Description:
This volume provides an interdisciplinary understanding of soil science practices based on a rigorous, complete, and up-to-date treatment of the subject matter compiled by leading scientists. Completely revised and updated, this second edition of a bestseller covers interfacial interactions between the physical, chemical, and biological regimes within the soil; the factors that control the availability of plant nutrients and microelements; interdisciplinary aspects of soil science, including salinity, sodicity, and soil erosion; and soil databases for assessing worldwide soil resources. Chapters include concepts and theories, definitions, approaches, methodologies and procedures, data in tabular and figure format, and extensive references.
Review Quotes:
"[The first volume] is a hefty tome separated into five sections: soil physics, chemistry, mineralogy, biology and biochemistry, and pedology. ... Each chapter is a rich resource for choosing and discovering methodologies and understanding developments in soil science, and provides a database for equations needed in soil science. Non-soil scientists should not dismiss these handbooks since many chapters cross disciplines. ... The list of authors for each chapter is truly impressive, with contributions from many eminent soil scientists. ... The second volume contains a further 33 chapters broken into four parts: soil physical, chemical and biological interfacial interactions; soil fertility and plant nutrition; interdisciplinary aspects of soil science; and soil databases. Again, the calibre of the authors is exemplary and the comments made for the first volume apply equally to the second. ... this is now my first 'go to' text for soil science and will be invaluable as a resource. I would highly recommend that libraries update their first edition and with these two new volumes."
--TJ Clough, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2013, Vol. 56, No. 1, 91-92.