ISRIC - World Soil Information Database

Proximal Soil Sensing

2010-09-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

This book reports on developments in Proximal Soil Sensing (PSS) and high resolution digital soil mapping. PSS has become a multidisciplinary area of study that aims to develop field-based techniques for collecting information on the soil from close by, or within, the soil. Amongst others, PSS involves the use of optical, geophysical, electrochemical, mathematical and statistical methods. The book in particular covers soil sensor sampling, proximal soil sensor development and use, sensor calibrations, prediction methods for large data sets, applications of proximal soil sensing, and high-resolution digital soil mapping.

Tree Species Effects on Soils: Implications for Global Change

2010-08-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

This book examines the state of knowledge of the effects of tree species on soils, considering evidence from broad natural gradients in species distributions, and from "common garden" experiments where several species have been planted on the same site. Topics include the influence of the chemistry of forest litter on soil biogeochemistry, the dependence of soil biotic communities on tree species, and the interactions of physical, chemical and biological factors in determining the overall effects of different species. Case studies from across North America, Europe, Russia, South America and Australia illustrate the key role played by tree species in determining long-term development and sustainability of soils.

Guidelines for Surveying Soil and Land Resources

2010-06-20T04:09:00.000-07:00

Guidelines for Surveying Soil and Land Resources promotes the development and implementation of consistent methods and standards for conducting soil and land resource surveys in Australia. These surveys are primarily field operations that aim to identify, describe, map and evaluate the various kinds of soil or land resources in specific areas. The advent of geographic information systems, global positioning systems, airborne gamma radiometric remote sensing, digital terrain analysis, simulation modeling, efficient statistical analysis and internet-based delivery of information has dramatically changed the scene in the past two decades. As successor to the Australian Soil and Land Survey Handbook: Guidelines for Conducting Surveys, this authoritative guide incorporates these new methods and techniques for supporting natural resource management.

Notes from the Ground: Science, Soil, and Society in the American Countryside

2010-06-01T05:22:00.000-07:00

Notes from the Ground examines the cultural conditions that brought agriculture and science together in nineteenth-century America. Integrating the history of science, environmental history, and science studies, the book shows how and why agrarian Americans—yeoman farmers, gentleman planters, politicians, and policy makers alike—accepted, resisted, and shaped scientific ways of knowing the land. By detailing the changing perceptions of soil treatment, Benjamin Cohen shows that the credibility of new soil practices grew not from the arrival of professional chemists, but out of an existing ideology of work, knowledge, and citizenship.

Soil Heavy Metals

2010-05-11T05:37:00.000-07:00

The topics presented include: the general role of heavy metals in biological soil systems; the relation of inorganic and organic pollutions; heavy metal, salt tolerance and combined effects with salinity; effects on abuscular mycorrhizal and on saprophytic soil fungi; heavy metal resistance by streptomycetes; trace element determination of environmental samples; the use of microbiological communities as indicators; phytostabilization of lead polluted sites by native plants; effects of soil earthworms on removal of heavy metals and the remediation of heavy metal contaminated tropical land.

Manual of Methods for Soil and Land Evaluation

2010-04-26T04:26:00.000-07:00

The goal of the manual is to supply an operational tool for pedologists, agronomists, environmentalists, and all of the other specialists who carry out land evaluation for agriculture and forestry or, more generally, stakeholders and policy makers who make decisions at the local level based on the knowledge of the nature of soil.

The Use of Nutrients in Crop Plants

2010-04-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

"… comprehensive coverage of each of the 14 essential mineral nutrients required by plants. Its focus is different from other books on plant nutrition, in that there is a strong practical bent towards understanding and managing the efficiency of applied nutrient use. …very useful coverage of each of the mineral nutrients … contains many figures and tables of experimental data involving a wide range of soil and plant measurements. The content is fully referenced, with a list of references at the end of each chapter

