top soil | topsoil | arable soil | arable earth | surface soil | solum | surface layer

surface layer | surface soil | top soil

surface soil [ soil surface ]

surface material

shallow cultivation | shallow reduced tillage | shallow tillage

soil air [ soil atmosphere ]

secondary tillage

grass roots | grassroots | grass-roots

soil science [ agrology | pedology | soil mechanics ]

This process is often associated with irrigation as irrigation water always contains variable amounts of salts in particular in regions where low rainfall, high evapotranspiration rates or soil textural characteristics impede the washing out of the salts which subsequently build-up in the soil surface layers.

Mercury emissions and releases to air, water and soil: These are regulated by the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) read in combination with the Water Framework Directive and with the Surface Water Directive that establishes maximum concentration levels of mercury into surface water bodies, sediment and biota.

Dryland farming techniques are of particular importance and include minimum tilling, which can halt the rise of capillary water, crop rotation practised with a view to soil improvement and/or to combating plant diseases, the use of genotypes better suited to the local environment and not solely geared to meeting commercial requirements, and methods for controlling evapotranspiration (which can result in the loss of large volumes of soil water) involving the systematic use of improvement techniques (soil structure optimisation) or vegetation.

(2) Soil degradation or soil improvements have a major impact on other areas of Community interest, such as surface water and groundwater quality , human health and life , climate change, degradation or protection of nature and biodiversity, and food safety.