Biological Processes And Soil Fertility

Author : J. Tinsley,J.F. Darbyshire
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 409 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9789400961012

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Biological Processes and Soil Fertility by J. Tinsley,J.F. Darbyshire Pdf

The success of shifting cultivation systems developed by subsistence farmers testifies to the resilience of the "natural" soil-plant ecosystems to recover from the offtake of nutrients in crops and loss of soil struc ture. By contrast, the development of intensive cropping systems requires large inputs especially of nitrogen, together with phosphorus, sulphur and other essential elements in order to maintain the nutrient levels needed for abundant crop yields. As Dr. Cooke ably pointed out in his introductory lecture, the dis coveries and experiments of the 19th century encouraged farmers in temperate zones to rely greatly on chemical fertilizers supplements. However, the work of Charles Da{win on soil mixing by earthworms and the discovery by Hellriegel and Wilfarth in 1886 that the nodules on legume roots contain colonies of symbiotic bacteria able to "capture" atmospheric nitrogen molecules to the benefit of the host plant heralded a growing realization of the importance of soil biota in fertility studies. Biological fixation of nitrogen has been the theme of many meetings and publi~ations hitherto but at this Conference, convened on the delightful campus of Reading University, attention was mainly focussed on other biological processes in soil fertility. These Proceedings record the dominant themes and include six keynote addresses delivered at plenary sessions and seven introductory lectures to paper reading sessions by invited individuals plus 22 of the proferred papers, in six sections as tabled in the contents list.

Author : Lynette K. Abbott,Daniel V. Murphy
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 267 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2007-10-23
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781402066191

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Soil Biological Fertility by Lynette K. Abbott,Daniel V. Murphy Pdf

It is becoming more relevant to explore soil biological processes in terms of their contribution to soil fertility. This book presents a comprehensive scientific overview of the components and processes that underpin the biological characteristics of soil fertility. It highlights the enormous diversity of life in soil and the resulting effects that management of land can have on the contribution of this diverse community to soil fertility in an agricultural context.

Author : Lynette K. Abbott,Daniel V. Murphy
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 267 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2007-09-27
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781402066184

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Soil Biological Fertility by Lynette K. Abbott,Daniel V. Murphy Pdf

It is becoming more relevant to explore soil biological processes in terms of their contribution to soil fertility. This book presents a comprehensive scientific overview of the components and processes that underpin the biological characteristics of soil fertility. It highlights the enormous diversity of life in soil and the resulting effects that management of land can have on the contribution of this diverse community to soil fertility in an agricultural context.

Author : Michael John Swift
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 38 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 1984
Category : Soil biology
ISBN : OCLC:18943179

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Soil Biological Processes and Tropical Soil Fertility by Michael John Swift Pdf

Author : P. L. Woomer,M. J. Swift
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 1994-12-05
Category : Science
ISBN : UOM:39015034231517

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The Biological Management of Tropical Soil Fertility by P. L. Woomer,M. J. Swift Pdf

This book reports on the first five years of research by scientists of the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Programme

Author : G. Schroth,Fergus L. Sinclair
Publisher : CABI
Page : 456 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2003-02-19
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 0851997929

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Trees, Crops, and Soil Fertility by G. Schroth,Fergus L. Sinclair Pdf

Annotation. Successful agroforestry requires an understanding of the complex relationship between trees, crops and soils. This book provides a review of both economic and biophysical aspects of soil use and research in agroforestry, with an emphasis on nutrient-poor forest and savanna soils. Key topics covered include the economics of soil fertility management, cycling of water, nutrients and organic matter, soil structure, and soil biological processes. The book combines synthetic overviews of research results and a review of methods used in research.From the foreword: 2The book is written within a particular context - soil fertility development under agroforestry. At first this may seem very specific and thus limited in appeal and application. But over the last decade or so agroforestry research has been one of the most influential in developing new insights into soil biology and fertility and thus provides a very suitable framework for review of progress. Furthermore the influence of trees on soil is profound and of significance beyond agroforestry systems, so the book is likely to be of interest in the wider spheres of agriculture, forestry and ecological sciences.3 Mike Swift, TSBF, Nairobi, Kenya.