Soil Ecology and Management

2010-04-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

Soil Ecology and Management describes the organisms inhabiting the soil, their functions and interactions and the dimensions of human impact on the activity of soil organisms and soil ecological function. Chapters discuss basic soil characteristics and biogeochemical cycling, key soil flora and fauna as well as community-level dynamics (soil food webs). Unlike other soil biology and ecology textbooks, this text also conveys a better understanding of how human activities impact upon soil ecology in a section on ecosystem management and its effects on soil biota. The authors provide a unique perspective on the utility of soil organisms by exploring the biodiversity of soil food webs, how they are impacted by human activities and intervention and their management. more

Mycorrhizal Symbiosis, Third Edition

2010-03-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

The roots of most plants are colonized by symbiotic fungi to form mycorrhiza, which play a critical role in the capture of nutrients from the soil and therefore in plant nutrition. Mycorrhizal Symbiosis is recognized as the definitive work in this area. Since the last edition was published there have been major advances in the field, particularly in the area of molecular biology, and the new edition has been fully revised and updated to incorporate these exciting new developments.

Australian Soil and Land Survey Field Handbook

2010-03-14T05:11:00.000-07:00

The Australian Soil and Land Survey Field Handbook specifies methods, standards and terminology used in soil and land surveys. It has been widely used throughout Australia, providing one reference set of definitions for the characterization of landform, vegetation, land surface, soil and substrate.The third edition contains revised chapters on location and vegetation as well as some new landform elements.

A Handbook of Soil Terminology, Correlation and Classification

2010-02-25T06:53:00.000-08:00

Soil classification and terminology are fundamental issues for the clear understanding and communication of the subject. However, while there are many national soil classification systems, these do not directly correlate with each other. This book clarifies this position by describing and comparing different systems and evaluating them in the context of the World Reference Base (WRB) for Soil Resources. The latter was set up to resolve these problems by creating an international “umbrella” system for soil correlation. All soil scientists should then classify soils using the WRB as well as their national systems.

Les principaux sols du monde - Voyage à travers l'épiderme vivant de la planète Terre

2010-02-15T04:35:00.000-08:00

Increasing food production to meet the requirements of 9 billion people in 2050 commands to better adjust soil use to soil properties. This book by Clément Mathieu not only describes the many soil types encountered on planet Earth, but, more importantly, gives the rational of their distribution. It is thus a key document to better tailor soil use. The reader feels that he can understand the reasons for soil spatial variability in each particular ecosystem. What makes the book fascinating is the 388 colour photographs, mainly from soil profiles, that allow the reader to visualize the different soil types described in the text. Clément Mathieu travelled extensively the world during his career, so he knows by himself what he is talking about. The last chapter of the book gives a good overview of the many dangers threatening the soil in a very comprehensive way. Throughout the book the author refers to both the old French classification (CPCS) and the WRB.

Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Africa : Principles, Practices and Developmental Process

2010-02-01T05:29:00.000-08:00

This manual prepared by TSBF - CIAT/Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute of the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture improves understanding and increases application of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) in Africa. It combines current knowledge of soil fertility management by African smallholders with recent breakthroughs in the state- of-the-art and is intended to strenghthen ISFM practise among land managers, agriculturalists, and rural development specialist. This book is addressing the underlying principles, field practices, developmental processes and social demensions of advancing ISFM in Africa. For more info TSBF-CIAT. Email: tsbfinfo@cgiar.org

Environmental Soil Science, Third Edition

2009-12-15T06:27:00.000-08:00

Environmental Soil Science, Third Edition, explores the entire reach of the subject, beginning with soil properties and reactions and moving on to their relationship to environmental properties and reactions. The book highlights the live biological constituents that make up the soil, exploring the changes made by agricultural operations and other human activities that lead to changes in the environment and our natural ecosystem. These include causes, effects, and solutions for acid rain, global warming, and destruction of the ozone layer. The author also provides extensive coverage of soilless agriculture, hydroponics, fish farming, vanishing biodiversity due to the destruction of jungles and the rain forest, and what to do about it.

