Sustainable Soil Management
Glossary
L
LAND CLASSIFICATION. The arrangement of land units into various categories based upon the properties of the land or its suitability for some particular purpose.
LATERAL FLOW. Movement of water horizontally below the soil surface, usually along an impervious layer.
LEACHING. The movement of material in solution along with movement of water through the soil.
LEGUME. A pod-bearing member of the Leguminosae family, one of the most important and widely distributed plant families. Includes many valuable food and forage species, such as peas, beans, peanuts, clovers, alfalfas, sweet clovers, lespedezas, vetches, and kudzu. Nearly all legumes are associated with nitrogen-fixing organisms.
LIME FINENESS. The particle size of limestone determined by the fineness of grinding. The finer the grind, the better the material neutralizes acidity.
LIME MATERIAL. A material capable of neutralizing soil acidity.
LIME PURITY. The measure of impurities in a given liming material; used to estimate its neutralizing value.
LIMING REQUIREMENT. The amount of liming material required to change the soil pH to a specific value.
LOADING. Amount of a substance entering the environment (soil, water, or air).
LOAM. The textural-class name for soil having a moderate amount of sand, silt, and clay. Loam soils contain 7 to 27 percent clay, 28 to 50 percent silt, and 23 to 52 percent sand.
LUXURY CONSUMPTION. The absorption by plants of an essential nutrient in excess of their need for growth. Luxury concentrations in early growth may be used in later growth.
LYSIMETER. A device for measuring percolation (leaching) and evapotranspiration losses from a column of soil under controlled conditions.
