Sedimentology and pedology Books

Book SynopsisThis book is based on a workshop held in Zimbabwe, May 1999, organized by the Department of Research and Specialist Services (Zimbabwe) and the International Board for Soil Research and Management (IBSRAM). Reviewing the current state of knowledge on and the practical aspects of the management of Vertisols in Africa, this book also includes comparative chapters covering other parts of the world, such as India, Australia and Texas (USA).Table of ContentsI: Contributors II: Foreword Part One: Keynote and Overview Papers 1: Vertisols: genesis, properties and soilscape management for sustainable development 2: Soil and water conservation strategies for Vertisols: Past perspectives and challenges ahead for Africa 3: Sustainable nutrient management of Vertisols 4: New tools for research and development to promote sustainable land management Part Two: Country Papers and Natural Perspectives on the Management of Vertisols 5: Vertisols management in Malawi 6: Vertisols management in South Africa 7: Vertisols management in the Sudan 8: Vertisols management in Tanzania 9: Vertisols management in Zambia 10: Vertisols management in Zimbabwe 11: Improving the productivity of Vertisols for small-holders on the Accra Plains of Ghana 12: From plot to watershed management: Experience in farmer participatory Vertisol technology generation and adoption in highland Ethiopia Part Three: International Perspectives on the Management of Vertisols 13: Low-cost animal drawn implements for Vertisol management and strategies for land use intensification 14: Indian Vertisols: ICRISAT’s research impact - past, present and future 15: Planning and facilitating a ‘negotiated learning and action system’: Participatory research to improve soil management practices on Indian Vertisols and Alfisols 16: Research approaches to developing sustainable management practices on Australian Vertisols 17: The Vertisols of Texas Part Four: Conclusions 18: Research needs and opportunities

Read more less

Book SynopsisIncludes some fifty edited and revised papers from an international conference on Sustainable Management of Soil Organic Matter, held by the British Society of Soil Science in Edinburgh in September 1999. The book explores the results of recent research studies examining how organic matter functions in soils, factors affecting organic matter quality and quantity and how management of organic matter can be optimised in order to achieve sustainable farming practices.Table of Contents1: Key thematic chapters: 2: Organic matter and sustainability, M R Carter, Agriculture and Agri-Food, Canada 3: Modelling soil organic matter dynamics - Global challenges, K Paustian, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado 4: Soil organic matter: The roles of residue quality in C sequestration and N supply, G Cadisch, Wye, Ashford Kent and K Giller, Dept of Soil Science & Agricultural Engineering, University of Zimbabwe 5: The role of soil organic matter and manures in sustainable nutrient cycling, K W T Goulding, Soil Science Department, IACR-Rothamsted, Harpenden, et al 6: Implications of soil biodiversity for sustainable organic matter management, K Ritz and B S Griffiths, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Dundee 7: Soil teeming with life: New frontiers for soil science, J M Tiedje, Centre for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, et al

Read more less

Book SynopsisRapid urbanization has created a major challenge with regard to waste management and environmental protection. However, the problem can be ameliorated by turning organic waste into compost for use as an agricultural fertilizer in peri-urban areas. This is especially significant in less developed countries, where food security is also a key issue. This book addresses these subjects and is based on papers presented at a workshop held in Ghana by the International Board for Soil Research and Management (IBSRAM, now part of the International Water Management Institute) and FAO. Special reference is given to Sub-Saharan Africa, with acknowledgement to experiences from other parts of the world. Contributing authors are from several European, as well as African, countries.Table of Contents1: The potential use of waste stream products for soil amelioration in peri-urban interface agricultural production systems, P J C Harris, M Allison, H G Smith, H M Kindness and J Kelley 2: Economic, sociocultural, and environmental considerations 3: The economic viability of organic waste composting, R G Niemeyer, H Litterscheidt and S Sanders 4: Assessing farmers' perceptions of organic wastes as nutrient sources, P Drechsel, C Quansah, Kwame Nkrumah and S Asante-Mensah 5: Environmental concerns of urban and peri-urban agriculture: Case studies from Accra and Kumasi, E Mensah, P Amoah, R C Abaidoo and P Drechsel 6: Turning urban waste into fertilizer for urban and peri-urban farmers: Case studies from East and West Africa 7: Turning municipal waste into compost: The case of Ibadan, T Agbola 8: Urban vegetable production in Lagos and Ibadan, M A O Oladokun 9: Turning municipal waste into compost: The case of Accra, I Etuah-Jackson, W P Klaassen and J A Awuye 10: Farming systems and farming inputs in and around Kumasi, K Nsiah-Gyabaah and M Adam 11: An integrated waste management strategy for Kumasi, L Salifu 12: Linking (peri-)urban agriculture and organic waste management in Dar es Salaam, S Kiango and J Amend 13: Urban agriculture in Lomé, M E A Schreurs and H van Reuler 14: Adding value to compost from urban household and market refuse in Lomé, A Kessler and J Helbig 15: Optimizing nutrient recycling and urban waste management - new concepts from Northern Europe, J Magid, A Dalsgaard and M Henze 16: Modelling urban and peri-urban biomass and nutrient flows 17: Assessing the potential of organic waste recycling through the analysis of rural-urban carbon fluxes, C Binder and N Patzel 18: The potential of co-composting in Kumasi - quantification of the urban and peri-urban nutrient balance, C Leitzinger 19: Estimating rural-urban nutrient flows for mega-cities, J Færge, J Magid and F Penning de Vries 20: Monitoring nutrient flows and economic performance in African farming systems: The NUTMON approach and its applicability to peri-urban agriculture, H van den Bosch, D Eaton, M S van Wijk, J Vlaming and A de Jager 21: Definition and boundaries of the peri-urban interface: Patterns in the patchwork, M G Adam 22: Urban agriculture: International support and capacity building in Africa, C J Sawio, L Spies and D Doucouré

Read more less

Book SynopsisSoil degradation and nutrient depletion have become serious threats to agricultural productivity in Africa. Soils cannot supply the quantities of nutrients required and yield levels decline rapidly once cropping commences. This book addresses these issues and includes papers from an international symposium held at Cotonou, Benin, October 9-12, 2000, organized by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria and the Department of Land Management of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. In five main parts it marks the end of a first phase of collaborative research on "Balanced Nutrient Management Systems for the Moist Savanna and Humid Forest Zones of Africa" and concludes with recommendations, providing essential reading for crop and soil scientists.Table of ContentsPart I: General Introduction 1: Forty years of soil fertility work in sub-Saharan Africa, R Dudal 2: Soil fertility replenishment takes off in East and Southern Africa, P A Sanchez and B A Jama Part II: Variability in biophysical and socio-economic factors and its consequences for selection of representative areas for nutrient balance experiments; possibilities and techniques for extrapolation 3: A systems approach to target balanced nutrient management in soil scapes, J Deckers 4: In for a penny, in for a pound: Strategic site-selection as a key element for on-farm research that aims to trigger sustainable agricultural intensification in West Africa, M E A Schreurs, A Maatman and C Danbégnon 5: Agricultural transformation and fertilizer use in the cereal-based systems of the northern Guinea savanna, Nigeria, V M Manyong, K O Makinde and A G O Oguingbile 6: Partial macro nutrient balances of mucuna/maize rotations in the Forest Savannah Transitional Zone of Ghana, J Anthofer and J Kroschel Part III: Soil processes determining nutrient dynamics, in particular nitrogen and phosphorus; modelling nutrient fluxes in tropical farming systems 7: Process research and soil fertility in Africa: who cares? R Merckx 8: Fertilizer equivalency values of organic materials of differing quality, H K Murwira, P Mutuo, N Nhamo, A E Marandu, R Rabeson, M Mwale and C A Palm 9: Plant N uptake from plant and animal organic residues, measured using the soil pre-labelling 15N isotope dilution approach, R Hood 10: Contribution or organic residues to soil phosphorus availability in the highlands of Western Kenya, G Nziguheba, R Merckx and C A Palm 11: Resource acquisition of mixed species fallows - competition or complementarity? G Cadisch, S Gathumbi, J K Ndufa and K E Giller Part IV: Interactions between organic and inorganic nutrient sources; functions of soil organic matter 12: Targeting management of organic resources and mineral fertilizers: Can we match scientists' fantasies with farmers' realities? K E Giller 13: Direct interactions between N fertilizer and organic matter: evidence from trials with N labelled fertilizer, B Vanlauwe, J Diels, K Aihou, E N O Iwuafor, O Lyasse, N Sanginga and R Merckx 14: On-farm evaluation of the contribution of sole and mixed applications of organic matter and urea to maize grain production in the savanna, E N O Iwuafor, K Aihou, J S Jaryum, B Vanlauwe, J Diels, N Sanginga, O Lyasse, J Deckers and R Merckx 15: Yields trends and soil nitrogen and organic matter content during twenty years of continuous maize cultivation, J Gigou and S K Bredoumy Part V: Improved utilisation of rock phosphate; capitalisation of soil phosphorus 16: Meeting the phosphorus needs of the soils and crops of West Africa: The role of indigenous phosphate rocks, U Mokwunye and A Bationo 17: Options for increasing P availability from low reactive rock phosphate, O Lyasse, B K Tossah, B Vanlauwe, J Diels, N Sanginga and R Merckx 18: Phosphorus (P) uptake from sparingly available soil-P by cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) genotypes, G Haar, T S Gahoonia, and N E Nielsen 19: Improving rock-P solubility and uptake and yields of lowland rice grown on acidic soil amended with legume green manure, E A Somado, R F Kuehne, M Bvecker, K L Sahrawat, and P L G. Viek Part VI: Decision support systems to improve fertilizer use efficiency at farm level; on-farm testing of technologies improving the soil nutrient balance 20: Decision making on integrated nutrient management through the eyes of the scientist, the land user and the policy maker, E M A Smaling, J J Stoorvogel and A de Jager 21: Legumes, when and where an option? (No panacea for poor tropical West African soils and expensive fertilizers), H Breman and H van Reuler 22: Options for soil organic carbon maintenance under intensive cropping in the West-African Savanna, J Diels, K Aihou, E N O Iwuafor, R Merckx, O Lyasse, N Sanginga, B Vanlauwe and J Deckers 23: On-farm research and operational strategies in soil fertility management, P L Woomer, E J Mukhwana and J K Lynam Part VII: Recommendations 24: Recommendations

Read more less

Book SynopsisDecomposition is an ecological process that recycles dead tissues, mainly from primary production, into nutrients in the soil. The Ecology of Soil Decomposition describes trophic interactions between species that carry out the decomposition of organic matter in the soil. Key topics addressed feature functional groups, spatial stratification and succession patterns over time, involving bacteria, protists, fungi and micro-invertebrates. Emphasis is placed on the role of species diversity in functional groups.Table of Contents1: The Saprotrophes 1.1: Eukaryotic cells 1.2: Protozoa 1.3: Chromista 1.4: Fungi 1.5: Invertebrates 1.6: The Bacteria (Prokaryote Bacteria and Archea) 1.7: Roots, fine roots and root-hair cells 1.8: Summary 1.9: Suggested further reading 2: The Habitat 2.1: "Through a Ped, Darkly" 2.2: Soil and mineral composition 2.3: Soil air 2.4: Water content 2.5: Soil organic matter 2.6: Dynamics of soil physical structure 2.7: Summary 2.8: Suggested further reading 3: Sampling and Enumeration 3.1: Soil collection 3.2: Site variation and statistical patterns 3.3: Extraction and enumeration 3.4: Number of species in functional groups 3.5: Summary 3.6: Suggested further reading 4: Reconstructing the Soil Food Web 4.1: Functional categories 4.2: Primary decomposition 4.3: Secondary decomposition 4.4: Primary saprotrophes 4.5: Secondary saprotrophes 4.6: Other consumers 4.7: Omnivory 4.8: Symbionts 4.9: Opportunistic parasites and parasitism 4.10: Summary 4.11: Suggested further reading 5: Spatial and Temporal Patterns 5.1: Regulation of growth 5.2: Periods of activity 5.3: Patterns in the time and space 5.4: Primary saprotrophes 5.5: Secondary saprotrophes and other consumers 5.6: Synthesis and conclusions 5.7: Summary 5.8: Suggestions for further reading 6: Integrating the Food Web 6.1: Global impact of decomposition 6.2: How to trace nutrients 6.3: Soil food web models 6.4: Summary 6.5: Suggested further reading

