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Elsevier

Books in Soil science

The Soil Science collection provides comprehensive coverage of soil chemistry, physics, microbiology, fertility, and land management. Featuring innovative research and practical applications, these resources assist soil scientists, agronomists, and researchers in promoting sustainable land use, soil health, and environmental protection. Emphasizing nutrient cycling, contamination remediation, and climate change impacts, the portfolio offers actionable insights for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem management.

  • Sustainable Soil Management

    Bridging the Sustainable Development Goals
    • 1st Edition
    • Owais Bashir + 4 more
    • English
    Sustainable Soil Management: Bridging the Sustainable Development Goals addresses the issue of sustainable soil management and its connection to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It presents a range of strategies, policies, and implementation approaches for sustainable soil management, drawing on examples from around the world. In addition to sustainable soil management practices, the book also covers the dynamics of soil health, the role of soil organic matter, and the integration of agroecology and biodiversity in enhancing food security and environmental sustainability.By examining the interconnectedness of soil with key SDGs—such as zero hunger, clean water, and climate action—this book provides a roadmap for addressing global challenges.

  • Biochar Applications

    Advances in Environmental Remediation and Resource Recovery
    • 1st Edition
    • Ahmad Hussaini Jagaba + 4 more
    • English
    Biochar Applications: Advances in Environmental Remediation and Resource Recovery provides a combined approach between environmental science and environmental engineering that involves the improvement of the natural environment, or the remediation, of polluted sites. In addition, it discusses bioprocess engineering, including the synthesis, modification, characterization, and management of biochar from biomass waste materials. The book includes coverage on sources, impacts, and applications of biochar that could potentially be used as catalysts to enhance environmental remediation and resource recovery processes. Examples of applied research that demonstrate the relationship between wastewater, soil, contaminated environments, remediation, resource recovery, sustainability, and circular bioeconomy are also included.The book bridges the gap between biochar applications in wastewater treatment, soil improvement, gas mitigation, and resource recovery.

  • Aerophytic Algae and Cyanobacteria

    Diversity, Ecology, and Biogeography
    • 1st Edition
    • Saúl Blanco
    • English
    Aerophytic Algae and Cyanobacteria: Diversity, Ecology, and Biogeography expands our understanding of microalgae and cyanobacteria that colonize air-exposed substrates. These species, often overlooked in marine and freshwater studies, play crucial roles in various ecosystems. Introductory chapters cover their morphology, physiological adaptations, and biogeography, highlighting their ecological significance and interactions within ecosystems. Other sections addresses future research directions, applications in environmental assessments, conservation, water and air quality management, bioremediation, and pollution control. The book, authored by a global team of phycologists, also explores taxa such as edaphic and corticolous diatoms, aeroplanktonic protists, and phototrophic phytotelmata.

  • Soil Pollution

    From Monitoring to Remediation
    • 2nd Edition
    • Teresa Rocha-Santos + 2 more
    • English
    Soil Pollution: From Monitoring to Remediation, Second Edition provides a comprehensive overview of the causes of soil pollution, distribution, transport, and fate of pollutants and transformation of pollutants in soil and metabolite accumulation. Soil pollution has increased over the last decades and may pose a risk for human and ecological health. The book expands and updates on current knowledge with an increased focus on PFAs and micronanplastics. The new edition also includes a new chapter on the One Health initiative.In this book, researchers and students in soil science will find appropriate and comprehensive information on organic, inorganic, and nanoparticle pollutants in soil, methodologies for their monitoring, and data reporting processes in order to gain adequate insights of pollution problems caused by these pollutants.