Trace Elements in Soil Pore Water

2009-12-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

the study assessed whether Rhizon™ samplers, centrifugation, high pressure squeezing and soil suspensions in simulated pore water can be viable approaches for obtaining representative samples of equilibrated soil pore water. Results for metal solubility and speciation were interpreted in terms of both soil morphological effects on trace metal dynamics and artefacts introduced at various stages during sample preparation and handling. Pore waters showed different ranges of concentration between the various methods. Different mechanisms and/or chemical reactions were involved during the different extractions.

Spatial Modeling of Soil Salinity Using Remote Sensing, GIS, and Field Data

2009-11-23T06:45:00.000-08:00

This study has shown the benefit of using satellite images in generating accurate soil salinity maps. Corn and alfalfa crops were selected as indicators of soil salinity. Five images were acquired from Aster, Ikonos, and Landsat to check the correlation between measured soil salinity and remote sensing data. Observed data was used in conjunction with satellite images. Three models were applied to predict soil salinity from remote sensing: the ordinary least squares model (OLS), spatial autoregressive model (SAR), and modified kriging model.

Soil Science: Box Set (Earthscan Reference Collections)

2009-11-12T07:06:00.000-08:00

This four-volume set, 1800 pages, edited by leading experts in soil science, brings together in one collection a series of papers that have been fundamental to the development of soil science as a defined discipline. Some of the papers were first published many years ago, but they remain classics in their fields and retain their relevance to the understanding of current issues. The papers have been selected with the assistance of an eminent international editorial board. The set includes a general introduction and each volume is introduced by a new overview essay, placing the selected papers in context. The book includes traditional subjects such as soil genesis, physics and mineralogy, applied disciplines such as soils and hydrology, land degradation and plant nutrition, as well as more contemporary topics such as soil pollution, land use and environmental change.

Elements of the Nature and Properties of Soils (3rd Edition)

2009-10-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

Fully updated in this edition, it includes the latest information on soil colloids; nutrient cycles and soil fertility; and soils and chemical pollution. This edition continues to use examples from many fields, including agriculture, forestry, and natural resources. Updated information in this edition includes: Engineering properties of soils; Expanded treatment of soil quality, soil degradation and soil resilience; A new section on septic tank drain fields; Expanded section on irrigation management; A new section on wetlands and their poorly aerated soils

Remote Sensing Application in Agriculture

2009-10-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

This book describes methods to detect soil salinity levels in agricultural lands based on crop conditions and Evapotranspiration (ET) using satellite imagery. This book describes the development of a surface energy balance-based model (Remove Sensing of ET - ReSET) that handles the spatial variability in ET, the model estimates ET based on remotely sensed data using satellite imagery. ET is estimated for each pixel in the image therefore displaying the spatial variability of ET even within fields. Relationships between ET and soil salinity levels in agriculture fields were developed for several crops.

Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics

2009-10-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

Soils have important roles to play in criminal and environmental forensic science. Since the initial concept of using soil in forensic investigations was mooted by Conan Doyle in his Sherlock Holmes stories prior to real-world applications, this branch of forensic science has become increasingly sophisticated and broad. New techniques in chemical, physical, biological, ecological and spatial analysis, coupled with informatics, are being applied to reducing areas of search by investigators, site identification, site comparison and measurement for the eventual use as evidence in court. Soils can provide intelligence, in assisting the determination of the provenance of samples from artifacts, victims or suspects, enabling their linkage to locations or other evidence. They also modulate change in surface or buried cadavers and hence affect the ability to estimate post-mortem or post-burial intervals, and locate clandestine graves.