Read more less

Book SynopsisLocated in a region geologically blessed with nutrient-rich black soil, DeKalb County is known for it's agricultural prosperity. This book explains how a group of farmers attempted to cope with the problems they faced as productive farming required scientific and technological advances. It is for those concerned with America's agricultural past.Trade ReviewMeticulously researched, lavishly illustrated and exceptionally well written. * Agricultural History Review *Refreshing... meticulousy researched and written in a way that allows the reader to watch the story unfold with a sense of immediacy. Native Soil is an important contribution to the history of both the Midwest and American agriculture. * Journal of illinois history *Not to take the opportunity to read Eric Mogren's Native Soil is to make a significant error, particularly for agricultural historians, historians of the Midwest, and even generalist scholars of the American experience. * THe annals of iowa *Table of ContentsTable of Contents Introduction 1 A New Era: The Roots of the Farm Bureau Movement 2 The "Soil Improvers" 3 War and Recession: Early Trials for the Soil Improvement Association 4 Hard Times: The Farm Bureau during Depression and War 5 Postwar Years: The Farm Bureau at High Tide 6 The Future Appendix: Former DeKalb County Farm Bureau Officials Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis* A comprehensive overview of the origin, regulation, analysis, chemistry, fate and management of trace metals in soils. * Presents the latest advances in the field, bringing together subject matter currently dispersed across a large variety of journals.Trade Review"This book is very suitable for soil scientists involved in soil contamination, but also for research chemists, geochemists, agronomists, environmental scientists, ecotoxicologists, and professionals who deal with contaminated soils." (Anal Bioanal Chem, February 2011) Table of Contents1. Introduction Peter S. Hooda 2.Trace Elements: General Soil Chemistry, Principles and Processes Filip M.G. Tack 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Distribution of trace elements in the soil 2.3 Chemical species 2.4 Sorption and desorption 2.5 Precipitation and dissolution 2.6 Mobilisation of trace elements 2.7 Transport 2.8 Plant uptake 2.9 Concluding remarks References 3. Soil Sampling and Sample Preparation Anthony C. Edwards 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Soil sampling 3.3 Errors associated with soil sampling and preparation 3.4. Overview of the current situation 3.5 Scale and variability 3.6 Conclusions References 4. Analysis and Fractionation of Trace Elements in Soils Gijis Du Laing 4.1. Introduction 4.2. Total Analysis 4.3. Fractionation of Trace Elements 4.4. Species-retaining and Species-selective Leaching Techniques 4.5. Equipment for Direct Speciation of Trace Elements in Soil 4.6. Conclusions References 5. Fractionation and Speciation of Trace Elements in Soil Solution Gijis Du Laing 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Soil Solution Sampling, Storage and Filtration 5.3. Particle Size Fractionation 5.4. Liquid-liquid Extraction 5.5. Ion Exchange Resins and Solid Phase Extraction 5.6. Derivatisation Techniques to Create Volatile Species 5.7. Chromatographic Separation of Trace Element Species 5.8. Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) 5.9. Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) 5.10. Ion-selective Electrodes 5.11. Donnan Membrane Technique 5.12. Voltammetric Techniques 5.13. Microelectrodes and Microsensors 5.14. Models for Predicting Metal Speciation in Soil Solution 5.15. Conclusions References 6. Long-Term Issues, Impacts And Predictive Modelling Weiping Chen, Andrew C. Chang, Laosheng Wu, Albert L. Page and Bonjun Koo 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Biosolids-borne Trace Elements in Soils 6.3 Assessing Availability of Trace Elements in Biosolids-amended Soils 6.4 Long-Term Availability Pool Assessment through a Root Exudates-based Model 6.5 Conclusions References 7. Fertilizer-borne Trace Element Contaminants in Soils Samuel P. Stacey, Mike J. McLaughlin and Ganga Hettiarachchi 7.1 Introduction 7.2. Phosphatic Fertilisers 7.3. Micronutrient Fertilisers 7. 4. Long-term Accumulation of Fertilizer-borne Trace Element Contaminants 7.5. Trace Elemental Contaminant Transfer to Crops and Grazing Animals 7.6. Conclusions References 8. Trace Metal Exposure and Effects on Soil Dwelling Species and their Communities David J. Spurgeon 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Hazards and Consequences of Trace Metal Exposure 8.3. Routes of Exposure, Uptake and Detoxification 8.4. Conclusions References 9. Trace Element Deficient Soils Rainer Schulin, Annette Johnson, and Emmanuel Frossard 9.1 Introduction 9.2. The concept of trace element deficient soils 9.3. Methods to identify and map soil trace element deficiencies 9.4. Soil factors associated with trace element deficiencies 9.5. Treatment of soils deficient in trace elements References 10. Application of Chemical Speciation Modelling to Studies on Toxic Element Behaviour in Soils Les J. Evans, Sarah J. Barabash, David G. Lumsdon and Xueyuan Gu 10.1. Introduction 10.2. The structure of chemical speciation models 10.3. The species/component matrix 10.4. Aqueous Speciation Modeling 10.5. Surface Complexation Modeling to Mineral Surfaces 10.6. Surface Complexation Modelling to Soil Organic Matter 10.7. Discussion References Bioavailability, Risk Assessment and Remediation 11. Assessing Bioavailability of Soil Trace Elements Peter S. Hooda 11.1. Introduction 11.2. Speciation, Bioavailability and Bioaccumulation – Definitions and Concepts 11.3. Bioavailability Assessment Approaches 11.4.Discussion and Conclusions References Bioavailability: Exposure, Dose and Risk Assessment 12. Assessing Bioavailability of Soil Trace Elements Rupert L. Hough 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Hazard Identification 12.3. Exposure Assessment 12.4. Dose-Response 12.5. Risk Characterisation 12.6 Assessment of mixtures and disparate risks 12.7 Conclusions References 13. Regulatory Limits for Trace Elements in Soils Graham Merrington, Sohel Saikat and Albania Grosso 13.1. Introduction 13.2. Derivation of regulatory limits for trace elements 13.3. National and international initiatives in setting limit values 13.4. Forward look 13.5. Conclusions 14 Phytoremediation of Soil Trace ElementsRufus L. Chaney, C. Leigh Broadhurst and Tiziana Centofanti 14.1. Introduction 14.2. Nature of soil contamination where phytoextraction may be applied 14.3. Need for metal tolerant hyperaccumulators for practical phytoextraction 14.4. Phytoremediation strategies – applications and limitations 14.5. Phytostabilization of Zn-Pb, Cu, or Ni mine waste or smelter contaminated soils 14.6. Recovery of elements from phytoextraction biomass 14.7. Risks to wildlife during phytoextraction operations? 14.8 Conclusions References 15. Trace Element Immobilization in Soil Using Amendments Jurate Kumpiene 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Soil Amendments for Trace Element Immobilization 15.3 Method Acceptance 15.4 Concluding remarks References Characteristics and Behaviour of Individual Elements 16. Arsenic and Antimony Yuji Arai 16.1. Introduction 16.2. Geogenic Occurrence 16.3. Sources of Soil Contamination 16.4. Chemical Behaviour in Soils 16.5 Arsenic retention in soils 16.6 Risks from As and Sb in Soils 16.7 Conclusions and Future Research Needs References 17. Cadmium and Zinc Rufus L. Chaney 17.1. Introduction 17.2. Geogenic occurrence and sources of soil contamination 17.3. Chemical behavior in soils 17.4. Plant accumulation of soil Cd and Zn 17.5. Risk implications for Cd in soil amendments 17.6. Plant uptake of Cd and Zn in relation to food-chain Cd risk 17.7. Food-chain Zn issues References 18. Copper and Lead Rupert L. Hough 18.1 Introduction 18.2. Copper 18.3. Lead 18.4. Risks from copper and lead 18.5 Concluding remarks References 19. Chromium, Cobalt and Nickel Yibing Ma and Peter S. Hooda 19.1. Introduction 19.2. Geogenic Occurrences 19.3. Sources of Soil Contamination 19.4. Chemical Behaviour in Soils 19.5. Environmental and Human Heath Risks 19.6. Concluding Remarks References 20. Manganese and Selenium Zhenli L. He, Jiali Shentu, and Xiao E. Yang 20.1 Introduction 20.2 Concentrations and Sources of Mn and Se in soils 20.3. Chemical Behavior of Mn and Se in soils 20.4. Effects on Plant, Animal and human Health References 21. Tin and Mercury Martin J. Clifford, Gavin M. Hilson and Mark E. Hodson 20.1. Introduction 21.2. Geogenic Occurrence 21.3. Sources of Soil Contamination 21.4. Chemical Behaviour in Soils 21.5. Risks from Tin and Mercury in Soils References 22. Molybdenum, Silver, Thallium,and Vanadium Les J. Evans and Sarah J. Barabash 22.1. Introduction 22.2. Molybdenum 22.3. Silver 22.4. Thallium 22.5. Vanadium 22.6. Environmental and Human Health Risks References 23. Gold and Uranium Ian D. Pulford 23.1. Introduction 23.2. Geogenic Occurrence 23.3. Soil Contamination 23.4. Chemical Behaviour in Soils 23.5. Risks from Gold and Uranium in Soils 23.6. Concluding Comments References 24. Platinum Group Elements in Soil F. Zereini and C.L.S. Wiseman 24.1. Introduction 24.2. Sources of PGE in soils 24.3. Emissions, Depositional Behavior and Concentrations in Soils 24.4. Geochemical Behaviour in Soils 24.5. Bioavailability 24.6. Conclusions References

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis special publication Perspectives in Carbonate Geology is a collection of papers most of which were presented at a symposium to honor the 80th birthday of Bob Ginsburg at the meeting of Geological Society of America in Salt Lake City in 2005. The majority of the papers in this publication are connected with the study of modern carbonate sediments. Bob Ginsburg pioneered the concept of comparative sedimentology - that is using the modern to compare to and relate to and understand the ancient. These studies are concerned with Bob''s areas of passion: coral reefs and sea-level; submarine cementation and formation of beach rock; surface sediments on Great Bahama Bank and other platforms; origin of ooids; coastal sediments; formation of stromatolites; impact of storms on sediments; and the formation of dolomite. The remainder of the papers apply the study of modern environments and sedimentary processes to ancient sediments. Recent other publications of the InternaTable of ContentsPreface. Dedication to Robert N. Ginsburg. Depth-related and species-related patterns of Holocene reef accretion in the Caribbean and western Atlantic: a critical assessment of existing models (Dennis K. Hubbard). The mystique of beachrock (Eugene A. Shinn). A re-evaluation of facies on Great Bahama Bank I: new facies maps of western Great Bahama Bank (John J.G. Reijmer, Peter K. Swart, Thorsten Bauch, Robert Otto, Lars Reuning, Sven Roth and Susanne Zechel). A re-evaluation of facies on Great Bahama Bank II: variations in the δ13C, δ18O and mineralogy of surface sediments (Peter K. Swart, John J.G. Reijmer and Robert Otto). Stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen in modern sediments of carbonate platforms, barrier reefs, atolls and ramps: patterns and implications (Eberhard Gischler, Peter K. Swart and Anthony J. Lomando). A tale of two storms: an integrated fi eld, remote sensing and modelling study examining the impact of hurricanes Frances and Jeanne on carbonate systems, Bahamas (Stacy L. Reeder and Eugene C. Rankey). Rapid recycling of organic-rich carbonates during transgression: a complex coastal system in southwest Florida (Brigitte M. Vlaswinkel and Harold R. Wanless). The paradoxical occurrence of oolitic limestone on the eastern islands of Great Bahama Bank: where do the ooids come from? (Pascal Kindler and Albert C. Hine). Calcareous epiphyte production in cool-water carbonate seagrass depositional environments – southern Australia (Noel P. James, Yvonne Bone, Kirsty M. Brown and Anthony Cheshire). Microbes versus metazoans as dominant reef builders: insights from modern marine environments in the Exuma Cays, Bahamas (Miriam S. Andres, R. Pamela Reid, Emily Bowlin, A. Patricia Gaspar and Anton Eisenhauer). Microbial dolomite precipitation under aerobic conditions: results from Brejo do Espinho Lagoon (Brazil) and culture experiments (Mónica Sánchez-Román, Crisógono Vasconcelos, Rolf Warthmann, Marian Rivadeneyra and Judith A. McKenzie). Karst sub-basins and their relationship to the transport of Tertiary siliciclastic sediments on the Florida Platform (Albert C. Hine, Beau C. Suthard, Stanley D. Locker, Kevin J. Cunningham, David S. Duncan, Mark Evans and Robert A. Morton). Controls on facies mosaics of carbonate platforms: a case study from the Oxfordian of the Swiss Jura (André Strasser and Stéphanie Védrine). The allocyclic interpretation of the 'Latemar Cycles' (Middle Triassic, the Dolomites, Italy) and implications for high-frequency cyclostratigraphic forcing (Rob M. Forkner, Linda A. Hinnov, Robert K. Goldhammer and Laurie A. Hardie). Phylloid algal mounds in the Paradox Basin, southwestern USA: an alternative to the in situ constructional growth model? (G. Michael Grammer and Audrey L. Ritter). The Cincinnati Arch: a stationary peripheral bulge during the Late Ordovician (Michael C. Pope, Steven M. Holland and Mark E. Patzkowsky). Reinterpreting a Proterozoic enigma: Conophyton–Jacutophyton stromatolites of the Mesoproterozoic Atar Group, Mauritania (Linda C. Kah, Julie K. Bartley, and Alice F. Stagner). Layering: what does it mean? (Harold R. Wanless). Falling-stage systems tract in tropical carbonate rocks (Wolfgang Schlager and Georg M.D. Warrlich). Early load-induced fracturing in a prograding carbonate margin (Donald F. McNeill and Gregor P. Eberli). Markov models for linking environments and facies in space and time (recent Arabian Gulf, Miocene Paratethys) (Bernhard M. Riegl and Samuel J. Purkis). Evaluating validity and reliability in high-resolution stratigraphic analysis (Carl N. Drummond and Lailah A. Marlow). Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book aims to give detailed information on various instruments, techniques and experiment protocols of microbiology and soil biology. The beauty of this book as it comprises chapters for the beginner’s viz. basic microbiological techniques and media preparation for biologists as well as the incorporation of advanced techniques for post graduate and research scholars. This laboratory manual gives a comprehensive idea about the various instruments, their working, troubleshooting and their applications based on student’s feedback, teacher’s input and authors own experiences of 14 years of teaching and research.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book examines the effects that land-use changes (notably agricultural intensification, logging, soil erosion, urbanisation and mining) have on soil characteristics and processes in tropical and savannah environments. It covers a range of geographical regions and environments as impacts of land use change are often site specific. The effects of land use change on various aspects of the soil ecosystem from both a chemical and biological perspective will be examined.Table of Contents1: Land-use Change Impacts on Soil Processes in Tropical and Savannah Ecosystems: An Introduction 2: Effects of Land-use Changes on Biochemical and Microbial Parameters in Soils of the Andaman Islands, India 3: Evaluating the Impact of Oil Palm Agriculture and Logging on Soil Microbial Communities in South-east Asia 4: Microbial Functioning in Response to a Simulated Drought in Malaysian Rain Forest and Oil Palm Soils 5: Impact of Land-use Changes in the Amazon on Bacterial Diversity, Composition and Distribution 6: Acidification of Tropical Soils under Forest and Continuous Cropping in Thailand and Indonesia 7: The Importance of Soil Quality in the Safe Practice of Urban Agriculture in Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa 8: Urbanisation and Soil Nutrient Challenges and Opportunities: Lessons from Malawian Cities 9: Impact of Gold Mining on Mercury Contamination and Soil Degradation in Amazonian Ecosystems of French Guiana 10: Erosion and Sedimentation Effects on Soil Organic Carbon Redistribution in a Complex Landscape in Western Ecuador 11: Pastoralism and Kalahari Rangeland Soils 12: Changes in Soil Properties with Sugarcane Cropping in Mauritius 13: Patterns and Drivers of Soil Carbon Stocks And Isotopic Composition in Secondary Tropical Dry Forests of Costa Rica 14: Conversion of Pastures into Tectona grandis Plantations in Western Panamá: Effects on Soil Properties and the Mechanisms Underlying these Changes 15: Land-use Change Impacts on Soil Processes in Tropical and Savannah Ecosystems: Emerging Themes and Future Research Directions

