About the Book
There has been growing concern that both intensive agriculture in the developed world and rapid expansion of crop cultivation in developing countries is damaging the health of soils which are the foundation of farming. At the same time we are discovering much more about how complex soils are as living biological systems. This volume reviews the latest research on soil monitoring and management. Part 1 starts by reviewing soil classification, sampling and ways of monitoring soil dynamics. Part 2 surveys key techniques for managing soil, from irrigation and fertiliser use to crop rotations, intercropping and cover crops. The final part of the book discusses ways of supporting smallholders in maintaining soil health in regions such as Africa, Asia and South America. With its distinguished editor and international team of expert authors, this will be a standard reference for soil scientists and agronomists as well as the farming community and government agencies responsible for monitoring soil health. It is accompanied by a companion volume looking at developments in soil science.
Table of Contents:
Part 1 Soil monitoring
1.Soil health assessment and inventory: Indices and databases: Brian K. Slater, Ohio State University, USA
2.Soil sampling for soil health assessment: Skye Wills, Stephen Roecker and Candiss Williams, USA-NRCS, USA; and Brian Murphy, Office of Environment and Heritage, Australia
3.Biological indicators of soil health in organic cultivation : A. Fortuna, Washington State University, USA; A. Bhowmik, Pennsylvania State University, USA; and A. Bary and C. Cogger, Washington State University, USA
4.The impact of heavy metal contamination on soil health: Santanu Bakshi and Chumki Banik, Iowa State University, USA; and Zhenli He, University of Florida, USA
5.Modelling soil organic matter dynamics as a soil health indicator: Eleanor E. Campbell, University of New Hampshire, USA; John L. Field and Keith Paustian, Colorado State University, USA
Part 2 Managing soil health
6.Drainage requirements to maintain soil health: Jeffrey Strock, University of Minnesota, USA
7.Managing irrigation for soil health in arid and semi-arid regions: Jeffrey Peter Mitchell and Howard Ferris, University of California-Davis, USA; Anil Shrestha, California State University-Fresno, USA; Francis Larney, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada; and Garrison Sposito, University of California-Berkeley, USA
8.Effects of crop rotations and intercropping on soil health; Gilbert C. Sigua, USDA-ARS, US
9.Use of cover crops to promote soil health: Robert L. Myers, USDA – SARE and University of Missouri, USA
10.Optimising fertiliser use to maintain soil health: Bijay-Singh, Punjab Agricultural University, India
11.Manure and compost management to maintain soil health: Francis J. Larney, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada
12.Pesticide use and biodiversity in soils: Robert J. Kremer, University of Missouri, USA
13.Conservation grass hedges and soil health parameters; Humberto Blanco-Canqui, University of Nebraska, US
14.Managing soil health in organic cultivation: A. Fortuna, Washington State University, USA; A. Bhowmik, Pennsylvania State University, USA; and A. Bary and C. Cogger, Washington State University, USA
Part 3 Regional strategies in the developing world
15.Supporting smallholders in maintaining soil health: key challenges and strategies: David Güereña, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Nepal
16.Maintaining soil health in Africa: A. O. Ogunkunle, University of Ibadan, Nigeria; and V. O. Chude, National Program for Food Security, Nigeria
17.Organic amendments to improve soil health and crop productivity: a case study in China: Minggang Xu, Wenju Zhang and Zejiang Cai, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China; Shaoming Huang, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China; and Ping Zhu, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China
18.Soil health assessment and maintenance in Central and South-Central Brazil: Ieda C. Mendes, EMBRAPA Cerrados, Brazil; Cássio A. Tormena, State University of Maringá, Brazil; Maurício R. Cherubin, University of São Paulo, Brazil; and Douglas L. Karlen, USDA-ARS, USA
19.Maintaining soil health in dryland areas: Pandi Zdruli, Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (CIHEAM), Italy; and Claudio Zucca, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Morocco
About the Author :
Dr Don Reicosky is an Emeritus Soil Scientist, formerly at the North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, Morris, Minnesota, USA, a leading laboratory for soil and plant research at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Dr Reicosky has published widely on carbon management and soil quality as related to soil health, understanding and optimising soil management through conservation agriculture for more sustainable production.
Review :
"This two-volume set in Burleigh Dodds Agricultural Science may represent one of the most important projects in their series focused on sustainable agriculture and recent advances in research on key crop and animal species. Many scholars and students today often rely on the web to locate open-source references in research and courses, yet the value of comprehensive books that review specific topics cannot be ignored. The compilation on soil health edited by Prof. Reicosky is an example of quality scholarship, clear and accessible writing, and comprehensive referencing on an emerging topic in agriculture and food production… descriptions of methods and data from a wide range of sources and interpretations by experts in the field contribute to the timeless value of books such as these in the series on agricultural sciences. They should be part of contemporary library collections and available to everyone." Prof. Charles Francis in Agronomy Journal
"The books offer a valuable insight into the fundamentals of managing soil health… The broad range of fundamental information provided makes both volumes worth reading, not only for students and scientists, politicians and farmers but also for laypersons interested in soil health and sustainable agriculture."Applied Soil Ecology