Permafrost Soils (Soil Biology)

2009-10-05T05:52:00.000-07:00

This volume summarizes recent knowledge on various aspects of permafrost and permafrost-affected soils, including typical properties of these soils, the distribution and biodiversity of permafrost microorganisms, examples for microbial activity in frozen soils and genomic and proteomic insights into cold adaptation of permafrost bacteria. The impact of global warming on microbial communities, carbon dynamics, geomorphology and frozen-ground engineering are further discussed. Other chapters describe the feasibility and limitations of methods for removing contaminants in frozen ground and consider terrestrial permafrost as a model for extraterrestrial habitats

World Soil Erosion and Conservation

2009-09-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

At the time of the first publication of this book in 1993, estimates indicated that 10-15 million hectares of land were being lost each year through erosion and salinisation from irrigation and that at such a rate of loss, topsoil reserves on most sloping lands would be depleted within two hundred years. Since humankind's dependency on the land for food is almost total, soil erosion represents a real threat to the security of our food supply. The need for the immediate conservation of the world's soil resources is therefore clear. As part of the response to this need, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Commission on Ecology convened a special working group to consider the problem of world soil erosion and to propose practical solutions for soil conservation. This important book presents the outcome of their work.

Microbiological Methods for Assessing Soil Quality

2009-09-16T04:58:00.000-07:00

With growing concern about the protection of soil quality and biodiversity many countries have established regional and national programmes to monitor soil quality. This book reviews the theory and practice of a range of the various microbiological methods used within these programmes. The first section gives an overview of approaches to monitoring, evaluating and managing soil quality. The second section provides a practical handbook with detailed descriptions of the methods. The methods are described in chapters on: soil microbial biomass and numbers, soil microbial activity, soil microbial diversity and community composition and plant-microbe interactions and soil quality. Finally, a census is given of the main methods used in over 30 European microbiological laboratories

Molecular Biological Studies of Soil Microbial Communities: Soil Microbial Communities under Different Management Practices in Forest Ecosystems of Su

2009-06-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

Advances in microbial ecology are sometimes driven by new techniques. Over the past two decades, methods to analyzing soil microbial communities have changed dramatically. Many new methods and approaches are developed and now available, allowing our soil scientists to access to the uncultivated soil microorganisms and allowing for better assessments of soil microbial diversity. This book demonstrates the applications of some molecular biological methods in the studies of soil microbial communities, including soil microbial DNA extraction and purification, PCR amplification using 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes, TGGE, SSCP, cloning, sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. It shows the technical problems and solutions often faced by investigators in soil microbial ecology. It also gives two successful case studies of forest soils in subtropical Australia.

Regolith Science

2009-05-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

This comprehensive reference on the fundamentals of regolith science describes how regolith is developed from parental rocks and emphasises the importance of chemical, physical, water and biological processes in regolith formation. It provides details for mapping regolith landforms, as well as objective information on applications in mineral exploration and natural resource management. Regolith Science also provides a concise history of weathering through time in Australia. It includes previously unpublished information on elemental abundances in regolith materials along with detailed information on soil degradation processes such as in acid sulfate soils.

The Origin of Clay Minerals in Soils and Weathered Rocks

2009-05-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

If we can understand the way clays function in their interaction with plants, we can understand the major forces which shape our immediate environment. We see increasingly that human activity interacts with the plant and mineral interface through the use of more powerful chemicals, either by purposeful application of accidental dispersion. Knowledge of the origin and transformation of clay minerals, their dynamic response to changing chemistry, is the key to a rational use of this natural boundary which affects our lives. Clays are the product of slow transformations of high temperature rocks into reactive, fine grained material. This material, once in the sphere of plant interaction, becomes highly reactive with transformation periods of tens to hundreds of years. The challenge of the future is to use these rapid responses to the benefit of mankind.

Soil Carbon Sequestration and the Greenhouse Effect, 2nd edition

2009-04-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

The second edition of Soil Carbon Sequestration and the Greenhouse Effect is essential reading for understanding the processes, properties, and practices affecting the soil carbon pool and its dynamics.
A timely update of the concepts, practices, and supporting data, all chapters are new contributions by both authors of the first edition and new invited authors. The expanded second edition includes 23 chapters, with a substantial new introduction and a concluding chapter. New themes addressed are urban soils, minesoils, biochemically recalcitrant compounds, carbonaceous materials, belowground carbon storage by woody plants, and peat soils. The geographic focus of the book is North America, with important chapters from Canada and Mexico.