Read more less

Book SynopsisWater is the most basic essential for plant growth; an inadequate supply causes severe problems, as plants rely on the water transmitted by soil to meet their physiological and nutritional needs. Since the first edition was published, flooding and droughts throughout the world have made water an even more topical subject, as the importance and instability of our water supplies have been brought to the forefront of daily life. This new edition of Water Dynamics in Plant Production focuses on the dynamics of water through the hydrologic cycle and the associated mechanisms that plants employ to optimize growth and development. It describes the basic scientific principles of water transport in the soil-plant atmosphere continuum, and explains the linkage between transpirational water use and dry matter production. Paying particular attention to the various agronomic strategies for adaptation to climate-driven limitations of water resources, the efficiency of water use in plant production and in achieving an economic yield is presented in detail. This book offers a multidisciplinary introduction to the fundamentals and applications of water dynamics in natural and managed ecosystems. Including text boxes throughout, as well as online supplementary material, it provides an essential state of-the-art resource for students and researchers of soil and plant science, hydrology and agronomy. This book is enhanced with supplementary resources.Table of Contents1: The Role of Water in Plant Life 1.1: Functions of Water in the Plant Box 1.1: Light and water – prerequisites of photosynthesis 1.2: Adaptation Strategies of Plants to Overcome Water Shortage 1.3: Water and Net Primary Production 1.4: Water and Type of Vegetation 2: The Role of Water in Soil 2.1: Soil Genesis and Soil Functions 2.2: Soil Fauna and Vegetation Cover 3: The Interdependence of Soil Water and Vegetation 3.1: The Significance of the Soil for Water Storage 3.2: Transpiration and Seepage of Water with Different Types of Vegetation 4: Properties and Energy State of Water 4.1: Physical–Chemical Properties 4.2: The Concept of Water Potential and the Darcy Equation 5: Water Storage and Movement in Soil 5.1: Fundamentals and Principles Box 5.1: Measuring soil water 5.2: Evaporation 5.3: Infiltration and Water Transport Box 5.2: Soil structure and preferential flow 6: The Root – the Plant’s Organ for Water Uptake 6.1: The Role of the Root in the Plant 6.2: Structure of the Root Tip Box 6.1: Methods of studying roots 6.3: Root Systems 7: The Water Balance of the Plant 7.1: Water Potentials in Plant Cells 7.2: Water Uptake by Roots Box 7.1: Early experiments for determining water suction and water pressure of roots 7.3: Transpiration by Leaves 7.4: The Action of Stomatal Guard Cells 7.5: Water Transport within the Plant 7.6: Water Potentials in Plants Box 7.2: Searching for the cause of sap ascent 8: The Plant as a Link between Soil and Atmosphere:an Overview 8.1: The Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC) 8.2: Potential Evapotranspiration Box 8.1: Potential evaporation 8.3: Relations between Potential Evapotranspiration, Soil Water and Transpiration 9: Water Use by Crops 9.1: Growth of Roots and leaves 9.2: Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Transpiration 9.3: Root System Development and Water Uptake 9.4: How Much of the Soil Water is Extractable by Plant Roots? 9.5: Stomatal Control of Water Vapour Loss 9.6: Water Use Throughout the Growing Season 9.7: How to Determine the Components of the Field Water Balance 9.8: Numerical Simulation Box 9.1: How lysimeters work Box 9.2: Measurement of water flow through plants 10: Radiation and Dry Matter Production 10.1: Radiation and Net Photosynthesis of Single Leaves 10.2: Radiation Interception and Dry Matter Accumulation in Crop Stands 11: Water Use and Dry Matter Production 11.1: Relations and their Optimization Box 11.1: The saturation deficit of the air determines transpiration efficiency 11.2: The Transpiration Ratio and a Related Standard 11.3: Water Use and an Estimate of Dry Matter Production 12: Influence of Nutrient Supply on Water Use and Establishment of Yield 12.1: Yield Dependency on Water and Nutrient Supply 12.2: Influence of Nutrient Supply on the Relationship between Water Use and Yield 12.3: Transpiration Efficiency and Fertilizer Application 13: Development of Economic Yield under Inadequate Water Supply 13.1: Physiological Reactions and Assimilate Partitioning 13.2: Economic Yield 13.3: Water Shortage at Different Phenological Stages 13.4: Relation between Water Use and Economic Yield in Principal Crops 14: Water Stress in Plants 14.1: Measuring Water Stress in Plants 14.2: How Plants Perceive Water Stress Box 14.1: Signalling between roots and shoots 15: Climatic Factors Influencing Yield 15.1: Growth-limiting Climatic Factors 15.2: Climate Change 15.3: Plants, Soils and Cropping Pattern in a Changing Environment 16: Breeding for Yield and Water Use 16.1: Comparing Old and New Cultivars 16.2: Future Strategies in Plant Breeding 16.3: Application of Molecular Biology to Improve Crop Performance under Drought 17: Controlling the Soil’s Water Balance by Soil Management 17.1: Which of the Balance Components can be Changed? 17.2: Controlling Infiltration 17.3: Controlling Evaporation 17.4: Increasing the Quantity of Extractable Soil Water Box 17.1: Collection of water south of Sahel: a man, a hoe and barren land 17.5: Conservation Tillage 18: Controlling Water Use by Crop Management 18.1: Crop Rotation 18.2: Choice of Species and Cultivars 18.3: Seeding and Stand Density 18.4: Fertilizer Application 19: Irrigation 19.1: Need, Concerns, Problems 19.2: Tapping Water – the Basis of Early Civilizations 19.3: Water Requirement of Crops 19.4: Timing and Adjusting the Application of Water 19.5: Efficient Water Use 19.6: Irrigation Methods 20: Epilogue

Read more less

Book SynopsisWater is the most basic essential for plant growth; an inadequate supply causes severe problems, as plants rely on the water transmitted by soil to meet their physiological and nutritional needs. Since the first edition was published, flooding and droughts throughout the world have made water an even more topical subject, as the importance and instability of our water supplies have been brought to the forefront of daily life. This new edition of Water Dynamics in Plant Production focuses on the dynamics of water through the hydrologic cycle and the associated mechanisms that plants employ to optimize growth and development. It describes the basic scientific principles of water transport in the soil-plant atmosphere continuum, and explains the linkage between transpirational water use and dry matter production. Paying particular attention to the various agronomic strategies for adaptation to climate-driven limitations of water resources, the efficiency of water use in plant production and in achieving an economic yield is presented in detail. This book offers a multidisciplinary introduction to the fundamentals and applications of water dynamics in natural and managed ecosystems. Including text boxes throughout, as well as online supplementary material, it provides an essential state of-the-art resource for students and researchers of soil and plant science, hydrology and agronomy. This book is enhanced with supplementary resources.Table of Contents1: The Role of Water in Plant Life 1.1: Functions of Water in the Plant Box 1.1: Light and water – prerequisites of photosynthesis 1.2: Adaptation Strategies of Plants to Overcome Water Shortage 1.3: Water and Net Primary Production 1.4: Water and Type of Vegetation 2: The Role of Water in Soil 2.1: Soil Genesis and Soil Functions 2.2: Soil Fauna and Vegetation Cover 3: The Interdependence of Soil Water and Vegetation 3.1: The Significance of the Soil for Water Storage 3.2: Transpiration and Seepage of Water with Different Types of Vegetation 4: Properties and Energy State of Water 4.1: Physical–Chemical Properties 4.2: The Concept of Water Potential and the Darcy Equation 5: Water Storage and Movement in Soil 5.1: Fundamentals and Principles Box 5.1: Measuring soil water 5.2: Evaporation 5.3: Infiltration and Water Transport Box 5.2: Soil structure and preferential flow 6: The Root – the Plant’s Organ for Water Uptake 6.1: The Role of the Root in the Plant 6.2: Structure of the Root Tip Box 6.1: Methods of studying roots 6.3: Root Systems 7: The Water Balance of the Plant 7.1: Water Potentials in Plant Cells 7.2: Water Uptake by Roots Box 7.1: Early experiments for determining water suction and water pressure of roots 7.3: Transpiration by Leaves 7.4: The Action of Stomatal Guard Cells 7.5: Water Transport within the Plant 7.6: Water Potentials in Plants Box 7.2: Searching for the cause of sap ascent 8: The Plant as a Link between Soil and Atmosphere:an Overview 8.1: The Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC) 8.2: Potential Evapotranspiration Box 8.1: Potential evaporation 8.3: Relations between Potential Evapotranspiration, Soil Water and Transpiration 9: Water Use by Crops 9.1: Growth of Roots and leaves 9.2: Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Transpiration 9.3: Root System Development and Water Uptake 9.4: How Much of the Soil Water is Extractable by Plant Roots? 9.5: Stomatal Control of Water Vapour Loss 9.6: Water Use Throughout the Growing Season 9.7: How to Determine the Components of the Field Water Balance 9.8: Numerical Simulation Box 9.1: How lysimeters work Box 9.2: Measurement of water flow through plants 10: Radiation and Dry Matter Production 10.1: Radiation and Net Photosynthesis of Single Leaves 10.2: Radiation Interception and Dry Matter Accumulation in Crop Stands 11: Water Use and Dry Matter Production 11.1: Relations and their Optimization Box 11.1: The saturation deficit of the air determines transpiration efficiency 11.2: The Transpiration Ratio and a Related Standard 11.3: Water Use and an Estimate of Dry Matter Production 12: Influence of Nutrient Supply on Water Use and Establishment of Yield 12.1: Yield Dependency on Water and Nutrient Supply 12.2: Influence of Nutrient Supply on the Relationship between Water Use and Yield 12.3: Transpiration Efficiency and Fertilizer Application 13: Development of Economic Yield under Inadequate Water Supply 13.1: Physiological Reactions and Assimilate Partitioning 13.2: Economic Yield 13.3: Water Shortage at Different Phenological Stages 13.4: Relation between Water Use and Economic Yield in Principal Crops 14: Water Stress in Plants 14.1: Measuring Water Stress in Plants 14.2: How Plants Perceive Water Stress Box 14.1: Signalling between roots and shoots 15: Climatic Factors Influencing Yield 15.1: Growth-limiting Climatic Factors 15.2: Climate Change 15.3: Plants, Soils and Cropping Pattern in a Changing Environment 16: Breeding for Yield and Water Use 16.1: Comparing Old and New Cultivars 16.2: Future Strategies in Plant Breeding 16.3: Application of Molecular Biology to Improve Crop Performance under Drought 17: Controlling the Soil’s Water Balance by Soil Management 17.1: Which of the Balance Components can be Changed? 17.2: Controlling Infiltration 17.3: Controlling Evaporation 17.4: Increasing the Quantity of Extractable Soil Water Box 17.1: Collection of water south of Sahel: a man, a hoe and barren land 17.5: Conservation Tillage 18: Controlling Water Use by Crop Management 18.1: Crop Rotation 18.2: Choice of Species and Cultivars 18.3: Seeding and Stand Density 18.4: Fertilizer Application 19: Irrigation 19.1: Need, Concerns, Problems 19.2: Tapping Water – the Basis of Early Civilizations 19.3: Water Requirement of Crops 19.4: Timing and Adjusting the Application of Water 19.5: Efficient Water Use 19.6: Irrigation Methods 20: Epilogue

Read more less

Book SynopsisConservation agriculture systems have long-term impacts on livelihoods, agricultural production, gender equity, and regional economic development of tribal societies in South Asia. This book presents South Asia as a case study, due to the high soil erosion caused by monsoon rainfall and geophysical conditions in the region, which necessitate conservation agriculture approaches, and the high percentage of people in South Asia relying on subsistence and traditional farming. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach to analyse systems at scales ranging from household to regional and national levels.Table of Contentsa: Foreword b: Preface 1: A brief history of conservation agriculture 2: Global perspectives on conservation agriculture for small households 3: Potential of conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) for improving sustainable food and nutrition security in the hill regions of Nepal 4: Effect of tillage, intercropping and residue cover on crop productivity, profitability and soil fertility under tribal farming situations of Odisha, India 5: Assessment of maize-based conservation agricultural production systems (CAPS) in rainfed uplands of Odisha, India 6: Risk as a determinant of adoption of conservation agriculture by smallholder farmers in Malawi 7: Economic potential of conservation agricultural production systems (CAPS) for tribal farmers in the hill region of Nepal 8: Evaluation of tillage and farm yard manure on soil properties and maize yield in the mid-hills of Nepal 9: Soil quality in conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) of rainfed, sloping land farming in the central mid-hills region of Nepal 10: Preferences for conservation agriculture in developing countries: a case study on tribal societies of India and Nepal 11: Empowering Women through Conservation Agriculture: Rhetoric or Reality? Evidence from Malawi 12: Gendered Implications of Introducing Conservation Agriculture (CA): A Case Study in the Hill Region of Nepal

Read more less

Book SynopsisVisual Soil Evaluation provides land users and environmental authorities with the tools to assess soil quality for crop performance. An important tool for ensuring food security, this book appraises the use of visual soil evaluation in determining the potential of different land types for carbon storage, greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient leaching. Providing a guide to diagnosing and rectifying soil problems, it includes: - Full colour illustrations throughout to show variation of soil quality and aid evaluation - A broad range of land types, from abandoned peats to prime arable land - Assessment of soil structure after quality degradation such as compaction, erosion or organic matter loss Essential reading for students, researchers and scientists interested in soil science and crop production, this book is also a valuable tool for policy makers and environmental authorities. A useful handbook assessing yield potential across a range of scales, it places visual soil evaluation in the context of the future sustainable intensification of agriculture.Table of Contents1: Describing soil structures, rooting and biological activity and recognising tillage effects, damage and recovery from damage in clayey and sandy soils 2: Assessing structural quality for crop performance and for agronomy (VESS, VSA, SOILpak, Profil Cultural, SubVESS) 3: Reduction of yield gaps and improvement of ecological function through local-to-global applications of visual soil assessment 4: Visual evaluation of grassland and arable management impacts on soil quality 5: Choosing and evaluating soil improvements by subsoiling and compaction control 6: Valuing the Neglected: lessons and methods from an organic, anthropic soil system in the Outer Hebrides 7: Evaluating land quality for carbon storage, greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient leaching 8: Soil structure under adverse weather/climate conditions 9: The expanding discipline and role of Visual Soil Evaluation

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book brings together the essential evidence and policy opportunities regarding the global importance of soil carbon for sustaining Earth's life support system for humanity. Covering the science and policy background for this important natural resource, it describes land management options that improve soil carbon status and therefore increase the benefits that humans derive from the environment. Written by renowned global experts, it is the principal output from a SCOPE rapid assessment process project.Table of ContentsI: Foreword II: Acknowledgements III: Executive Summary Part I: Introduction, Overview and Integration 1: The global challenge for soil carbon 2: Soil carbon, a critical natural resource: Wide-scale goals, urgent actions 3: Soil carbon transition curves: reversal of land degradation through management of soil organic matter for multiple benefits 4: From potential to implementation: An innovation framework to realise the benefits of soil carbon 5: A strategy for taking soil carbon into the policy arena Part II: Soil Carbon in Earth’s Life Support System 6: Soil formation 7: Soil carbon dynamics and nutrient cycling 8: Soil hydrology and reactive transport of carbon and nitrogen in a multi-scale landscape Part III: The Multiple Benefits of Soil Carbon 9: Climate change mitigation 10: Soil carbon and agricultural productivity: Perspectives from sub-Saharan Africa 11: Soil as a support of biodiversity and functions 12: Water supply and quality 13: Wind erosion of agricultural soils and the carbon cycle 14: Historical and sociocultural aspects of soil organic matter and soil organic carbon benefits 15: The economic value of soil carbon Part IV: Quantification and Reporting of Soil Carbon 16: Measuring and monitoring soil carbon 17: Modelling soil carbon 18: Valuation approaches for soil carbon Part V: Influence of Human Activity on Soil Carbon 19: Current soil carbon loss and land degradation globally: Where are the hotspots and why there? 20: Climate change and soil carbon impacts 21: Impacts of land-use change on carbon stocks and dynamics in central-southern South American biomes: Cerrado, Atlantic forest and southern grasslands. Part VI: Managing Soil Carbon for Multiple Benefits 22: Basic principles of soil carbon management for multiple ecosystem benefits 23: Managing soil carbon for multiple ecosystems benefits: positive exemplars – Latin America 24: Managing soil carbon for multiple benefits: positive exemplars - North America 25: Managing soil carbon in Europe: paludicultures as a new perspective for peatlands 26: Managing soil organic carbon for multiple benefits: The case of Africa 27: Benefits of SOM in agro-ecosystems: A case of China 28: Assessment of organic carbon status in Indian soils Part VII: Governance of Soil Carbon 29: Policy frameworks 30: National implementation case study: China 31: Avoided land degradation and enhanced soil C storage: Is there a role for carbon markets?