  • Evapotranspiration in Agro-Ecosystems and Forestry

    Spatio-temporal Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Suat Irmak
    • English
    Evapotranspiration in Agro-Ecosystems and Forestry: Spatio-temporal Applications presents the progress and advances made in terms of science and application of evaporation, transpiration, and evapotranspiration for various vegetation surfaces, water bodies, and bare soil under different soil and crop management (including different irrigation and tillage management) conditions. Sections on forest and wetlands evapotranspiration and grassland evaporative losses are included, as are the fundamentals of original Penman, Penman-Monteith, Shuttleworth-Wallace and ASCE-EWRI and FAO56 Penman-Monteith equations and their derivatives.The book is an excellent resource to better understand the progression and applications and dynamics of most recent evapotranspiration, evaporation and transpiration measurement and modeling technologies. Case studies will be provided in terms of how different technologies are currently deployed, how data are used for providing information and management decisions to the users.

  • Microbial Inoculants

    Soil Dynamics and Nutrient Bioavailability
    • 1st Edition
    • Ajay Kumar + 3 more
    • English
    Microbial Inoculants: Soil Dynamics and Nutrient Bioavailability is an essential volume in the Plant and Soil Microbiome series. This book delves into the foundational and contemporary details regarding the use of microbial inoculants, which are living organisms like fungi, bacteria, and microalgae, sourced from soil, plants, water, and organic materials. Acting as biostimulants or biocontrol agents, these inoculants offer an environmentally-frie... alternative to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, playing a crucial role in soil conservation, plant health, and crop yield enhancement.Apart from exploring the nexus between plant and soil, the book also discusses the range of applications of microbial inoculants in agricultural and environmental practices. It provides insights into how these microorganisms contribute to sustainable farming by enhancing nutrient bioavailability and protecting crops from diseases, thus promoting better yield and overall plant vitality. This volume is a valuable resource for those interested in advancing agricultural techniques through the utilization of natural, biotic solutions.

  • Bio-organic Amendments for Heavy Metal Remediation

    Water, Soil and Plant Approaches and Technologies
    • 1st Edition
    • Allah Ditta + 3 more
    • English
    Bio-organic Amendments for Heavy Metal Remediation: Water, Soil and Plant Approaches and Technologies focuses on these core continuum media to explore remediation options using microbial, organic, and combined approaches. This volume in the Plant Biology, Sustainability and Climate Change series offers a comprehensive view of techniques and approaches for addressing contamination by heavy metals. It provides a comprehensive view of the challenge, with a focus on the bioremediation of heavy metals contamination using ecotechnological approaches for protecting the soil, water, and plant continuum.As anthropogenic activities increasingly negatively impact natural resources, there has been significant disturbance of the water, soil, and plant continuum due to the accumulation of heavy metals. The bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the food chain could pose life-threatening effects on plants as well as humans, and there is need to find effective and sustainable remediation options. The application of bio-organic amendments could serve as a sustainable solution to this problem.

  • Biochar Production for Green Economy

    Agricultural and Environmental Perspectives
    • 1st Edition
    • Shiv Vendra Singh + 4 more
    • English
    Biochar Production for Green Economy: Agricultural and Environmental Perspectives addresses the advancements and developments for the efficient diversification of biochar toward achieving improved agricultural and environmental benefits. This comprehensive and cohesive volume is the first to address the potential multi-and transdisciplinary opportunities of effective biochar production and use. Including the potential applicability of not only crop waste biochar but weeds, agroforestry, agroindustry, municipal waste, as well chapters explore surface modified, enriched or tailored biochar for soil amendment, GHGs mitigation, bioremediation of organic, inorganic, metals and other emerging pollutants, as well as soil remediation. It also covers the trending multidisciplinary approaches of nanotechnology, surface chemistry and thermal decomposition advancements being adopted for capacity enhancement and versatile applicability in the field of agriculture, environment science and green energy synthesis. Composition and characteristics of tailored biochar, their interactions, and transformation into the soil and water ecosystem are illustrated. This book is a valuable resource for those pursuing biochar related areas as well as those seeking environmentally sustainable solutions to crop, soil or water issues.

