The nature and properties of soils / Nyle C. Brady & Ray R. Weil

Contents

1 THE SOILS AROUND US
1.1 functions of soils in our ecosystems
1.2 medium for plant growth
1.3 regulator of waste supplies, etc

2 FORMATION OF SOILS FROM PARENT MATERIALS
2.1 weathering of rocks and minerals
2.2 factors influencing soil formation
2.3 parent materials, etc

3 CLASSIFICATION
3.1 concept of individual soils
3.2 comprehensive classification
3.3 categories and nomenclature of soil taxonomy, etc

4 SOIL ARCHITECTURE AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
4.1 soil colour
4.2 soil texture
4.3 soil texture classes, etc

5 SOIL WATER: CHARACTERISTICS AND BEHAVIOR
5.1 structure and related properties of water
5.2 capillary fundamentals and soil water
5.3 soil water energy concepts, etc

6 SOIL AND THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
6.1 the global hydrologic cycle
6.2 fate of precipitation and irrigation water
6.3 the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, etc

7 SOIL AERATION AND TEMPERATURE
7.1 soil aeration-the process
7.2 means of characterizing soil aeration
7.3 oxidation-reduction (redox) potential, etc

8 SOIL COLLOIDS,: SEAT OF SOIL CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL ACTIVFITY
8.1 general properties and types of soil colloids
8.2 fundamentals of layer silicate clay structure
8.3 mineralogy organization of silicate clays, etc

9 SOIL ACIDITY
9.1 The process of soil acidification
9.2 role of aluminium in soil acidity
9.3 pools of soil acidity, etc

10 SOILS OF DAY REGIONS: ALKALINITY, SALINITY AND SOLICITY
10.1 characteristics and problems of dry region soils
10.2 causes of alkalinity
10.3 development of soil-affected soils, etc

11 ORGANISMS AND ECOLOGY OF THE SOIL
11.1 the diversity of organisms in the soil
11.2 organisms in action
11.3 organisms abundancy , biomass and metabolic activity, etc

12 SOIL ORGANIC MATTER
12.1 the global carbon cycle
12.2 the process of decomposition in the soil
12.3 factors controlling the rate of decomposition and mineralization, etc

13 NITROGEN AND SULPHUR ECONOMY OF SOILS
13.1 influence of nitrogen on the plant growth and development
13.2 distribution of nitrogen and the nitrogen cycle
13.3 immobilization and mineralization, etc

14 SOIL PHOSPHOROUS AND POTASSIUM
14.1 role of phosphorous in plant nutrition and soil fertility
14.2 effects of phosphorous on environmental quality
14.3 the phosphorous cycle, etc

15 CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM AND TRACE ELEMENTS
15.1 calcium as essential nutrient
15.2 magnesium as a plant nutrient
15.3 deficiency versus toxicity, etc

16 PRACTICAL NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
16.1 goals of nutrient management
16.2 environmental quality
16.3 nutrient resources and cycles, etc

17 SOIL EROSION AND ITS CONTROL
17.1 significance of soil erosion and land degrada6tion
17.2 on-site and off-site effects of accelerated soil erosion
17.3 mechanics of water erosion, etc

18 SOILS AND CHEMICAL POLLUTION
18.1 toxic organic chemicals
18.2 kinds of organic contaminants
18.3 behavior of organic chemicals, etc

19 GEOGRAPHIC SOILS INFORMATION
19.1 soil spatial variability in the field
19.2 techniques and tools for mapping soils
19.3 modern technology for soil investigation, etc

20 PROSPECTS FOR GLOBALS OIL QUALITY AS EFFECTED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY
20.1 the concepts of soil quality and soil health
20.2 soil resistance and resilience
20.3 soils and global ecosystem services, etc

Glossary : p. 926-951 . _ Index : p. 953-975