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe development of legume use in agricultural production in the tropics lags far behind the temperate areas and extensive research over recent decades has aimed to rectify the lack of available leguminous fodder species available for heavy clay soils. This book draws together that research and explores the importance of heavy clay soils to agricultural productivity in the tropics and subtropics and the identification of adapted, productive forage legumes for these environments. Covering over four decades of international research, Tropical Forage Legumes: · Includes a detailed analysis of the forage germplasm available which is adapted to heavy clay soils · Covers the adaptation of a wide range of forages on Australian clay soils, and the evaluation of successful native and exotic forage legume species that have potential for those in Belize · Explores the genetics of the most promising genera, Desmanthus and Stylosanthes, and looks at the results from countries where new genotypes have been found to be productive and persistent · Provides details of a number of exciting new species, especially those in Desmanthus which have the potential to be, or have been commercialized · Makes recommendations for future research Providing an invaluable example of how a global search for adapted and productive forage germplasm has been - and can be - undertaken, and allowing access to a significant body of knowledge that was acquired before the digitalization of reports, this book will be a key resource for new scientists and experienced researchers in the areas of agriculture and forage agronomy.Table of Contents1: Providing Pasture and Ley Legumes for Use on Clay Soils in Tropical and Subtropical Environments 2: The Collection and Initial Evaluation of a Wide Range of Pasture Legumes From Mexico, Belize and Guatemala: Implications for Genetic Resource Development for Tropical Countries 3: Developing and Utilizing Genetic Resource Collections: An Example From the Tropical Leguminous Genus Stylosanthes 4: Desmanthus, A Tropical and Subtropical Forage Legume: Developing Germplasm Resources for More Tropical and High Altitude Environments 5: A Numerical Analysis of Variation Patterns in the Genus Desmanthus: An Exploratory Study 6: Searching for Pasture Legumes for Heavy Clay Soils in the Australian Dry Tropics and Subtropics: I. Initial literature Reviews, Data Analysis and Choice of Material for Test 7: Searching for Pasture Legumes for Heavy Clay Soils in the Australian Dry Tropics and Subtropics: II. Ancillary Floristic, Climatic and Edaphic Studies 8: Searching for Pasture Legumes for Heavy Clay Soils in the Australian Dry Tropics and Subtropics: III. The Initial Evaluation of Introduced Material 9: Searching for Pasture Legumes for Heavy Clay Soils in the Australian Dry Tropics and Subtropics: IV. Evaluation in Western Queensland 10: Recent Development and Commercial Adoption of Legumes for Heavy Clay Soils in Queensland 11: Developing and Commercializing New Pasture Legumes for Clay Soils in the Semi-arid Rangelands of Northern Australia: The New Desmanthus Cultivars JCU 1–5 and the Progardes Story 12: The Cattle Industry of Belize: A Brief History of Research and Development to the Mid-1970s 13: Botanical Composition and Nutritive Value of Selected Native Pastures in Belize 14: Single Plant Trials of Potential Forage Legumes for Belizean Pastures on Clay Soils of the Upper Belize River and the Lowland Pine Ridge 15: Forage Legume Adaptation Strip Trials in Belize 16: Initial Screening for Persistence and Productivity of 20 Promising Native and Exotic Pasture Legume Species in Two Productive Contrasting Forage Grasses in Belize 17: Productivity of 16 Forage Legumes Under Cutting in Belize on Contrasting Soils: A High Alluvial Terrace and A Lowland Pine Savanna I. Dry Matter Yields 18: Productivity of 16 Forage Legumes in Mixed Swards Under Cutting in Belize on Contrasting Soils: A High Alluvial Terrace and A Lowland Pine Savanna II. Nutrient Levels and Feeding Value 19: A Summary of the Results of the IDRC-UWI/Belize Forage Legume Adaptation and Productivity Trials, 1973–1977

Read more less

Book SynopsisVisual Soil Evaluation provides land users and environmental authorities with the tools to assess soil quality for crop performance. An important tool for ensuring food security, this book appraises the use of visual soil evaluation in determining the potential of different land types for carbon storage, greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient leaching. Providing a guide to diagnosing and rectifying soil problems, it includes: - Full colour illustrations throughout to show variation of soil quality and aid evaluation - A broad range of land types, from abandoned peats to prime arable land - Assessment of soil structure after quality degradation such as compaction, erosion or organic matter loss Essential reading for students, researchers and scientists interested in soil science and crop production, this book is also a valuable tool for policy makers and environmental authorities. A useful handbook assessing yield potential across a range of scales, it places visual soil evaluation in the context of the future sustainable intensification of agriculture.Table of Contents1: Describing soil structures, rooting and biological activity and recognising tillage effects, damage and recovery from damage in clayey and sandy soils 2: Assessing structural quality for crop performance and for agronomy (VESS, VSA, SOILpak, Profil Cultural, SubVESS) 3: Reduction of yield gaps and improvement of ecological function through local-to-global applications of visual soil assessment 4: Visual evaluation of grassland and arable management impacts on soil quality 5: Choosing and evaluating soil improvements by subsoiling and compaction control 6: Valuing the Neglected: lessons and methods from an organic, anthropic soil system in the Outer Hebrides 7: Evaluating land quality for carbon storage, greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient leaching 8: Soil structure under adverse weather/climate conditions 9: The expanding discipline and role of Visual Soil Evaluation

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis introductory book to the six volume series includes an introduction defining the critical zone for mankind that extends from tree canopy and the lower atmosphere to water table and unweathered rock. Soils play a crucial role through the functions and the services that they provide to mankind. The spatial and temporal variability of soils is represented by information systems whose importance, recent evolutions and increasingly performing applications in France and in the world must be underlined. The soil functions, discussed in this book, focus on the regulation of the water cycle, biophysicochemical cycles and the habitat role of biodiversity. The main services presented are those related to the provision of agricultural, fodder and forest products, energy, as well as materials and the role of soil as infrastructure support. They also include the different cultural dimensions of soils, their representations being often linked to myths and rites, as well as their values of environmental and archaeological records. Finally, the issue is raised of an off-ground world.Table of ContentsForeword xiii Chapter 1. Soils as a Key Component of the Critical Zone 1Jacques BERTHELIN, Guilhem BOURRIÉ, Michel-Claude GIRARD, Guillaume DHÉRISSARD and Christian VALENTIN 1.1. What are soils? 1 1.2. The Earth, land, soils, soil cover and the Critical Zone 2 1.3. The term “soil” has various meanings according to use and function processes 5 1.4. The concept of soil varies according to the user 6 1.4.1. Agricultural sector 7 1.4.2. Scientific communities 7 1.4.3. Urban communities 8 1.4.4. Current pressures and questions 8 1.5. The approaches and procedures of soil scientists and pedologists 9 1.6. Two principles to take into account: geographical continuity and multi-temporality 10 1.6.1. Principle of continuity 10 1.6.2. Principle of multi-temporality 13 1.7. Nature, organization and major modes of soil processes 15 1.7.1. Soils before the arrival of humans 15 1.7.2. Specifics and origins of the Earth’s soils 17 1.7.3. The parameters controlling differentiation and diversity of soils 18 1.8. The functions and services of soils 23 1.8.1. Major functions 23 1.8.2. Services provided by soils 24 1.8.3. The role of soils within our culture and our history 25 1.9. The need and significance of soil information systems 29 1.10. Conclusion and recommendation 29 1.11. Bibliography 30 Chapter 2. Understanding Soils for Their More Efficient Management: A National Soil Information System 35Marion BARDY, Dominique ARROUAYS, Claudy JOLIVET, Bertrand LAROCHE, Christine LE BAS, Manuel MARTIN, Céline RATIÉ, Anne C. RICHER-DE-FORGES, Nicolas SABY, Véronique ANTONI, Antonio BISPO, Michel BROSSARD, Jean-Luc FORT, Joëlle SAUTER and Chantal GASCUEL 2.1. Introduction 35 2.2. The inventory and monitoring of soils in Europe and in the world 36 2.3. National mechanisms for the acquisition of soil data 37 2.3.1. Issues and demands 37 2.3.2. Structuring of national data collection mechanisms 38 2.4. Data exploitation for the production of maps and indicators 44 2.5. Dissemination and availability of data 49 2.5.1. A national soil information system focused on data dissemination 49 2.5.2. A progressive enrichment of data and metadata supply 50 2.5.3. Assisting the use, improvement and control of data 52 2.6. Conclusion 52 2.7. Bibliography 53 Chapter 3. Soils and Regulation of the Hydrological Cycle 9Marc VOLTZ, Cécile DAGÈS, Laurent PRÉVOT and Ary BRUAND 3.1. The soil – facilitator within the hydrological cycle 59 3.2. Soil control mechanisms 61 3.2.1. Infiltration–runoff partition 61 3.2.2. Aquifer recharge 65 3.2.3. Evaporation and transpiration flows 67 3.2.4. Capillary rise 70 3.2.5. Soil water budget 71 3.2.6. Hydrological flows along hillslopes 72 3.3. Impacts on the hydrological cycle at soil cover scale 74 3.3.1. Influence of soil and land use variations 75 3.3.2. Influence of land use changes 77 3.3.3. Influence of landscape infrastructures 78 3.4. Conclusions 79 Chapter 4. Soils as Bio-physicochemical Reactors 81Fabienne TROLARD and Guilhem BOURRIÉ 4.1. What is a reactor? 81 4.2. Soil components 85 4.3. Reactivity drivers 86 4.4. Main reactions within soils 90 4.4.1. Master variables: pH and pe 90 4.4.2. Acid–base reactions 91 4.4.3. Reactions of oxido-reduction 94 4.4.4. Degradation of organic matter 95 4.5. Biogeochemical evolution of the Earth’s surface and the consequences for soils 96 4.5.1. Availability of chemical elements changed with the Earth’s evolution 96 4.5.2. The evolution of the Earth’s reactor imposed the evolution of living organisms 99 4.5.3. Emergence of the “soil” function within the Critical Zone 101 4.6. Soil, biogeochemical reactor of soil formation 103 4.6.1. Vertical dynamics of soils: the lowering of horizons within landscapes 105 4.6.2. Lateral dynamics of soil and transformations of soil covers 107 4.6.3. Lateral dynamics by epigenesis (replacement) 111 4.7. Soil structure: a case of “soft matter” 112 4.8. Bibliography 113 Chapter 5. Soils are Biosystems, Habitats and Reserves of Biodiversity 117Jacques BERTHELIN, Éric BLANCHART, Jean TRAP and Jean Charles MUNCH 5.1. Introduction 117 5.2. Emergence and development of microbial ecology and soil biology 118 5.2.1. Discovery of the microbial world, a turning point in the knowledge of the functioning of soil–plant systems 118 5.2.2. Discovery of the role of fauna and development of soil biology 119 5.3. Soil microbial communities 119 5.3.1. Richness and diversity of microbial communities 119 5.3.2. Evolution of methodologies in soil microbial ecology 123 5.4. Diversity of energy and nutritional pathways of microorganisms, key players in biogeochemical cycles 124 5.4.1. Heterotrophy, autotrophy and extreme environments 124 5.4.2. Soils, environments where life is active with or without oxygen 125 5.5. Richness and diversity of soil fauna 126 5.5.1. Diversity of soil fauna 126 5.5.2. Classification by size 127 5.5.3. Functional classification sensu lato 127 5.5.4. Characterization of the fauna 128 5.6. Soils, environments with energy and nutritional conditions favorable to microbial life and fauna 128 5.7. Determinants and remarkable sites of diversity and soil biological activities 129 5.7.1. Parameters and major activity sites 129 5.7.2. Impact of land use 130 5.7.3. Humus, integrators and developers of specific biological activities 131 5.7.4. The rhizosphere, a site of major interactions of soil–plant systems 132 5.8. Tools for understanding the habitats of soil organisms 133 5.9. Specificities of the soil fauna 133 5.9.1. Microregulators 134 5.9.2. The communities of organisms called “engineers” 134 5.10. Soil organisms: ecosystem service actors 135 5.11. Soil quality indicators 137 5.11.1. Soil organisms as indicators 137 5.11.2. Ecological functions as indicators 138 5.12. Conclusion and perspectives 138 5.13. Bibliography 139 Chapter 6. Soils, a Factor in Plant Production:Agroecosystems 147Claire CHENU, Jean ROGER-ESTRADE, Chantal GASCUEL and Christian WALTER 6.1. Introduction 147 6.2. Evolution of soil–agriculture relationship over the last few decades 148 6.3. Agricultural capability of soils 150 6.3.1. How do we define the agricultural capability of a soil? 150 6.3.2. Limited soil resources on a global scale 154 6.4. Agricultural practices that alter soil properties 155 6.5. Toward sustainable management of agricultural soils 158 6.6. Conclusion 161 Chapter 7. Forest Soils: Characteristics and Sustainability 163Jacques RANGER 7.1. Forest soils 163 7.2. Bioavailability of nutrients: soil–plant coevolution and the role of the biological cycle 165 7.3. Concept of forest soil fertility 170 7.4. Specificity of forest soils compared to agricultural soils 171 7.5. Threats to forest soils 175 7.5.1. Acidification 175 7.5.2. Physical degradation 177 7.5.3. The particular problem of organic carbon: soil fertility and climate change 179 7.5.4. Maintaining biodiversity 180 7.5.5. Pollution 181 7.5.6. Disappearance of forest soils 181 7.6. Conclusions 181 7.7. Bibliography 183 Chapter 8. Soils and Energy 187Isabelle FEIX 8.1. Soils at the heart of global issues 187 8.2. Energy context 188 8.3. Soils, energy supports and energy suppliers 190 8.3.1. Forest and agricultural biomass production: for bioenergy production 190 8.3.2. Physical supports of renewable energy: ground-mounted photovoltaic power plants and onshore wind turbines 190 8.3.3. Heat and freshness supplies: horizontal superficial geothermal energy and climatic wells 191 8.3.4. Peat: formerly used as a biofuel 191 8.4. The consequences of energy production on mobilization, occupation and land-use change 192 8.4.1. Comparison of land use intensities and land area occupations for energy production 194 8.4.2. Comparison of land use changes related to different energies 202 8.4.3. Consequences of energy policies for land mobilization and LUC 204 8.4.4. Optimization of land use 206 8.5. Impacts of energy production on soil loss, degradation and quality 207 8.5.1. Impacts common to all energies 207 8.5.2. Peat 208 8.5.3. Fossil fuels 208 8.5.4. Nuclear energy 208 8.5.5. Solar and wind energies 209 8.5.6. Bioenergies 210 8.6. Conclusion 217 8.7. Bibliography 219 Chapter 9. Soils, Materials, and Infrastructure Supports 233Guilhem BOURRIÉ and Fabienne TROLARD 9.1. The use of “raw” soils as building materials 233 9.2. Soils, infrastructure supports 236 9.3. The classical civil engineering versus the physical approach of granular media 237 9.4. Consumption of agricultural land, forest or natural areas by urban sprawl 239 9.5. The use of separate particle size fractions 242 9.5.1. The use of coarse fractions 242 9.5.2. The use of the clay fraction as material and reaction support 242 9.5.3. The use of the soil organic fraction 243 9.5.4. The use of soil oxides 243 9.6. The use of chemical elements after extraction and treatment 243 9.7. Bibliography 244 Chapter 10. Cultural Dimensions of Soils 247Suzanne MÉRIAUX and Michel-Claude GIRARD 10.1. Soil representations – the Earth celebrated 247 10.1.1. The written Earth 248 10.1.2. The illustrated Earth 251 10.1.3. The Earth with sound 254 10.2. Humanity, Earth and soil: myths and rites 258 10.2.1. Defining myths 259 10.2.2. Earth and soils in myths 259 10.2.3. Myths 261 10.2.4. Rites 268 10.2.5. Analogies with the pedological approach? 269 10.2.6. Links between humans and earth/soils 270 10.2.7. Conclusion 271 10.3. Bibliography 272 Chapter 11. Environmental and Societal Memories of Soils 275Marie-Agnès COURTY 11.1. Ancient soils: archives of human history 275 11.1.1. Objectives 275 11.1.2. Soil memory and climate change 276 11.1.3. Memory of ancient soils and societies 278 11.2. Methods of studying soil memory 279 11.2.1. The field approach 279 11.2.2. Analytical characterization 281 11.3. Reading the ancient soil memory 282 11.3.1. Foundations 282 11.3.2. Sedimentary features 283 11.3.3. Combustion features 285 11.3.4. Soil features 287 11.4. Conclusion and perspectives 294 11.5. Bibliography 295 Chapter 12. A Mesological Point of View 299Pierre DONADIEU 12.1. Soil ubiquity 299 12.2. Soil as 301 12.3. Off-ground? 303 12.4. Living off-ground 304 12.5. Limits of the off-ground 307 12.6. Conclusion 309 12.7. Bibliography 309 List of Authors 311 Index 315

