Soil Physical Characteristics across Three Ecuadorian Regions: A Soil Judgers Prospective.

Study abroad experience takes students out of their home environment and into the world that is far more complex, thus challenging their global perspective and ability to take charge of their own learning. The overall objective of this field exercise in Ecuador was to introduce the students to soil classification and characterization of Ecuadorian soils. Soil samples were collected from the Amazon, Andean and Coastal regions to compare and contrast soils from the different regions of Ecuador. The soils classified by the students represented the soils of the Amazonian, Andes, and Coastal Regions. Elizabeth Gray, a member of the Virginia Tech’s soil judging team, taught four undergraduate students from the University of San Francisco Quito (USFQ) how to evaluate soils in the field. The students were introduced to soil: texturing, coloring, structure, Horizonation and how to interpret the properties to a small extent. Texturing in the field requires identifying and taking samples from horizons and estimating the sand, silt and clay percentages and using a texture triangle. Soil color was determined using Munsell Color Book. Soil structure and horizonation were examined on a “road cut”, which was the side of a drainage ditch in a banana plantation. The exercise gave the students the opportunity to do the full description of the soil profile. The hands-on field exercise helped students to connect classroom knowledge to real-life application of soil properties to soil compaction (texture and structure), drainage (texture and structure), nutrient and water holding capacity (texture and organic matter content estimated from color) of their soils. Although they had some knowledge of soils from classes, according to the students, the three days field exercise gave them a deeper appreciation and understanding of the concepts and applications of soil science.