Is it necessary to separate the process of soil formation and the soil forming control factors?
Yes, it is necessary to separate the process of soil formation from the soil forming control factors.
The process of soil formation or pedogenesis involves weathering of rocks, colonisation by bacteria and plant bodies like mosses and lichens, accumulation of humus from dead remains, and finally the development of a mature soil. This describes the actual mechanism through which soil develops.
The soil forming control factors are five basic factors: parent material, topography, climate, biological activity, and time. These factors act in union and affect the action of one another. They determine how, where, and at what rate the process operates. For example, time determines maturation of soils and profile development, while parent material provides the basic input for soil to form. Separating them helps understand that the same process can produce different soils under different controlling conditions.
Explanation
This question tests the student's understanding of the distinction between the mechanism (process) and the conditions (factors) that influence soil formation. The textbook clearly separates these two concepts - the process describes what happens (weathering, colonisation, humus accumulation), while the control factors (parent material, topography, climate, biological activity, time) are the conditions that influence how the process operates. The key point from the context is that 'soil forming factors act in union and affect the action of one another', showing they are distinct from the process itself.