  • Microbiome-Assisted Bioremediation

    Rehabilitating Agricultural Soils
    • 1st Edition
    • Javid A. Parray + 1 more
    • English
    Microbiome-Assisted Bioremediation: Rehabilitating Agricultural Soils provides a complete reference on the opportunities, technologies, and challenges of remediating contaminated soils through use of microbial means. Environmental pollution and human exposure associated with heavy metals are attributed to anthropogenic activities such as mining, industrial wastes, and metal containing compounds in domestic and agricultural systems. Addressing the foundational aspects of microbe-based approaches, this book provides a valuable gateway resource for those entering the field, as well as providing in-depth insights into the various tools and techniques for real-world application.Microbia... remediation has appeared as a promising approach to lessen the heavy metal concentration in the environment due to their sequestration and transforming ability of xenobiotic compounds. Microbial bioremediation is an efficient, economical, and environmentally-frie... procedure that reduces the cost of the cleanup process associated with heavy and toxic metal contamination.

  • Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment

    • 2nd Edition
    • Michael J. Goss + 1 more
    • English
    Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment, Second Edition, Five Volume Set updates and expands the previous version to ensure coverage of topics relevant to current world problems such as population pressure, food security and global change.Since publication of the previous edition there has been a huge change in our ability to carry out bioinformatics related to soil organisms and their functioning. Major developments in next generation DNA sequencing techniques have made it possible to identify both the diversity of microbial populations and their functioning. Furthermore, it allows the management of microbes within the soil. Imaging is changing our perceptions and improving our knowledge of soil aggregation. This also applies to remote and proximal sensing of laboratory and field soils, which is undergoing rapid change. Soil physics is a core area of soil science, but new techniques and technology have increased our understanding of processes.This reference work covers the entire field of soil science, bridging the gap between basic science and applications, and is designed to serve students and expert researchers. It is organized around four core topics, the main components of soil science – biology, chemistry, physics and environment and management.Soil science is becoming a crucial subject as world governments realize its importance in food production, water quality, flood control, greenhouse gas management, source of antibiotics and other drugs. As such this work is of interest not only to academics but to policy makers, government researchers and the geographical and environmental community who are not necessarily in research roles but need information on soil to support their core work.

  • The Impact of Nanoparticles on Agriculture and Soil

    • 1st Edition
    • Nar Singh Chauhan + 1 more
    • English
    The Impact of Nanoparticles on Agriculture and Soil, part of the Nanomaterials-Plant Interaction series, contributes the most recent insights into understanding the cellular interactions of nanoparticles in an agricultural setting, focusing on current applications and means of evaluating future prospects. In order to ensure and improve the biosafety of nanoparticles, it is a primary concern to understand cellular bioprocess like nanomaterial’s cellular uptake and their influence on cellular structural, functional and genetic components. This book addresses these and other important aspects in detail along with showcasing their applications in the area of agriculture. With an international team of authors, and experienced editors, this book will be valuable to those working to understand and advance nanoscience to benefit agricultural production and human and environmental welfare. In-depth knowledge of these bioprocess will enable researchers to engineer nanomaterials for enhanced biosafety.

  • Agricultural Soil Sustainability and Carbon Management

    • 1st Edition
    • Sunita Kumari Meena + 6 more
    • English
    Agricultural Soil Sustainability and Carbon Management presents long-term research in the field of sustainable soil use and management to guide in the prioritizing the multifunctional value of soil health and addressing interdisciplinary links between major issues such as biodiversity and climate change. As soil is the largest terrestrial carbon pool and a significant contributor of greenhouse gases, much progress can be made toward curtailing the climate crisis by sustainable soil management practices. The book provides valuable insight into the soil and carbon management, research gaps, and the methodological challenges for research into soil carbon management that will be important over the decades.