Author : Norman Uphoff,Andrew S. Ball,Erick Fernandes,Hans Herren,Olivier Husson,Mark Laing,Cheryl Palm,Jules Pretty,Pedro Sanchez,Nteranya Sanginga,Janice Thies
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 785 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2006-03-03
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781420017113

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Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems by Norman Uphoff,Andrew S. Ball,Erick Fernandes,Hans Herren,Olivier Husson,Mark Laing,Cheryl Palm,Jules Pretty,Pedro Sanchez,Nteranya Sanginga,Janice Thies Pdf

Global agriculture is now at the crossroads. The Green Revolution of the last century is losing momentum. Rates of growth in food production are now declining, with land and water resources becoming scarcer, while world population continues to grow. We need to continue to identify and share the knowledge that will support successful and sustainable

Author : Peter J. Gregory,Stephen Nortcliff
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 508 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2013-03-04
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781405197700

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Soil Conditions and Plant Growth by Peter J. Gregory,Stephen Nortcliff Pdf

Building on the extremely successful and popular Russell’s Soil Conditions and Plant Growth, Wiley-Blackwell is pleased to publish this completely revised and updated edition of the soil science classic. Covering all aspects of the interactions between plant and soil, Peter Gregory and Stephen Nortcliff, along with their team of internationally-known and respected authors, provide essential reading for all students and professionals studying and working in agriculture and soil science. Subject areas covered range from crop science and genetics; soil fertility and organic matter; nitrogen and phosphoros cycles and their management; properties and management of plant nutrients; water and the soil physical environment and its management; plants and change processes in soils; management of the soil/plant system; and new challenges including food, energy and water security in a changing environment. Providing a very timely account on how better to understand and manage the many interactions that occur between soils and plants, Soil Conditions and Plant Growth is sure to become the book of choice - as a recommended text for students and as an invaluable reference for those working or entering into the industry. An essential purchase for all universities and research establishments where agricultural, soil, and environmental sciences are studied and taught.

Author : Håkan Wallander
Publisher : Springer
Page : 146 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2014-09-16
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783319084589

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Soil by Håkan Wallander Pdf

Håkan Wallander is a professor in Soil Biology and the reader is guided through the fascinating world below ground. The book has a free form and the author mixes scientific facts with personal stories from active research experiences and everyday life. The main focus is to make the reader aware of the vast biodiversity that exists in the soil, and to describe the important processes provided by the soil organisms. Reflections are made on how dependent we are on living soils, and how vulnerable the soil is if managed in a wrong way. The importance of soils as carbon sinks and reflections about the possible influence of soils for taste and quality of food and wine is also covered. The book is illustrated with photographs and every picture has a legend that stands on its own. In this way the reader will have an easy way into the book, and the main aim is to gain new readers to a subject that is immensely important, but not very attractive to laypersons.

Author : Y.R. Dommergues,G.H. Diem
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 329 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9789400975293

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Microbiology of Tropical Soils and Plant Productivity by Y.R. Dommergues,G.H. Diem Pdf

It is an established fact that we must continually increase and improve agricultural production if we are to meet even the minimum requirements of a growing popu lation for food, shelter, and fuel. In recent years, the introduction of new plant varieties and the extensive use of fertilizers have effectively increased crop yields, but intensifying agricultural methods has often led to depleting soil fertility. Two examples of the harmful consequences of intensive farming practices are the loss of up to 2.5 cm of topsoil every 15 years in the United States through erosion and the alarming rise in environmental pollution through widespread use of pesticides. Countless other processes affecting the activity of soil micro flora and the inter actions between microorganisms and plants may pose an equal danger to soil equilibrium, but their potential hazards are often overlooked because of an insufficient understanding of soil microbiology on the part of scientists. In the first published study of its kind, the authors of this book have attempted to address major aspects of the microbial activity of soil in the tropics. Tropical conditions serve as an ideal context for a discussion of soil microbiology, since biological processes in the soil are particularly active in tropical environments in comparison to other settings and in relation to physical and chemical processes.