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume comprises three parts: 1) from local to global, 2) what type of sustainable management? 3) territorial approaches. The first chapter demonstrates, from the French example, that better soil management is a societal issue. At the global level, the second chapter raises the question of land grabbing and land use conflicts. This book also raises the question of the legal status of the soil. It then shows how soils need to be integrated when defining sustainable agricultural systems. French and European examples illustrate how taking environmental problems into account depends as much on their acuity as on how problems are perceived by public and private, social or economic actors. Therefore, it is important to promote co-diagnosis involving the scientific community and the various other actors in order to improve the regulation on soils. This multi-actor soil governance is facilitated by the use of simple soil quality indicators. Finally, examples in France and Vietnam show how soils are to be considered as territorial commons within landscapes. This last chapter recommends in particular to put an end to the absolute right of soil ownership and to distribute the usufruct of land between various private and public beneficiaries.Table of ContentsForeword ix André MARIOTTI Part 1. Local and Global 1 Chapter 1. Effective Management of Agricultural Soils: A Challenge for Society 3Cécile CLAVEIROLE and Agnès COURTOUX 1.1. Introduction 3 1.2. Findings and issues 4 1.2.1. Ecosystem services created by the soil 4 1.2.2. The current major issues 5 1.3. Recommendations of the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council 6 1.3.1. Developing soil knowledge tools 7 1.3.2. Protecting the land and using land planning as a preservation tool 8 1.3.3. Supporting agricultural practices that promote good soil biological quality 9 1.3.4. Raising awareness about soil-related issues 11 1.4. Conclusion 12 1.5. Bibliography 12 Chapter 2. A New “Great Game” over the World’s Arable Land? 13 Alain KARSENTY 2.1. Introduction 13 2.2. The dynamic compound that is “land grabbing” 15 2.2.1. The powers behind the phenomenon 15 2.2.2. Quantitative estimates revised downward 16 2.2.3. A predominance of food production partly due to oil palm 18 2.2.4. Host countries and the origin of investors 19 2.2.5. The nature of investors 21 2.2.6. Land-use changes 22 2.2.7. The consequences for agricultural structures 24 2.3. Does the grabbing model have a future? 26 2.3.1. Local resistance pushes for proposals for contract farming 26 2.3.2. Possible mutual gains? 28 2.3.3. Multilateral efforts to introduce a soft law 30 2.3.4. The role of public policies 31 2.4. Conclusion 32 2.5. Bibliography 34 Part 2. Different Forms of Sustainable Management 39 Chapter 3. The Soil: A Strange Legal Notion 41Maylis DESROUSSEAUX 3.1. Introduction 41 3.2. The potential of law in the regulation of soil usage 44 3.2.1. The variability in the law’s understanding of soil 44 3.2.2. The lack of ecological soil governance 47 3.3. The necessary evolution of the legal status of soil 49 3.3.1. The protection of soil habitats recognized by law for the recovery of biodivesity 49 3.3.2. The acknowledgment of the soil as part of our common heritag 51 3.4. Conclusion 53 3.5. Bibliography 53 Chapter 4. Where is Soil in the Design and Management of Sustainable Farming Systems? The View of an Agronomist 57François LAURENT 4.1. Introduction 57 4.2. The soil of the agronomist: a field of diversity 58 4.3. Soil and fertility: relationships to revisit and the need for operational knowledge 59 4.4. Agroecology and global issues: emerging needs 66 4.5. Conclusion 70 4.6. Acknowledgement 70 4.7. Bibliography 71 Part 3. Territorial Approaches 75 Chapter 5. Common Governance of Soil Quality, Complex and Multi-player Dynamics 77Didier CHRISTIN and Guillaume DHÉRISSARD 5.1. Introduction 77 5.2. Return to some territorial experiments 78 5.2.1. Presentation of three cases in France, the Netherlands and Belgium 79 5.2.2. Key teachings from the viewpoint of soil governance 83 5.3. Learning about soil management in terms of common management 84 5.3.1. Soil management, a complex and multi-player issue 84 5.3.2. The total quality of the soils 85 5.3.3. Common management 87 5.4. Conclusion 90 5.5. Bibliography 91 Chapter 6. Moving Discussions Toward Co-diagnostics: Progressive Approaches 93Christine KING 6.1. Introduction 93 6.2. Scientists’ proposals 94 6.2.1. Clarifying, objectifying and representing the organization and soil quality 94 6.2.2. Increasing knowledge and awareness of the processes involved and the provided ecosystem services 97 6.2.3. Increasing trust in models and in projections 103 6.2.4. A better policy for raising awareness and transferring knowledge 105 6.2.5. Organizing the monitoring of scientific evidence 106 6.2.6. Developing and conducting a proper monitoring system 108 6.3. The science/society discussion 109 6.3.1. More and more interactions of the subject of soil and diagnostics 109 6.3.2. Current research and the contributions of human and social sciences 116 6.4. Conclusion 119 6.5. Bibliography 120 Chapter 7. The Soil as Territorial Commons: The Point of View of a Landscaper 127Pierre DONADIEU 7.1. Introduction 127 7.2. Territorial and landscaped commons 128 7.2.1. Territorial commons 129 7.2.2. Landscaped commons 131 7.2.3. Territorialism or landscaping? 134 7.2.4. Conclusion 137 7.3. Building territorial commons 137 7.3.1. Separating the rights of soil usage 137 7.3.2. Land use of the Morbihan Regional Nature Park: a landscape issue for local societies 138 7.3.3. Conserving the agricultural soil of the Pays de Caux: a common cause? 140 7.3.4. The Perfume River in Huế (Vietnam) 141 7.4. Conclusion 144 7.5. Bibliography 145 List of Authors 149 Index 151

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book brings together the essential evidence and policy opportunities regarding the global importance of soil carbon for sustaining Earth's life support system for humanity. Covering the science and policy background for this important natural resource, it describes land management options that improve soil carbon status and therefore increase the benefits that humans derive from the environment. Written by renowned global experts, it is the principal output from a SCOPE rapid assessment process project.Table of ContentsI: Foreword II: Acknowledgements III: Executive Summary Part I: Introduction, Overview and Integration 1: The global challenge for soil carbon 2: Soil carbon, a critical natural resource: Wide-scale goals, urgent actions 3: Soil carbon transition curves: reversal of land degradation through management of soil organic matter for multiple benefits 4: From potential to implementation: An innovation framework to realise the benefits of soil carbon 5: A strategy for taking soil carbon into the policy arena Part II: Soil Carbon in Earth’s Life Support System 6: Soil formation 7: Soil carbon dynamics and nutrient cycling 8: Soil hydrology and reactive transport of carbon and nitrogen in a multi-scale landscape Part III: The Multiple Benefits of Soil Carbon 9: Climate change mitigation 10: Soil carbon and agricultural productivity: Perspectives from sub-Saharan Africa 11: Soil as a support of biodiversity and functions 12: Water supply and quality 13: Wind erosion of agricultural soils and the carbon cycle 14: Historical and sociocultural aspects of soil organic matter and soil organic carbon benefits 15: The economic value of soil carbon Part IV: Quantification and Reporting of Soil Carbon 16: Measuring and monitoring soil carbon 17: Modelling soil carbon 18: Valuation approaches for soil carbon Part V: Influence of Human Activity on Soil Carbon 19: Current soil carbon loss and land degradation globally: Where are the hotspots and why there? 20: Climate change and soil carbon impacts 21: Impacts of land-use change on carbon stocks and dynamics in central-southern South American biomes: Cerrado, Atlantic forest and southern grasslands. Part VI: Managing Soil Carbon for Multiple Benefits 22: Basic principles of soil carbon management for multiple ecosystem benefits 23: Managing soil carbon for multiple ecosystems benefits: positive exemplars – Latin America 24: Managing soil carbon for multiple benefits: positive exemplars - North America 25: Managing soil carbon in Europe: paludicultures as a new perspective for peatlands 26: Managing soil organic carbon for multiple benefits: The case of Africa 27: Benefits of SOM in agro-ecosystems: A case of China 28: Assessment of organic carbon status in Indian soils Part VII: Governance of Soil Carbon 29: Policy frameworks 30: National implementation case study: China 31: Avoided land degradation and enhanced soil C storage: Is there a role for carbon markets?

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive, beautifully illustrated colour guide to the plants which farmers, growers and gardeners can use to improve soil structure and restore fertility without the use and expense of agrichemicals. Information based on the latest research is given on how to use soil conditioning plants to avoid soil degradation, restore soil quality and help clean polluted land. There are 11 chapters: 1 to 6 cover soil health, nitrogen fixation, green manures and herbal leys, bacteria and other microorganisms, phytoremediators and soil mycorrhiza (plant-fungal symbiosis). Chapter 7 has plant illustrations, with climate range and soil types, along with their soil conditioning properties and each plant is presented with a comprehensive description opposite a detailed illustration, in full colour. Chapters 8 to 10 examine soil stabilisers, weeds and invasive plants, and hedges and trees and the final chapter, contains 5 case studies with the most recent data, followed by an appendix and glossary. The book allows the reader to identify the plants they need quickly and find the information necessary to begin implementation of soil regeneration.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Soil Health Chapter 2: Nitrogen-fixing Plants Chapter 3: Cover Crops, Green Manures and Herbal Leys Chapter 4: Bacteria and Other Microorganisms Chapter 5: Mycorrhiza Chapter 6: Phytoremediators Chapter 7: Illustrations, with Information on Each Plant Chapter 8: Soil Stabilizers and Coastal Plants Chapter 9: Weeds and Invasive Plants Chapter Chapter 10: Hedges and Trees Chapter 11: Case Studies