  • The Composting Handbook

    A how-to and why manual for farm, municipal, institutional and commercial composters
    • 1st Edition
    • Robert Rynk + 6 more
    • English
    The Composting Handbook provides a single guide to the science, principles and best practices of composting for large-scale composting operations facing a variety of opportunities and challenges converting raw organic materials into a useful and marketable product. Composting is a well-established and increasingly important method to recycle and add value to organic by-products. Many, if not most, of the materials composting treats are discarded materials that would otherwise place a burden on communities, industries, farms and the environment. Composting converts these materials into a valuable material, compost, that regenerates soils improving soils for plant growth and environmental conservation. The Composting Handbook expands on previously available resources by incorporating new information, new subjects and new practices, drawing its content from current scientific principles, research, engineering and industry experience. In both depth and breadth, it covers the knowledge that a compost producer needs to succeed. Topics include the composting process, methods of composting, equipment, site requirements, environmental issues and impacts, business knowledge, safety, and the qualities, uses and markets for the compost products. The Composting Handbook is an invaluable reference for composting facility managers and operators, prospective managers and operators, regulators, policy makers, environmental advocates, educators, waste generators and managers and generally people interested in composting as a business or a solution. It is also appropriate as a textbook for college courses and a supplemental text for training courses about composting or organic waste management.

  • Advances in Organic Farming

    Agronomic Soil Management Practices
    • 1st Edition
    • Vijay Singh Meena + 4 more
    • English
    Advances in Organic Farming: Agronomic Soil Management Practices focuses on the integrated interactions between soil-plant-microbe-e... elements in a functioning ecosystem. It explains sustainable nutrient management under organic farming and agriculture, with chapters focusing on the role of nutrient management in sustaining global ecosystems, the remediation of polluted soils, conservation practices, degradation of pollutants, biofertilizers and biopesticides, critical biogeochemical cycles, potential responses for current and impending environmental change, and other critical factors. Organic farming is both challenging and exciting, as its practice of “feeding the soil, not the plant” provides opportunity to better understand why some growing methods are preferred over others. In the simplest terms, organic growing is based on maintaining a living soil with a diverse population of micro and macro soil organisms. Organic matter (OM) is maintained in the soil through the addition of compost, animal manure, green manures and the avoidance of excess mechanization.

  • Soils and Landscape Restoration

    • 1st Edition
    • John A. Stanturf + 1 more
    • English
    Soils and Landscape Restoration provides a multidisciplinary synthesis on the sustainable management and restoration of soils in various landscapes. The book presents applicable knowledge of above- and below-ground interactions and biome specific realizations along with in-depth investigations of particular soil degradation pathways. It focuses on severely degraded soils (e.g., eroded, salinized, mined) as well as the restoration of wetlands, grasslands and forests. The book addresses the need to bring together current perspectives on land degradation and restoration in soil science and restoration ecology to better incorporate soil-based information when restoration plans are formulated.

  • Microbe Mediated Remediation of Environmental Contaminants

    • 1st Edition
    • Ajay Kumar + 3 more
    • English
    Microbe Mediated Remediation of Environmental Contaminants presents recent scientific progress in applying microbes for environmental management. The book explores the current existing practical applications and provides information to help readers develop new practices and applications. Edited by recognized leaders in the field, this penetrating assessment of our progress to date in deploying microorganisms to the advantage of environmental management and biotechnology will be widely welcomed by those working in soil contamination management, agriculture, environment management, soil microbiology, and waste management. The polluting effects on the world around us of soil erosion, the unwanted migration of sediments, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and the improper treatment of human and animal wastes have resulted in serious environmental and social problems around the world, problems which require us to look for solutions elsewhere than established physical and chemical technologies. Often the answer lies in hybrid applications in which microbial methods are combined with physical and chemical ones. When we remember that these highly effective microorganisms, cultured for a variety of applications, are but a tiny fraction of those to be found in the world around us, we realize the vastness of the untapped and beneficial potential of microorganisms.

  • Global Change and Forest Soils

    Cultivating Stewardship of a Finite Natural Resource
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 36
    • English
    Global Change and Forest Soils: Cultivating Stewardship of a Finite Natural Resource, Volume 36, provides a state-of-the-science summary and synthesis of global forest soils that identifies concerns, issues and opportunities for soil adaptation and mitigation as external pressures from global changes arise. Where, how and why some soils are resilient to global change while others are at risk is explored, as are upcoming train wrecks and success stories across boreal, temperate, and tropical forests. Each chapter offers multiple sections written by leading soil scientists who comment on wildfires, climate change and forest harvesting effects, while also introducing examples of current global issues. Readers will find this book to be an integrated, up-to-date assessment on global forest soils.