ClimSoil - Climate change and soil carbon

2009-04-02T00:26:00.000-07:00

A new report Review of existing information on the interrelations between soil and climate change, made public by the European Commission, underlines the crucial role that soils can play in mitigating climate change. Europe's soils are an enormous carbon reservoir, containing around 75 billion tonnes, and poor management can have serious consequences: a failure to protect Europe's remaining peat bogs, for example, would release the same amount of carbon as an additional 40 million cars on Europe's roads. The report is a synthesis of the best available information on the links between soil and climate change and underlines the need to sequester carbon in soils. The technique is cost competitive and immediately available, requires no new or unproven technologies, and has a mitigation potential comparable to that of any other sector of the economy. The report and key messages can be freely downloaded http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/publications_en.htm.

Laboratory and Field Testing of Unsaturated Soils

2009-03-25T00:29:00.000-07:00

This collection focuses on recent advances in laboratory and field testing of unsaturated soils. Leading researchers from fourteen countries to represent global research in the area of experimental unsaturated soil mechanics have been invited to contribute to this book. Twelve reports are presented dealing with measurement and control of suction and water content, mechanical, hydraulic, and geo-environmental testing, microstructure investigation, and applications of unsaturated soil monitoring to engineering behaviour of geo-structures.

Hormones and Pharmaceuticals Generated by Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: Transport in Water and Soil

2009-03-11T00:55:00.000-07:00

This book examines how hormones, antibiotics and pharmaceuticals generated from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) of cattle, poultry, swine and aquaculture are transported in water and soil. Little is known of the environmental fate of the tons of physiologically active steroid hormones released each year. In their own regard, in the last 20 years considerable attention has been given to a wide variety of natural and anthropomorphic agents known as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). Until the contribution of steroid hormones to the environment are better defined, it will be difficult to quantify the exact impact of EDCs. While some advances in the understanding of the fate of these compounds in water has been made, little is known about the processes that govern their transport in soil or how they eventually reach groundwater. As this book discusses extensively, it is somewhat of a mystery how steroids, with their lipophilic nature, strong binding to humic acids and extensive metabolism by soil bacteria, can be transported through even a few centimeters of soil, let alone 20 to 40 meters to the groundwater. With respect to antibiotics, the emphasis is on their fate and transport in the environment and on the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Impacts on soil ecology, including the impact of antibiotics on the metabolism of other active agents, is also discussed.

Conserving Land, Protecting Water (Cabi)

2009-02-25T06:06:00.000-08:00

The degradation of land and water resources as a result of agricultural activity has had an enormous impact on human societies and economies. It is predicted that, by 2025, most developing countries will face physical or economic water scarcity, compounded by land degradation. In order to alleviate this problem, an advanced understanding of the state of our water resources and the relationships between land use, water management and social systems is needed.
Conserving Land, Protecting Water includes an overview of global patterns of land and water degradation and discusses new insights drawn from successful case studies on reversing soil and water degradation and their impact on food and environmental security.

Soils in the Humid Tropics and Monsoon Region of Indonesia

2009-02-12T01:22:00.000-08:00

Highlighting the vast differences in tropical climate, from hot and humid to cool and arctic, Soils in the Humid Tropics and Monsoon Region of Indonesia explores the climate, soil zones, and altitudinal variation in soil formation. The author explores the changes in geomorphology, especially in climate and vegetation above sea level, that have yielded zones of different soils.
The book makes accessible hard-to-find information translated from Dutch archives. Informally divided into two parts, it begins with coverage of the development of soil science in Indonesia. The author reviews the geography and geomorphology of the archipelago, climate, vegetation, and mineralization and humification processes as factors of soil formation. The second part examines the major soils, their genesis, properties, taxonomy, land use, and evaluation. The discussion moves from lowlands, to uplands, then mountains, and concludes with andosols found in the mountains as well as in the lowlands.

