option-C- Sandy Soil
Sandy Soil is light, warm, dry as well as it tends to be acidic and low in nutrients. Sandy soils are often called light soils due to their high proportion of sand and little clay. This type of soils have quick water drainage and are easy to work with.

> Option –D- Peaty Soil
Peaty soil sometimes known as turf is an accumulation partially made of decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas known as peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs.

Hence, The correct answer is option (B).

Note: Soil can be classified on the basis of the size of the particle along with its water holding capacity into clay soil, sand soil and loam soil, silt soil as it tends to stick together by not allowing water and air to penetrate in soil structure.