  • Cadmium Toxicity and Tolerance in Plants

    From Physiology to Remediation
    • 1st Edition
    • Mirza Hasanuzzaman + 2 more
    • English
    Cadmium Toxicity and Tolerance in Plants: From Physiology to Remediation presents a single research resource on the latest in cadmium toxicity and tolerance in plants. The book covers many important areas, including means of Cd reduction, from plant adaptation, including antioxidant defense, active excretion and chelation, to phytoextraction, rhizo filtration, phytodegradation, and much more. In addition, it explores important insights into the physiological and molecular mechanisms of Cd uptake and transport and presents options for improving resistance to Cd stresses. It will be ideal for both researchers and students working on cadmium pollution, plant responses and related fields of environmental contamination and toxicology.

  • Climate Change Impacts on Soil Processes and Ecosystem Properties

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 35
    • English
    Climate Change Impacts on Soil Processes and Ecosystem Properties, Volume 35, presents current and emerging soil science research in the areas of soil processes and climate change, while also evaluating future research needs. The book combines the five areas of soil science (microbiology, physics, fertility, pedology and chemistry) to give a comprehensive assessment. This integration of topics is rarely done in a single publication due to the disciplinary nature of the soil science areas. Users will find it to be a comprehensive resource on the topic.

  • Understanding Climate Change Impacts on Crop Productivity and Water Balance

    • 1st Edition
    • S. K. Jalota + 3 more
    • English
    Understanding Climate Change Impacts on Crop Productivity and Water examines the greenhouse gas emissions and their warming effect, climate change projections, crop productivity and water. The book explores the most important greenhouse gases that influence the climate system, technical terms associated with climate projections, and the different mechanisms impacting crop productivity and water balance. Adaptive and mitigative strategies are proposed to cope with negative effects of climate change in particular domains. This book will help researchers interested in climate change impacts on the atmosphere, soil and plants.

  • Fundamentals of Soil Ecology

    • 3rd Edition
    • David C. Coleman + 2 more
    • English
    Fundamentals of Soil Ecology, 3rd Edition,　offers a holistic approach to soil biology and ecosystem function, providing students and ecosystem researchers with a greater understanding of the central roles that soils play in ecosystem development and function. The text emphasizes the increasing importance of soils as the organizing center for all terrestrial ecosystems and provides an overview of theory and practice in soil ecology, both from an ecosystem and evolutionary biology point of view. This new edition is fully updated, including an expanded treatment of microbial ecology and new sections on advances in molecular techniques and climate change research. These updates make this edition an essential resource for researchers and students in soil ecology and microbiology.

  • Soil Management and Climate Change

    Effects on Organic Carbon, Nitrogen Dynamics, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • 1st Edition
    • Maria Angeles Munoz + 1 more
    • English
    Soil Management and Climate Change: Effects on Organic Carbon, Nitrogen Dynamics, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions provides a state of the art overview of recent findings and future research challenges regarding physical, chemical and biological processes controlling soil carbon, nitrogen dynamic and greenhouse gas emissions from soils. This book is for students and academics in soil science and environmental science, land managers, public administrators and legislators, and will increase understanding of organic matter preservation in soil and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Given the central role soil plays on the global carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles and its impact on greenhouse gas emissions, there is an urgent need to increase our common understanding about sources, mechanisms and processes that regulate organic matter mineralization and stabilization, and to identify those management practices and processes which mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, helping increase organic matter stabilization with suitable supplies of available N.

  • Soil Pollution

    From Monitoring to Remediation
    • 1st Edition
    • Armando C. Duarte + 2 more
    • English
    Soil Pollution: From Monitoring to Remediation provides comprehensive information on soil pollution, including causes, distribution, transport, the transformation and fate of pollutants in soil, and metabolite accumulation. The book covers organic, inorganic and nanoparticle pollutants and methodologies for their monitoring. Features a critical discussion on ecotoxicological and human effects of soil pollution, and strategies for soil protection and remediation. Meticulously organized, this is an ideal resource for students, researchers and professionals, providing up-to-date foundational content for those already familiar with the field. Chapters are highly accessible, offering an authoritative introduction for non-specialists and undergraduate students alike.