Read more less

Book SynopsisTillage agriculture has led to widespread soil and ecosystem degradation globally, and more particularly in the developing regions. This is especially so in Africa where traditional agricultural practices have become unsustainable due to severe exploitation of natural resources with negative impacts on the environment and food system. In addition, agricultural land use in Africa today faces major challenges including increased costs, climate change and a need to transform to more sustainable production intensification systems. Conservation Agriculture has emerged as a major alternative sustainable climate smart agriculture approach in Africa and has spread to many African countries in the past decade as more development and research, including in sustainable mechanization, has enabled its extension and uptake. It is key to transforming Africa's agriculture and food system given its ability to restore soil health, biodiversity and productivity of millions of smallholder farms as well as larger-scale farms. This landmark volume is based on the material presented at the Second Africa Congress on Conservation Agriculture which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, 9-12 October 2018. The main theme of the Congress was 'Making Climate Smart Agriculture Real in Africa with Conservation Agriculture: Supporting the Malabo Declaration and Agenda 2063'. The Congress was aligned to mobilize stakeholders in all agriculture sectors to provide greater technical, institutional, development and investment support, impetus and direction to the vision and agenda for transforming African agriculture as set out by the Malabo Declaration and Agenda 2063. This book is aimed at all agricultural stakeholders in the public, private and civil sectors in Africa engaged in supporting the transformation of conventional tillage agriculture to Conservation Agriculture. The book will be of interest to: researchers, academics, students, development stakeholders, public and private sector investors and policy makers as well as institutional libraries across the world.Table of ContentsPart 1: Making Climate Smart Agriculture Real in Africa 1: The Malabo Declaration and Agenda 2063: Making Climate Smart Agriculture Real with Conservation Agriculture in Africa 2: Development of Climate Smart Agriculture in Africa 3: Climate Smart Agriculture for Africa: The Potential Role of Conservation Agriculture in Climate Smart Agriculture Part 2: Mainstreaming of Conservation Agriculture 4: Mainstreaming of the Conservation Agriculture paradigm in Africa 5: Challenges and Approaches to Accelerating the Uptake of Conservation Agriculture in Africa and Europe 6: Conservation Agriculture in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania: Learnings from Two Decades of Research for Development 7: Historical Review and Future Opportunities for Wider Scaling of Conservation Agriculture in Tunisia 8: Assessing the Application and Practice of Conservation Agriculture in Malawi Part 3: Research for Conservation Agriculture Systems Development 9: Research and Technology Development Needs for Scaling Up Conservation Agriculture Systems, Practices and Innovations in Africa 10: Moving paradigms – Conservation Agriculture with Alternative Agronomics to Minimize Inputs 11: Economic and Yield Comparisons of Different Crop and Crop–Pasture Production Systems 12: Livestock Integration in Conservation Agriculture 13: Enhancing Climate Resilience Using Stress-tolerant Maize in Conservation Agriculture in Southern Africa 14: Tillage Effect on Agronomic Efficiency of Nitrogen Under Rainfed Conditions of Tanzania 15: Effect of Conservation Agriculture on Soil Properties and Maize Grain Yield in the Semi-Arid Laikipia County, Kenya 16: Increasing Adaptation to Climate Stress by Applying Conservation Agriculture in Southern Africa 17: What Drives Small-scale Farmers to Adopt Conservation Agriculture Practices in Tanzania? 18: Impact of Conservation Agriculture on Soil Health: Lessons from the University of Fort Hare Trial Part 4: Education and Training for Conservation Agriculture 19: Formal Education and Training for Conservation Agriculture in Africa 20: Strengthening Conservation Agriculture Education in Africa 21: Conservation Agriculture Innovation Systems Build Climate Resilience for Smallholder Farmers in South Africa 22: Lessons Learnt from Concern Worldwide's Conservation Agriculture Interventions in Malawi and Zambia, 2010–2018 23: Development of Adaptive Training Materials for Conservation Agriculture Promotion in Africa Part 5: Investing for Agricultural Transformation 24: Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization and Commercialization for Widespread Adoption of Conservation Agriculture Systems in Africa 25: Centres of Excellence in Conservation Agriculture: Developing African Institutions for Sustainable Agricultural Development 26: On-farm Experimentation for Scaling-out Conservation Agriculture Using an Innovation Systems Approach in the North West Province, South Africa 27: Conservation Agriculture for Climate Smart Agriculture in Smallholder Farming Systems in Kenya 28: Conservation Agriculture for Smallholder Farmers in Rainfed and Irrigated Systems in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain: Lessons Learned 29: Evaluation of the Technical Capacity of Artisans to Fabricate the Animal-powered Direct Seeder Super-Eco in Sénégal Part 6: The Future 30: The Future: Towards Agenda 2063

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta has newly emerged 'char' islands, resulting from the deposition of sediment, which are very vulnerable, socially, institutionally and environmentally. This book explains how the governments of Bangladesh and the Netherlands and the International Fund for Agricultural Development cooperated on a land-based rural development project to give settlers security and purpose. It details how they engaged communities and civil societies, and implemented an infrastructure aimed at reducing flooding, improving drainage, and providing adequate drinking water and sanitation. The book describes the project's application to crop and animal agriculture, and the development of value chains and encouragement of female participation. It considers the financial underpinning and infrastructure, as well as how to ensure the impacts of the scheme are enduring. The scheme serves as a model for support projects to vulnerable groups faced with climate change and other environmental challenges. This book is suitable for students, researchers, specialists and practitioners in rural development, water resources, land management and soil science.Table of Contents1: THE COASTAL CHARS OF BANGLADESH 2: THE BIRTH OF CDSP IV 3: MANAGING CHAR DEVELOPMENT AND SETTLEMENT: A COMPLEX PROCESS 4: INVOLVING THE COMMUNITIES AND CIVIL SOCIETY 5: ROLE OF WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT 6: DEVELOPING THE INFRASTRUCTURE 7: THE LAND SETTLEMENT PROCESS 8: THE POWER OF AGRICULTURE 9: MONEY MATTERS – SAVINGS AND LOANS 10: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT WITH TREES 11: INCOME AND QUALITY OF LIFE 12: OUR PRIDE 13: WHEN THE PROJECT LEAVES

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is a much-expanded and updated edition of a previous volume, published in 1996 as "No-tillage Seeding: Science and Practice". The base objective remains to describe, in lay terms, a range of international experiments designed to examine the causes of successes and failures in no-tillage. The book summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of no tillage. It highlights the pros and cons of a range of features and options, without promoting any particular product.Topics added or covered in more detail in the second edition include:* soil carbon and how its retention or sequestration interacts with tillage and no-tillage* controlled traffic farming as an adjunct to no-tillage* comparison of the performance of generic no-tillage opener designs* the role of banding fertilizer in no-tillage* the economics of no-tillage* small-scale equipment used by poorer farmers* forage cropping by no-tillage* a method for risk assessment of different levels of machine sophisticationTable of Contents1: The 'What' and 'Why' of no-tillage farming, C J Baker and K E Saxton 2: The benefits of no-tillage, D R Reicosky and K E Saxton 3: The nature of risk in no-tillage, C J Baker, W (Bill) R Ritchie and K E Saxton 4: Seeding openers and slot shape, C J Baker 5: The role of slot cover, C J Baker 6: Drilling into dry soils, C J Baker 7: Drilling into wet soils, C J Baker 8: Seed depth, placement and metering, C J Baker and K E Saxton 9: Fertilizer placement, C J Baker 10: Residue handling, C J Baker, F Ribeiro, Instito Agronômico do Paraná (IAPAR), Ponta Grossa, Parana, Brazil and K E Saxton 11: Comparing surface disturbance and low-disturbance disc openers, C J Baker 12: No-tillage for forage production, C J Baker, W (Bill) and R Ritchie 13: No-tillage drill and planter design - large-scale machines, C J Baker 14: No-tillage drill and planter design - small-scale machines, F Ribeiro, S E Justice, P Hobbs and C J Baker 15: Managing a no-tillage seeding system, W (Bill) R Ritchie and C J Baker 16: Controlled traffic farming as a complementary practice to no-tillage, W C T Chamen 17: Reduced environmental emissions and carbon sequestration, D C Reicosk and K E Saxton 18: Some economic comparisons, C J Baker 19: Procedures for development and technology transfer, C J Baker"

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book provides a selection of microbiological methods which are applicable or already applied in regional or national soil quality monitoring programmes. An overview is given of approaches to monitoring, evaluating and managing soil quality (Part I), followed by a selection of methods which are described in sufficient detail to use the book as a practical handbook in the laboratory (Part II). Finally a census is given of the main methods used in over 30 European laboratories. The book is aimed at different levels: soil scientists, technicians, policy makers, land managers and students.Table of ContentsPart I: Approaches to Defining, Monitoring, Evaluating and Managing Soil Quality 1: Introduction, A Benedetti and O Dilly 2: Defining Soil Quality, R G Burns, P Nannipieri, A Benedetti and D W Hopkins 3: Monitoring and Evaluating Soil Quality, J Bloem, A J Schouten, S J Sørensen, M Rutgers, A van der Werf and A M Breure 4: Managing Soil Quality, M Schloter, J C Munch and F Tittarelli 5: Conclusive Remarks, A Benedetti, P C Brookes and J M Lynch Part II: Selected Methods 6: Microbial Biomass and Numbers 7: Estimating soil microbial biomass, A Fließbach and F Widmer 8: Microbial biomass measurements by fumigation-extraction, P Brookes and R G Joergensen 9: Substrate-induced respiration, H Höper 10: Enumeration and Biovolume Determination of Microbial Cells, M Bölter, J Bloem, K Meiners and R Möller 11: Soil Microbial Activity 12: Estimating soil microbial activity , O Dilly 13: Soil respiration, M Pell, J Stenström and U Granhall 14: Soil nitrogen mineralization, S Canali and A Benedetti 15: Nitrification in soil, A Bollmann 16: Thymidine and leucine incorporation to assess bacterial growth rate, J Bloem and P R Bolhuis 17: N2O emissions and denitrification from soil, U Sehy, M Schloter, H Bothe and J C Munch 18: Enzyme activity profiles and soil quality, L J Shaw and R G Burns 19: Soil Microbial Diversity and Community Composition 20: Estimating soil microbial diversity and community composition, J D van Elsas and M Rutgers 21: Soil microbial community fingerprinting based on total community DNA or RNA, J D van Elsas, E M Top and K Smalla 22: Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analyses, A Palojärvi 23: Substrate utilisation in Biolog plates for analysis of CLPP, M Rutgers, A M Breure and H Insam 24: Plant-microbe Interactions and Soil Quality 25: Microbial ecology of the rhizosphere, P Lemanceau, P Offre, C Mougel, E Gamalero, Y Dessaux, Y Moënne-Loccoz and G Berta 26: Nodulating symbiotic bacteria and soil quality, A Hartmann, S Mazurier, D N Rodríguez-Navarro, F Temprano Vera, J-C Cleyet-Marel, Y Prin, A Galiana, M Fernández-López, N Toro and Y Moënne-Loccoz 27: Contribution of arbuscular mycorrhiza to soil quality and terrestrial ecotoxicology, S Gianinazzi, E Plumey-Jacquot, V Gianinazzi-Pearson and C Leyval 28: Concepts and methods to assess the phytosanitary quality of soils, C Alabouvette, J Raaijmakers, W de Boer, R Notz, G Défago, C Steinberg and P Lemanceau 29: Free-living plant-beneficial microorganisms and soil quality, Y Moënne-Loccoz, S L Woo, Y Okon, R Bally, M Lorito, P Lemanceau and A Hartman 30: Census of Microbiological Methods for Soil Quality, O Dilly

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe fungal kingdom consists of a wide variety of organisms with a diverse range of forms and functions. Fungi have been utilized for thousands of years and their importance in agriculture, medicine, food production and the environmental sciences is well known. New advances in genomic and metabolomic technologies have allowed further developments in the use of fungi in industry and medicine, increasing the need for a compilation of new applications, developments and technologies across the mycological field. Applied Mycology brings together a range of contributions, highlighting the diverse nature of current research. Chapters include discussions of fungal associations in the environment, agriculture and forestry, long established and novel applications of fungi in fermentation, the use of fungi in the pharmaceutical industry, the growing recognition of fungal infections, current interests in the use fungal enzymes in biotechnology and the new and emerging field of myconanotechnology. Demonstrating the broad coverage and importance of mycological research, this book will be of interest to researchers and students in all biological sciences.Table of Contents1: Mycology: an Overlooked Megascience - David Hawksworth I: Environment, Agriculture and Forestry 2: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Symbiosis Under Stress Conditions: Ecological Implications of Drought, Flooding and Salinity - Ileana V. García and Rodolfo E. Mendoza 3: An Overview of Ochratoxin Research - János Varga, Sándor Kocsubé, Zsanett Péteri and Robert A. Samson 4: Improvement of Controlled Mycorrhiza Usage in Forest Nurseries - Robin Duponnois, D. Diouf. , A. Galiana and Y. Prin 5: Fungi in Tree Canopy: an Appraisal - K.R. Sridhar 6: Ecology of Endophytic Fungi Associated with Leaf Litter Decomposition - Takashi Osono and Dai Hirose II: Food, Food Products and Medicine 7: Brewing Yeast in Action: Beer Fermentation - Pieter J. Verbelen1 and Freddy R. Delvaux 8: Genomic Adaptation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Inhibitors Involving Lignocellulosic Biomass Conversion to Ethanol - Zonglin Lewis Liu and Mingzhou Joe Song 9: Spoilage Yeasts and Other Fungi: Their roles in Modern Enology - M. Malfeito-Ferreira and V. Loureiro 10: Medicinal Potential of Ganoderma lucidum - Daniel Sliva 11: Current Advances in Dematiaceous Mycotic Infections - Sanjay Revankar III: Biotechnology and Emerging Science 12: Biotechnological Aspects of Trichoderma spp. - A.M. Rincón, T. Benítez, A.C. Codón and M.A. Moreno-Mateos 13: Agrobacterium tumefaciens as a Molecular Tool for the Study of Fungal Pathogens - Carol M. McClell and and Brian L. Wickes 14: Myconanotechnology: a New and Emerging Science - Mahendra Rai, Alka Yadav, Paul Bridge, Aniket Gade 15: Current Advances in Fungal Chitinases - Duochuan Li and Anna Li 16: Extracellular Proteases of Mycoparasitic and Nematophagous Fungi - László Kredics, Sándor Kocsubé, Zsuzsanna Antal, Lóránt Hatvani, László Manczinger, Csaba Vágvölgyi

Read more less

Book SynopsisSoil ecology is the study of interactions between the physio-chemical components of the soil and organisms living within the soil. Humans are highly dependent upon the soil ecosystem, which provides food, fiber, fuel and ecological services, such as the recycling of atmospheric gases. It is therefore important to understand the function and nature of the soil ecosystem in order to predict and mitigate the long term consequences of present day actions. Soil Ecology and Management describes the organisms inhabiting the soil, their functions and interactions and the dimensions of human impact on the activity of soil organisms and soil ecological function. Chapters discuss basic soil characteristics and biogeochemical cycling, key soil flora and fauna, community-level dynamics (soil food webs) and the ecological and pedological functions of soil organisms. Unlike other soil biology and ecology textbooks, the authors also convey a better understanding of how human activities impact upon soil ecology in a section on ecosystem management and its effects on soil biota and provide a unique perspective on the utility of soil organisms.Table of Contents1: Fundamental properties of the soil ecosystem 2: Characteristics of soil organic matter 3: Nutrient cycling: nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur 4: Ecological and pedological functions of soil biota 5: Soil food webs 6: Soil biological diversity 7: Ecosystem management and soil biota 8: Soil biota as indicators of soil quality