Author : G.J. Leigh
Publisher : Elsevier
Page : 471 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2002-11-22
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780080537573

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Nitrogen Fixation at the Millennium by G.J. Leigh Pdf

The turn of the millennium from the twentieth to the twenty-first century provides an occasion to review our understanding of a biological process, biological nitrogen fixation, that is of prime importance for the continued survival of mankind. This process has provided a basis for maintaining soil fertility since the beginning of organised agriculture, yet its very existence was confirmed only just over a century ago. In the intervening years, an enormous intellectual effort has dispersed much of the mystery surrounding biological nitrogen fixation. Biological fixation is widely exploited in agriculture, as are nitrogen fertilisers prepared for the last hundred years under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. However, despite all our efforts, the fundamental nature of the reactions involved at the heart of the biological process remain unknown. This book aims to describe what we have learned in the last one hundred years or so about biological nitrogen fixation, about what its chemistry appears to be, and how it is applied in agriculture. This ambitious objective has not been attempted recently. It is aimed at students and those who wish to enter these very challenging areas of research, and who need to learn the state of the art at the turn of the millennium. The authors are all acknowledged world experts in their fields. They have prepared concise, well referenced and authoritative accounts of their subjects. This book provides a unique summary of the current state of knowledge that will be indispensable to all students and researchers, actual and potential, interested in biological nitrogen fixation.

Author : V. Vancura,F. Kunc
Publisher : Elsevier
Page : 499 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2012-12-02
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9780444600004

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Soil Microbial Associations by V. Vancura,F. Kunc Pdf

This volume is the first publication of its kind to provide a fully comprehensive and detailed approach to the survey of microbial associations in soil: their structure and function in relation to soil fertility and environment protection. The problems covered by this title are presented on various levels of the ecological system; from subcellular phenomena occurring in the microbial cell (genetic and enzyme regulation), to processes taking place in the flow of mass and energy in the agroecosystem. The aim of this monograph is to contribute to the understanding of the laws of formation and function of microbial associations in natural and agricultural soils, and to build a scientific basis for the control of soil biological processes. Using a contemporary approach to some fields of soil microbiology, the book highlights the possibility of utilizing certain microorganisms and microbial processes to increase soil fertility and protect the environment. These critically evaluated and selected results were obtained at the Institute of Microbiology and the Institute of Experimental Phytotechnics of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.

Author : D. Vaughan,R.E. Malcolm
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 475 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9789400951051

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Soil Organic Matter and Biological Activity by D. Vaughan,R.E. Malcolm Pdf

It has long been recognized that soil organic matter is the key to soil fertility. As a nutrient store it gradually provides essential elements which the soil cannot retain for long in inorganic form. It buffers growing plants against sudden changes in their chemical environment and preserves moisture in times of drought. It keeps the soil in a friable, easily penetrated physical condition, well-aerated and free draining, providing young seedlings with an excellent medium for growth. But it has another property, the nature and extent of which have been the subject of argu ment and controversy ever since scientists began to study the soil, and that is its ability to affect growth directly, other than by providing nutrient elements. Any one wishing to learn about these effects has been faced with a daunting mass of literature, some confusing, often contradictory, and spread through a multitude of journals. Individual aspects have been covered from time to time in reviews but there has obviously been a need for a modern authoritative text book dealing with the many facets of this subject, so the publication of this volume is timely. The editors and authors are all specialists in their fields, fully familiar with the com plex nature of soil organic matter and with the particular difficulties arising in any study of its properties. Where controversies exist they have presented all sides of the argument and have highlighted areas where further work is badly needed.

Author : Charles L. Mohler,Sue Ellen Johnson
Publisher : Natural Resource Agriculture and Engineering Service (Nraes)
Page : 156 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Crop rotation
ISBN : 1933395214

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Crop Rotation on Organic Farms by Charles L. Mohler,Sue Ellen Johnson Pdf

Author : Roland Nuhu Issaka
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 252 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9535150219

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Soil Fertility by Roland Nuhu Issaka Pdf

Soil Fertility book presents nine chapters written by renowned soil fertility experts from Africa, Asia and South America. The book is divided into two sections. Section 1, Biological Processes and Integration of Inorganic and Organic Fertilizers for Soil Fertility Improvement, examines biological processes that can enhance the soil fertility. It discusses the use of both organic and inorganic fertilizers and their integration in improving soil fertility. The second section, Improving Fertilizer Recommendation and Efficiency, looks at the state-of-the-art in leaf sampling and analysis. Proper leaf sampling and standardized methods of analysis are important steps in providing good recommendations.