Principles of Soil Conservation and Management

2009-02-12T01:01:00.000-08:00

“Principles of Soil Management and Conservation” comprehensively reviews the state-of-knowledge on soil erosion and management. It discusses in detail soil conservation topics in relation to soil productivity, environment quality, and agronomic production. It addresses the implications of soil erosion with emphasis on global hotspots and synthesizes available from developed and developing countries. It also critically reviews information on no-till management, organic farming, crop residue management for industrial uses, conservation buffers (e.g., grass buffers, agroforestry systems), and the problem of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and in other regions.

This book addresses the global issues including carbon sequestration, net emissions of CO2, and erosion as a sink or source of C under different scenarios of soil management. It also deliberates the implications of the projected global warming on soil erosion and vice versa. The concern about global food security in relation to soil erosion and strategies for confronting the remaining problems in soil management and conservation are specifically addressed.

New Trends in Soil Micromorphology

2009-02-02T12:17:00.000-08:00

The book contains state of the art new research results in micromorphology as well as other disciplines of soil science. In the past, micromorphology has been considered almost solely as a descriptive and interpretative branch of science. Attempts are now made to obtain quantitative data. There has been much progress in applying soil micromorphology in Quaternary geology, in particular identifying and characterizing palaeosols. The new areas for soil micromorphology are soil ecology, materials sciences and archaeology.

Soil Science Step by Step Analysis

2009-01-22T02:46:00.000-08:00

Soil Science: Step-by-Step Field Analysis provides the knowledge for conducting specific activities related to improved natural resource management. Readers will learn both new procedures and tips for improved performance in the field, without a lot of background theory and with a focus on usefulness for real-life applications.

Remote Sensing of Soil Salinization: Impact on Land Management

2009-01-06T04:46:00.000-08:00

Providing an overview of soil salinity assessment using remote sensing technologies, this book analyzes basic issues of remote detection, such as the spectral behavior of salt type and vegetation influence. This helps readers better understand the concepts of remote detection and the mapping of salt affected areas. Each of the currently available remote sensing platforms is evaluated for its advantages and its disadvantages. International contributors present the latest technological developments and image classification techniques used to detect and to map this form of land degradation. Color images included on an accompanying CD-ROM enhance the material discussed in the text.

Amazonian Dark Earths: Wim Sombroek's Vision

2008-12-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

Amazonian soils are almost universally thought of as extremely forbidding. However, it is now clear that complex societies with large, sedentary populations were present for over a millennium before European contact. Associated with these are tracts of anomalously fertile, dark soils termed terra preta or dark earths. These soils are presently an important agricultural resource within Amazonia and provide a model for developing long-term future sustainability of food production in tropical environments. The late Dutch soil scientist Wim Sombroek (1934-2003) was instrumental in bringing the significance of these soils to the attention of the world over four decades ago.

Geomorphometry Concepts, Software, Applications

2008-11-27T05:09:00.000-08:00

Geomorphometry is the science of quantitative land-surface analysis. It draws upon mathematical, statistical, and image-processing techniques to quantify the shape of earth's topography at various spatial scales. The focus of geomorphometry is the calculation of surface-form measures (land-surface parameters) and features (objects), which may be used to improve the mapping and modelling of landforms to assist in the evaluation of soils, vegetation, land use, natural hazards, and other information.

Digital soil Mapping with Limited Data

2008-11-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

This book focuses on digital soil mapping methodologies and applications for areas where data are limited, and has the following sections (i) introductory papers, (ii) dealing with limited spatial data infrastructures, (iii) methodology development, and (iv) examples of digital soil mapping in various parts of the globe (including USA, Brazil, UK, France, Czech Republic, Honduras, Kenya, Australia). The final chapter summarises priorities for digital soil mapping.

Soter

2008-10-27T06:01:00.000-07:00

The e-SOTER project, September 2008 until February 2012, is a European contribution for a global soil observing system as part of the Global Earth Observing System of System (GEOSS). The kick-off meeting has been held at ISRIC, Wageningen, from 11 to 12 September, 2008. The EU Framework Programme 7 (FP7) is funding the research through a grant of €2.6 million. Coordinated by ISRIC –World Soil Information, it brings together 12 research organizations from Europe as well as 2 from non-European countries. For more info see Isric website.