Read more less

Book SynopsisMycorrhizal symbioses are widespread and fundamental components of terrestrial ecosystems and have shaped plant evolution. Research in this field is rapidly evolving and recent findings have done much to improve our understanding of how these complex plant/fungal associations function. Providing either in-depth reviews or the results of previously unpublished scientific studies, the topics covered are of global interest and include plant/fungal communication, the interaction of mycorrhizal fungi with other soil microorganisms, the use of mycorrhizal fungi in plant-production systems, and the commercial harvesting of edible mycorrhizal forest mushrooms.Table of Contents1: Mycorrhizae in Canadian forest and agricultural ecosystems 2: From a germinating spore to an established arbuscular mycorrhiza: signalling and regulation 3: Growth and branching of asymbiotic, presymbiotic and extraradical AM fungal hyphae: clarification of concepts and terminology 4: Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and soil microorganisms 5: Arbuscular mycorrhiza: where nature and industry meet 6: The relative field mycorrhizal dependency concept and its usefulness in agronomy 7: Extraction, propagation, and conservation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi 8: Industrial perspective of applied mycorrhizal research in Canada 9: Mycorrhizal fungi in Canadian forest nurseries and field performance of inoculated seedlings 10: Ectomycorrhizal inoculation for boreal forest ecosystem restoration following oil sand extraction: the need for an initial three-step screening process 11: Technological transfer: the use of ectomycorrhizal fungi in conventional and modern forest tree nurseries in northern Africa 12: Ectomycorrhizae in the neotropics with emphasis on lowland forests 13: Ecophysiology of sporocarp development of ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes associated with boreal forest gymnosperms

Read more less

Book SynopsisAgriculture is strongly affected by changes in soil hydrology as well as by changes in land use and management practices and the complex interactions between them. This book aims to expand our knowledge and understanding of these interactions on a watershed scale, using soil hydrology models, and to address the consequences of land use and management changes on agriculture from a research perspective. Case studies illustrate the impact of land use and management practices on various soil hydrological parameters under different climates and ecosystems.Table of Contents1: Introduction to soil hydrology 2: Hydrology past, present and future 3: Over-view of existing soil hydrology models 4: Modeling agricultural management systems with APEX 5: Application of WEPP model to hillslopes and small watersheds in the US 6: Application of WEPP a distributed hydrological model on some Austria Watersheds 7: Application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for hydrological modelling in Germany 8: Spatially Distributed Hydrologic Modeling in Illinois River Drainage Area in Arkansas Using SWAT 9: Application of a distributed hydrological model for hydrological modeling in India 10: Application of RZWQM for hydrological modeling in Alcalde Basin of Northern New Mexico 11: A comprehensive, physically based model for surface and subsurface hydrology for small catchments 12: Effects of artificial drainage on water regime and solute transport at different spatial scales 13: Effect of land use and soil management on soil properties and processes 14: Land use and agricultural management systems effects on subsurface drain water quality and crop yields 15: Different types of climatic datasets for hydrological analysis 16: Climate change and soil hydrology: European perspective 17: Modeling the impacts of climate change on water balance and agricultural productivity in southern Portugal using SWAT 18: Soil hydrology, runoff, and soil erosion under future climate change 19: Remote sensing and soil hydrology

Read more less

Book SynopsisPlants, being sessile and autotrophic in nature, must cope with challenging environmental aberrations and therefore have evolved various responsive or defensive mechanisms including stress sensing mechanisms, antioxidant system, signaling pathways, secondary metabolites biosynthesis, and other defensive pathways among which accumulation of osmolytes or osmo-protectants is an important phenomenon. Osmolytes with organic chemical nature termed as compatible solutes are highly soluble compounds with no net charge at physiological pH and nontoxic at higher concentrations to plant cells. Compatible solutes in plants involve compounds like proline, glycine betaine, polyamines, trehalose, raffinose family oligosaccharides, fructans, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), and sugar alcohols playing structural, physiological, biochemical, and signaling roles during normal plant growth and development. The current and sustaining problems of climate change and increasing world population has challenged global food security. To feed more than 9 billion, the estimated population by 2050, the yield of major crops needs to be increased 1.1–1.3% per year, which is mainly restricted by the yield ceiling. A major factor limiting the crop yield is the changing global environmental conditions which includes drought, salinity and extreme temperatures and are responsible for a reduction of crop yield in almost all the crop plants. This condition may worsen with a decrease in agricultural land or the loss of potential crop yields by 70%. Therefore, it is a challenging task for agricultural scientists to develop tolerant/resistant varieties against abiotic stresses. The development of stress tolerant plant varieties through conventional breeding is very slow due to complex multigene traits. Engineering compatible solutes biosynthesis by deciphering the mechanism behind the abiotic tolerance or accumulation in plants cell is a potential emerging strategy to mitigate adverse effects of abiotic stresses and increase global crop production. However, detailed information on compatible solutes, including their sensing/signaling, biosynthesis, regulatory components, underlying biochemical mechanisms, crosstalk with other signaling pathways, and transgenic development have not been compiled into a single resource. Our book intends to fill this unmet need, with insight from recent advances in compatible solutes research on agriculturally important crop plants.Table of Contents1. Recent advances in plant adaptation to climate change – An introduction to compatible solutes2. Osmosensing and signaling in plants - Potential role in crop improvement under climate change3. Amino acids other than proline and their participation in abiotic stress tolerance4. Engineering glycine betaine biosynthesis in alleviating abiotic stress effects in plants5. Improvement of abiotic stress tolerance by modulating polyamine pathway in crop plants6. Engineering fructan biosynthesis against abiotic stress7. The γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) towards abiotic stress tolerance8. Sugar alcohols and osmotic stress adaptation in plants9. Crosstalk of compatible solutes with other signalling pathways in plants10. Effect and importance of compatible solutes in plant growth promotion under different stress conditions11. Compatible solute engineering: An approach for plant growth under climate change

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book discusses Turkey's karst systems' most critical features, one of the world's most important karst areas. This publication has been prepared to assist geologists and professionals working in karst areas by solving several different problems, for example, to conduct groundwater analysis in regions with karstic depressions and examine subsidence problems through geotechnical and hydrogeological studies to solve dams' technical challenges from Karstic areas.Table of ContentsCaves And Karst Of Turkey.- Turkey’s Karst And Water Resources.- Karst Hydrogeology Of Manavgat River Basin.- Karst Of Antalya Travertine, South West Of Turkey.- Geologic And Hydrogeologic Factors Affecting Sinkhole (Obruk) Development In Central Turkey.- Karst Areas Of Turkey.- Karst Springs Of Turkey.- Dumanli Karst Springs, Manavgat River, Antalya, Turkey.- Karst Hydrogeology In Geothermal Reservoirs.- Karstic Hot Water Aquifers In Turkey.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book presents a significant amount of structural, paleomagnetic and magnetic fabric data in the Central High Atlas (Morocco). The authors thoroughly described and analyzed the present-day structure of this intraplate chain through 22 of cross-sections, potential field data analysis and 3D reconstruction. In addition, the authors propose a palinspastic reconstruction of the structure of the basin at 100 Ma (i.e., post-extension and pre-compression) to finally evaluate its Mesozoic and Cenozoic geodynamic evolution. This books presents (1) a unique three-dimensional model at the chain scale, (2) an analysis of the ca. 100 Ma remagnetization, to perform palinspastic restorations of most representative structures, (3) as well as the interpretation of the magnetic fabrics in order to unravel the tectonic or deformation setting that the rocks underwent in different parts of the basin. This book is of interest to structural geologists in Northern Africa, the Mediterranean and Iberia, as well as to those interested in inverted intraplate basins and paleomagnetists from around the planet. Also, this book is intended to help students to understand better the geological evolution of the Atlas and therefore Morocco and surrounding areas.Table of ContentsChapter 1. The geological setting of the Moroccan High Atlas and its plate tectonics context.Moussaid, B., El-Ouardi, H., Casas-Sainz A.M., Pocoví, A., Román-Berdiel, T., Oliva-Urcia, B., Ruiz-Martínez, V.C.1.1. INTRODUCTION1.2. GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL SETTING1.3. THE HIGH ATLAS IN ITS GEOLOGICAL CONTEXT: SURROUNDING GEOLOGICALUNITS1.3.1. The Sahara domain1.3.2. The Anti-Atlas1.3.3. The Meseta domain1.3.4. The Rif Chain1.4. GEOLOGICAL FRAME OF THE MOROCCAN HIGH ATLAS1.4.1. The Atlantic High Atlas1.4.2. The Marrakech High Atlas1.4.3. The Central High Atlas (CHA)1.4.4. The Eastern High Atlas1.5. GEODYNAMIC FRAME OF THE HIGH ATLAS AND EVOLUTION OF THE APWP1.6. IMPLICATIONS OF THE MAIN GEODYNAMIC EVENTS IN NORTH AFRICA IN ATLASICGEOLOGY1.6.1. Permian-Triassic stage1.6.2. First rifting event: Late Triassic to Early Jurassic1.6.3. Second rifting event: Late Liassic to Early Dogger (180Ma)1.6.4. Bajocian-Late Jurassic stage1.6.5. Early Cretaceous1.6.6. Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic inversion1.7. MAGMATIC EVENTS / HYDROTHERMALISM AND MINERALIZATION1.7.1. Triassic: the CAMP event1.7.2. Jurassic – Cretaceous event1.7.3. Cenozoic event1.7.4. Hydrothermalism and mineralization1.8. STRATIGRAPHIC FRAME OF THE CENTRAL HIGH ATLAS1.8.1. Triassic1.8.2. Jurassic1.8.3. Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous1.8.4. Lower Cretaceous1.8.5. Post-Turonian Cretaceous deposits1.8.6. Cenozoic deposits1.9. STRUCTURING OF THE MOROCCAN HIGH ATLAS1.9.1. Extensional structures1.9.2. Post-basinal, pre-inversion tectonic structures1.9.3. Alpine compressional structures1.9.4. Crustal roots for Atlasic structures: the geophysical background1.9.5. Recent evolution of the Atlas belt: topographic featuresREFERENCESFIGURE CAPTIONSChapter 2. Structure of the Central High Atlas (Morocco). Constraints from potential field dataand 3D models.Casas-Sainz, A.M., Santolaria, P., Mochales, T., Pocoví, A., Izquierdo, E., El-Ouardi, H., Moussaid, B.,Manar, A., Ruiz-Martínez, V.C., Marcén, M., Torres-López, S., Gil-Imaz, A., Román-Berdiel, T., Oliva-Urcia, B., Calvín, P.2.1. MAIN STRUCTURAL FEATURES2.1.1. Southern Atlas fold-and-thrust belt (Zone 1)1. Toundoute nappe (Amejgag syncline-Tisguine syncline)2. Skoura culmination: basement thrusts associated with the Toundoute nappe (Asaka Kantoulathrust and others3. Boumalne-Dadès structures4. Central thrust system (Aït Ourena-Tamayoust-Jbel Aderbat-Jbel Badoust)5. Tadighoust anticline6. Amellago recumbent fold system7. Jbel Hamdoun thrust and related structures2.1.2. Northern Atlas thrust system (Zone 2)8. West of the Middle Atlas intersection9. East of the Middle Atlas intersection2.1.3. Western sector: the large interference synclines and basement-involved folds (Demnate area,Zone 3)10. Aït-Attab syncline11. Guettioua syncline12. Iouaridène, Tizgui and Tifni synclines (and intervening anticlines)13. Jbel Til syncline14. Jbel Rat syncline15. Amezri syncline2.1.4. Central sector (1): thrusts and diapiric anticlines (La Cathédrale area, Zone 4)16. Ouaouizaght syncline17. Taguelft syncline18. M’Goun anticline (Tameksout-Timoutiguine-Aït Baha-Toumliline)19. Wagoulzat anticline20. Tabant syncline21. Jbel Azourki anticline and Zawyat Ahansal zone22. Jbel Tilicha anticline23. Jbel Tabaghast thrust24. La Cathédrale thrust25. Aït-Mazigh anticline and western prolongation of La Cathédrale thrust26. Talmest-Tazoult anticline27. Tiffouine-Tagertetouch monocline28. Talmest interference structure29. Addendoum anticline30. Tilouguit monocline2.1.5. Central sector (2): thrusts, anticlines and diapirs (Imilchil area, Zone 5)31. Tizi’n’Isly syncline and thrust32. Chekret anticline and Ikassene syncline33. Tasraft anticline34. Anergui diapir35. Tassent anticline36. Lacs syncline37. Ikkou anticline38. Tissila anticline and Ikkou syncline39. Tadaghmamt anticline40. Timedouine diapir41. Moussa diapir42. Isselfène diapir and Taltfraout anticline/diapir43. Msmrir diapir and syncline44. Toumliline anticline and diapir45. Platform (cleavage-domain) area between Timedouine and Toumliline2.1.6. Eastern sector (1): cleavage-related linear structures (Tounfite area, Zone 6)46. Jbel Amalou anticline47. Tounfite syncline48. Jbel Masker anticline49. Tirrhist gabbro and associated structures50. Almou syncline51. Jbel Adderdoum thrust52. Taribante syncline53. Jbel Tazreft thrust54. Ameksou anticline55. Assoul syncline56. Jbel Baddou thrust2.1.7. Eastern sector (2): vergence-switching ridges (Midelt-Rich area, Ziz river, Zone 7)57. Jbel Aouja (and Aït Arouz) anticline58. Sidi Hamza anticline59. Foum Tilich thrust60. Kerrando syncline61. Bou Hamid anticline/thrust62. Gourrama syncline63. Foum Zabel anticline/thrust64. Aghbarou syncline2.2. SERIATED CROSS SECTIONS2.3. INPUT FROM MODELING OF POTENTIAL FIELD DATA2.3.1. Petrophysical properties2.3.1.1 Magnetic susceptibility and density2.3.1.2 Magnetic remanence and Koenigsberger ratio2.3.2 Magnetic maps processing2.3.2.1. Reduction to Pole and Reduction to Equator2.3.2.2. Filtering: Derivatives constraints2.3.2.3. 2.5D modelling of magnetic and gravimetric anomalies2.3.3. Results2.3.3.1. Interpretation of the corrected magnetic field map of IGRF (ICMT), Reduced to Pole(ICMTRTP) and Reduced to Equator (ICMTRTE)2.3.3.2. Interpretation of the Vertical and horizontal Derivatives2.3.3.3. Bouguer anomaly2.3.4. The geophysical anomalies in their relation to geological features and evolution2.3.5. 2.5D modelling. Configuration and interpretation of magnetic and gravimetric models2.3.5.1. Profile 2, Tagoudite2.3.5.2. Profile 8, Anergui E2.3.5.3. Profile 12, Ouaouitzaght2.4. CONTRIBUTIONS OF 3-D RECONSTRUCTIONS TO THE GEOMETRY OF THE CENTRALHIGH ATLAS2.4.1. Methods and workflow2.4.1.1 Defining the model area and resolution2.4.1.2. Modelled stratigraphic pile2.4.1.3. Input data and data compilation in a 3D environment2.4.1.4. Verifying cross-sections in a 3D environment2.4.1.5. Computing the model1. Major bounding thrust2. Faults3. Diapirs4. Diapir-fault systems5. Compiling structural surfaces6. Stratigraphic horizons2.4.2. 3D structural model of the Central High Atlas2.4.2.1. Southern Atlas fold-and-thrust belt (Zone 1)2.4.2.2. Northern Atlas thrust system (Zone 2)2.4.2.3. Western sector: the large interference synclines and basement-involved folds (Demnatearea, Zone 3)2.4.2.4. Central sector (1): thrusts and diapiric anticlines (La Cathédrale area, Zone 4)2.4.2.5. Central sector (2): thrusts, anticlines and diapirs (Imilchil area, Zone 5)2.4.2.6. Eastern sector (1): cleavage-related linear structures (Tounfite area, Zone 6)2.4.2.7. Eastern sector (2): vergence-switching ridges (Midelt-Rich area, Ziz river, Zone 7)2.4.3. Potential and limitations of the 3D modelREFERENCESFIGURE CAPTIONSChapter 3. Magnetic properties of the remagnetized carbonates of the Central High Atlas(Morocco).Calvín, P., Bógalo, M.F., Villalaín, J.J., Román-Berdiel, T., Falcón, I., Torres-López, S., Mochales, T.,Herrejón, A.3.1 METHODOLOGY3.2 GENERAL MAGNETIC FRACTION IN THE ATLASIC ROCKS3.2.1. Carbonates3.2.2. Red beds3.3 MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF MAGNETITE-BEARING REMAGNETIZED CARBONATES3.3.1. SP versus SSD grain size3.3.2. ARM vs IRM experiment3.3.3. Coercivity spectra3.3.4 Discussion and summary3.4 CARRIERS OF THE MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY3.4.1. Magnetic susceptibility of carbonates3.4.2. Magnetic susceptibility of red-bedsREFERENCESFIGURE CAPTIONSChapter 4. Paleomagnetism of the Central High Atlas. The widespread CretaceousRemagnetization and structural implications.Villalaín, J.J., Calvín, P., Falcón, I., Torres-López, S., Bógalo, M.F., Moussaid, B., Ruiz-Martínez, V.C.,Sánchez, E.4.1. MATERIALS, SAMPLING STRATEGY AND METHODS4.2. NATURAL REMANENT MAGNETIZATION OF MESOZOIC HIGH ATLAS ROCKS4.3. DIRECTIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTERISTIC REMANENT MAGNETIZATION4.4. AGE OF THE HIGH ATLAS REMAGNETIZATION4.5. SPREADING OF THE HIGH ATLAS REMAGNETIZATION4.6. RESTORATION OF THE PALEOMAGNETIC DIRECTIONS. PALEO-DIPS AT THEREMAGNETIZATION TIME (100 Ma)4.7. CONCLUSIONSREFERENCESFIGURE CAPTIONSChapter 5. Geodynamic evolution during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic in the Central High Atlas ofMorocco from Anisotropy of Magnetic SusceptibilityRomán-Berdiel, T., Oliva-Urcia, B., Casas-Sainz, A., Calvín, P., Moussaid, B., Soto, R., Marcén, M., ElOuardi, H., Pocoví, A., Gil-Imaz, A.5.1. SAMPLING AND METHODOLOGY5.2. MAGNETIC FABRIC (RT-AMS) RESULTS5.2.1. Global RT-AMS results5.2.2. RT-AMS by zones and types5.3. MAGNETIC SUBFABRICS (LT-AMS AND AARM) AND PETROFABRICS5.3.1. Scalar parameters5.3.2. Orientation distribution of grains, the information of the magnetic subfabrics (LT-, RT-AMSand AARM)5.3.3. Comparison with petrofabrics5.4. STRUCTURAL INTERPRETATION OF THE MAGNETIC FABRICS / TECTONICIMPLICATIONS OF THE MAGNETIC FABRIC ORIENTATION5.4.1. Strain characterization from magnetic fabrics in the Central High Atlas5.4.2. Timing of acquisition of AMS: Information derived from magnetic subfabrics separation5.5. CONCLUSIONSREFERENCESFIGURE CAPTIONSChapter 6. Kinematics of structures and basin evolution in the Central High Atlas. Constraintsfrom AMS and paleomagnetic dataCasas-Sainz, A., Villalaín, J.J., Román-Berdiel, T., Calvín, P., Marcén, M., Izquierdo, E., Santolaria, P.,Pocoví, A., Mochales, T., Oliva-Urcia, B., El-Ouardi, H., Moussaid, B.6.1. PALEODIPS AND FOLD TEST. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS6.2. ORIGIN OF INDIVIDUAL STRUCTURES ACCORDING TO PALEOMAGNETISM ANDMAGNETIC FABRIC DATA.6.3. RESTORED CROSS SECTION6.4. SIGNIFICANCE AND MEANING OF MAJOR STRUCTURES IN THE CENTRAL HIGHATLAS FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF MAGNETIC TECHNICS6.4.1. Deformation of the Paleozoic basement6.4.2. The asymmetry of the chain: compressional features of the southern Atlas fold-and-thrust-belt6.4.3. Compressional features of the northern belt6.4.4. Diapirism, magmatism and thrusting in the Central High Atlas6.4.5. Geophysical constraints to large-scale structural features6.4.6. Internal deformation: the cleavage domain6.4.7. Geometry of the overall extension and inversion of the Atlasic basin6.5. CONCLUSIONS. THE CONTRIBUTION OF MAGNETIC TECHNIQUES TO THEEVOLUTION OF THE CENTRAL HIGH ATLAS6.5.1. Paleomagnetism and AMS applied to the study of the CHA6.5.2. The intermediate stage in basin evolution6.5.3. Basin geometry: transtension vs. salt tectonics?6.5.4. Final considerations: comparison with other basins of the Thetys domain6.5.5. Concluding remarksREFERENCESFIGURE CAPTIONS

