Soils: Principles, Properties and Management

Aimed at taking the mystery out of soil science, Soils: Principles, Properties and Management is a text for undergraduate/graduate students who study soil as a natural resource. Written in a reader-friendly style, with a host of examples, figures and tables, the book leads the reader from the basics of soil science through to complex situations, covering such topics as:the origin, development and classification of soil physical, chemical and biological properties of soil water and nutrient management management of problem soils, wetland soils and forest soils soil degradation Further, the ecol.

Soils; Preface; Acknowledgements; Contents; List of Abbreviations; 1: Concepts of Soil; 1.1 Different People Have Different Concepts of Soil; 1.2 There Are Many Different Definitions of Soil; 1.3 All Loose Materials on the Surface of the Earth Are Not Soils; 1.4 Soil Is Not Land Itself; It Is a Part of Land; 1.5 Soil Is a Natural Body; 1.6 Soil Is a Three-Dimensional Body; 1.7 Soil Is a Dynamic Body; 1.8 Soil Is a Transformer of Energy; 1.9 Soil Is a Recycler of Materials; 1.10 Soil Is a Purifier of Water; 1.11 Soil Is an Ecosystem; 1.12 Soil Is a Component of the Environment.

1.13 Major Components of Soils Vary in Volume Proportions1.14 Soil Is a Medium of Plant Growth; Study Questions; References; 2: Soil as a Part of the Lithosphere; 2.1 Lithosphere Is the Outermost Part of the Earth; 2.2 Lithosphere Interacts with Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, and Biosphere to Form the Pedosphere; 2.3 Eight Chemical Elements Constitute the Bulk of the Earth's Crust; 2.4 Chemical Elements in the Earth's Crust Form Minerals Under Natural Conditions; 2.5 Silicate Minerals Are Important Rock and Soil Constituents; 2.6 Some Other Minerals Are Also Abundant in Soil.

2.7 A Few Minerals Constitute the Bu…