Soil Management: Building a Stable Base for Agriculture [Hardcover]

Degradation of soils continues at a pace that will eventually create a local, regional, or even global crisis when diminished soil resources collide with increasing climate variation. It's not too late to restore our soils to a more productive state by rediscovering the value of soil management, building on our well-established and ever-expanding scientific understanding of soils. Soil management concepts have been in place since the cultivation of crops, but we need to rediscover the principles that are linked together in effective soil management. This book is unique because of its treatment of soil management based on principlesthe physical, chemical, and biological processes and how together they form the foundation for soil management processes that range from tillage to nutrient management. Whether new to soil science or needing a concise reference, readers will benefit from this book's ability to integrate the science of soils with management issues and long-term conservation efforts.

Foreword vii

Preface ix

Contributors xi

Section 1 Framing the Soil Resource Problem

1 An Overview of Soil and Water Management: The Challenge of Enhancing Productivity and Sustainability 3
Daniel Hillel

2 Challenging Balance between Productivity and Environmental Quality: Tillage Impacts 13
D.C. Reicosky, T.J. Sauer, and J.L. Hatfield

3 Indices for Soil Management Decisions 39
Douglas L. Karlen, Brian J. Wienhold, Shujiang Kang, Ted M. Zobeck, and Susan S. Andrews

Section 2 Principles Underlying Management

4 Water Dynamics in Soils 53
M.B. Kirkham

5 Nutrient Cycling in Soils: Nitrogen 67
Robert W. Mullen

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