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe monograph offers a comprehensive discussion of the role of evaporites in hydrocarbon generation and trapping, and new information on low temperature and high temperature ores. It also provides a wealth of information on exploitable salts, in a comprehensive volume has been assembled and organized to provide quick access to relevant information on all matters related to evaporites and associated brines. In addition, there are summaries of evaporite karst hazards, exploitative methods and problems that can arise in dealing with evaporites in conventional and solution mining. This second edition has been revised and extended, with three new chapters focusing on ore minerals in different temperature settings and a chapter on meta-evaporites. Written by a field specialist in research and exploration, the book presents a comprehensive overview of the realms of low- and high-temperature evaporite evolution. It is aimed at earth science professionals, sedimentologists, oil and gas explorers, mining geologists as well as environmental geologists.Table of ContentsInterpreting evaporite textures.- Depositional chemistry and hydrology.- Sabkhas, saline mudflats and pans.- Subaqueous salts: salinas and perennial lakes.- Ancient basins and stratigraphic evolution.- Flowing salt: Halokinesis.- Pointers to vanished evaporites: Karst, breccia, nodules and cement.- Hypersaline fluid evolution during burial and uplift.- Halotolerant life in feast or famine (a source of hydrocarbons and a fixer of metals).- Hydrocarbons and evaporites.- Potash resources: Occurrences and controls.- Non-Potash Salts: Borates, Na-sulphates, Na-carbonate, lithium salts, gypsum, halite and zeolites.- Solution mining and salt cavern usage.- Meta-evaporites.- Lower temperature metals in evaporitic frameworks.- Magma-evaporite-hydrothermal metal associations.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBöden gehören zu den wichtigsten Lebensgrundlagen der Menschheit. Sie unterscheiden sich in den verschiedenen Regionen der Erde außerordentlich stark. Dieser Bildatlas beschreibt und illustriert die Böden der Welt im Zusammenhang mit ihren Naturräumen.Grundlage ist die internationale Bodenklassifikation WRB (World Reference Base for Soil Resources) in der Neuauflage von 2006. Darin sind zahlreiche Begriffe neu bzw. schärfer definiert. Mit den Technosolen und Stagnosolen fanden zwei neue Referenzbodengruppen Aufnahme. Auch die weitere Untergliederung der Böden mit Hilfe von Qualifiern wurde deutlich verändert und erweitert. Diese zahlreichen Änderungen in der WRB von 2006 sind in die 2. Auflage des Buches eingegangen.Das Buch ist nach Ökozonen gegliedert. Für jede Ökozone werden Lage, Klima und Vegetation mit den sich daraus ergebenden bodenbildenden Faktoren beschrieben. Darauf folgen umfassende Informationen über deren repräsentative Böden: Definition der Böden, diagnostische Horizonte, Eigenschaften und Materialien, physikalische, chemische und biologische Merkmale, Vorkommen und Verbreitung, Nutzung und Gefährdung, Prozesse der Bodenbildung. Zahlreiche Diagramme zur Verbreitung der Böden, zu Profilmerkmalen und bodenbildenden Prozessen sowie viele neue Farbfotos von Bodenprofilen und -landschaften machen den Bildatlas zu einem ausgezeichneten Referenzwerk. Studierende und Lehrende sowie Entscheidungsträger werden zudem mit grundlegenden Erkenntnissen der Bodenkunde, des Bodenschutzes und der Bodenfruchtbarkeit vertraut gemacht. Bevölkerungswachstum und Bodendegradation in tropischen Gebieten, deren Böden von Natur aus nur eingeschränkt fruchtbar sind, machen die Ernährungssicherung in besonderem Maße zu einer Aufgabe der Bodenkunde.Trade ReviewAus den Rezensionen:“Das Buch beschreibt und illustriert alle Bodentypen der Erde nach der weltweit gültigen WRB-Klassifikation. Es stellt die Böden und Bodengesellschaften in ihrer naturräumlichen Verbreitung vor und liefert damit eine kompakte Übersicht für Fachleute und Studierende verschiedener Disziplinen ...“ (in: Landtechnik, Heft 3, 1.Juni 2014) “... Das Buch ist ein sehr schön bebildertes Lehrbuch und Nachschlagewerk, in dem man stundenlang blättern und sich nicht sattsehen kann an den farbenfrohen Profilen und den vielen anschaulichen Abbildungen. Jeder, der Spaß und Interesse an Böden hat, wird Gefallen an der aufwendigen Aufmachung und liebevollen Gestaltung finden, die es einem leicht macht, in die komplexen Sachverhalte der Bodengenese einzusteigen. ... Es ist darüber hinaus auch für die Lehre im Bereich der internationalen Bodenkunde unverzichtbar ...“ (Martin Jansen, in: Forstarchiv, Jg. 85,Heft 5, 2014, S. 172)“... Das Buch ist ein sehr schön bebildertes Lehrbuch und Nachschlagewerk ... Jeder, der Spaß und Interesse an Böden hat, wird Gefallen an der aufwendigen Aufmachung und liebevollen Gestaltung finden, die es einem leicht macht, in die komplexen Sachverhalte der Bodengenese einzusteigen. ... Es ist darüber hinaus auch für die Lehre im Bereich der internationalen Bodenkunde unverzichtbar.“ ( Martin Jansen, in: Forstarchiv, Jg. 85,Heft 5, S. 172, 2014)Table of ContentsVorwort zur zweiten Auflage.- Abkürzungen, Akronyme.- Einleitung und Hinweise zur Nutzung des Buches.- Horizontsymbole.- Übersicht der Böden und ökozonale Zuordnung.- A Polare und Subpolare Zone (Tundra).- A.1 Cryosole.- B Boreale Zone (Taiga, kalt-gemäßigte Zone).- B1 Histosole.- B2 Gleysole.- B3 Podzole.- B4 Albeluvisole.- B5 Stagnosole.- Bilder.- Catenen.- C Feuchte Mittelbreiten (kühl-gemäßigte Zone).- C1 Cambisole .- C2 Luvisole.- C3 Umbrisole.- Bilder.- Catenen.- D Trockene Mittelbreiten.- D1 Phaeozeme.- D2 Chernozeme.- D3 Kastanozeme.- Bilder.- Catenen.- E Winterfeuchte Subtropen.- E1 Chromic Cambisole.- E2 Chromic Luvisole.- Bilder.- Catenen.- F Immerfeuchte Subtropen (immerfeuchte, warm-gemäßigte Zone).- F1 Acrisole.- F2 Alisole.- Bilder.- Catenen.- G Trockene Subtropen und Tropen.- G1 Arenosole.- G2 Calcisole.- G3 Gypsisole.- G4 Durisole.- G5 Solonchake.- G6 Solonetze.- Bilder.- Catenen.- H Sommerfeuchte Tropen.- H1 Lixisole.- H2 Nitisole.- H3 Vertisole.- H4 Planosole.- Bilder.- Catenen.- I Immerfeuchte Tropen.- I1 Ferralsole.- I2 Plinthosole.- Bilder.- Catenen.- J Gebirgsböden.- J1 Leptosole.- J2 Regosole.- J3 Andosole.- Bilder.- Catenen.- K Weltweit verbreitete Böden.- K1 Fluvisole.- K2 Anthrosole.- K3 Technosole.- Bilder.- Catenen.- Glossar .- Diagnostische Horizonte.- Diagnostische Eigenschaften.- Diagnostische Materialien.- Qualifier.- Literatur.- Sachwortregister.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisSustainable agricultural productivity relies on the effective preservation of soil fertility. Among the 16 essential elements required by plants, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are derived from air and water, accounting for approximately 96% of a plants composition. The remaining elements, collectively accounting for around 4% of a plants makeup, are known as mineral nutrients and are absorbed by plants from the soil. These mineral nutrients play both structural and functional roles within the plants, with some elements offering beneficial effects. The interactions between mineral elements and soil organic matter, clay minerals, soil microorganisms, and other associated mineral elements determine their availability and dynamics in the soil. A thorough understanding of the dynamics of plant nutrients in the soil is crucial for effective nutrient management. Soil organic matter not only provides the necessary nutrients for crops but also enhances the biological and physical properties of the soil. This section offers information on the production and management of organic manures, biofertilizers, integrated nutrient management in cropping systems, and nutrient management in problematic soils.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book provides a comprehensive understanding of the nature and causes of land degradation, as well as methods for evaluating, characterizing, and controlling it to maintain land productivity. It covers a broad range of land degradation topics in a concise and straightforward manner, with fifteen chapters that address the physical, chemical, and biological processes that lead to land degradation in various agro-ecosystems. The book delves into the various forms of physical land degradation, such as soil compression, compaction, soil crusting, and slow and highly permeable soils. Additionally, it explores the various forms of chemical land degradation, including iron and aluminum toxicity, soil acidity, acid sulfate soils, soil salinity, and alkalinity. The book also emphasizes the importance of using modern technology, such as Remote Sensing, GIS, and GPS, to assess and monitor the extent of land degradation and its impact on soil and water. The concept of watershed management, based on land capability classification, land irrigability classification, and land suitability classification, is discussed in detail for the management of wastelands. The book also emphasizes the importance of maintaining soil health and soil quality for sustainable crop production. At the end of each chapter, study questions are provided to benefit students.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less