Sustainable Soil Management

Glossary

B

BACTERIA. One of two domains of single-celled prokaryote microorganisms. Includes all that are not Archaea.
BANDED NUTRIENTS. Fertilizer nutrients placed in a strip near the seed at planting, or surface or subsurface applications of solids or fluids in strips before or after planting.
BASE SAUTRATION PERCENTAGE. The proportion of the soil’s cation exchange capacity occupied by basic cations.
BERROCK. The solid rock underlying soils and the regolith in depths ranging from zero (where exposed by erosion) to several hundred feet.
BIOCHAR. A black carbon condensate product purposefully made by heating organic material at 300 to 700 degrees C under low oxygen conditions.
BIOLOGICAL OXYGEN DEMAND. The amount of oxygen required by aerobic microorganisms to decompose the organic matter in a sample of water; used as a measure of water pollution.
BIOMASS. Plant and plant-derived material, including manure. Includes forestry products; wood processing wastes; wastes associated with food-processing operations; energy crops, such as switchgrass and poplar trees; and agricultural crop residues, such as corn stover and wheat straw.
BIOSOLID. Any organic material, such as livestock manure, compost, sewage sludge, or yard wastes, applied to the soil to add nutrients or for soil improvement.
BLOCKY. Soil structure classification in which aggregates are in the shape of blocks or polyhedrons.
BUFFERING CAPACITY. The ability of a soil to resist changes in pH. Commonly determined by presence of clay, humus, and other colloidal materials.
BUFFER PH. A soil test procedure whereby the pH of the soil is measured in buffer solution. This measurement is used in estimating the lime requirement of the soil.
BUFFER STRIP. Areas or strips of land maintained in vegetation and strategically located on the landscape to help control runoff, erosion, and entrap contaminants.
BUFFERING. The ability of a solution, such as the soil solution or irrigation water, to resist changes in pH when acid or alkaline substances are added. Often used when to describe a soil’s resistance to pH changes when limed or acidified.
BULK DENSITY. The mass of oven-dry soil per unit volume, usually expressed as grams per cubic centimeter.