  • Soil Mapping and Process Modeling for Sustainable Land Use Management

    • 1st Edition
    • Paulo Pereira + 3 more
    • English
    Soil Mapping and Process Modeling for Sustainable Land Use Management is the first reference to address the use of soil mapping and modeling for sustainability from both a theoretical and practical perspective. The use of more powerful statistical techniques are increasing the accuracy of maps and reducing error estimation, and this text provides the information necessary to utilize the latest techniques, as well as their importance for land use planning. Providing practical examples to help illustrate the application of soil process modeling and maps, this reference is an essential tool for professionals and students in soil science and land management who want to bridge the gap between soil modeling and sustainable land use planning.

  • Soil and Environmental Chemistry

    • 2nd Edition
    • William F. Bleam
    • English
    Soil and Environmental Chemistry, Second Edition, presents key aspects of soil chemistry in environmental science, including dose responses, risk characterization, and practical applications of calculations using spreadsheets. The book offers a holistic, practical approach to the application of environmental chemistry to soil science and is designed to equip the reader with the chemistry knowledge and problem-solving skills necessary to validate and interpret data. This updated edition features significantly revised chapters, averaging almost a 50% revision overall, including some reordering of chapters. All new problem sets and solutions are found at the end of each chapter, and linked to a companion site that reflects advances in the field, including expanded coverage of such topics as sample collection, soil moisture, soil carbon cycle models, water chemistry simulation, alkalinity, and redox reactions. There is also additional pedagogy, including key term and real-world scenarios. This book is a must-have reference for researchers and practitioners in environmental and soil sciences, as well as intermediate and advanced students in soil science and/or environmental chemistry.

  • Soil Magnetism

    Applications in Pedology, Environmental Science and Agriculture
    • 1st Edition
    • Neli Jordanova
    • English
    Soil Magnetism: Applications in Pedology, Environmental Science and Agriculture provides a systematic, comparative, and detailed overview of the magnetic characterization of the major soil units and the observed general relationships, possibilities, and perspectives in application of rock magnetic methods in soil science, agriculture, and beyond. Part I covers detailed magnetic and geochemical characterization of major soil types according to the FAO classification system, with Part II covering the mapping of topsoil magnetic signatures on the basis of soil magnetic characteristics. The book concludes with practical examples on the application of magnetic methods in environmental science, agriculture, soil pollution, and paleoclimate.

  • Mycorrhizal Mediation of Soil

    Fertility, Structure, and Carbon Storage
    • 1st Edition
    • Nancy Collins Johnson + 2 more
    • English
    Mycorrhizal Mediation of Soil: Fertility, Structure, and Carbon Storage offers a better understanding of mycorrhizal mediation that will help inform earth system models and subsequently improve the accuracy of global carbon model predictions. Mycorrhizas transport tremendous quantities of plant-derived carbon below ground and are increasingly recognized for their importance in the creation, structure, and function of soils. Different global carbon models vary widely in their predictions of the dynamics of the terrestrial carbon pool, ranging from a large sink to a large source. This edited book presents a unique synthesis of the influence of environmental change on mycorrhizas across a wide range of ecosystems, as well as a clear examination of new discoveries and challenges for the future, to inform land management practices that preserve or increase below ground carbon storage.

  • Pesticides in the Soil Environment

    • 1st Edition
    • Shahamat U. Khan
    • R. J. Wakeman
    • English
    Fundamental Aspects of Pollution Control and Environmental Science, 5: Pesticides in the Soil Environment focuses on the effects of pesticide use on the quality of soil. The manuscript first offers information on the classification of pesticides and physicochemical processes affecting pesticides in soil. Topics include herbicides, fungicides, movement in soil, chemical conversion and degradation, and photodecomposition. The text then elaborates on microbial processes affecting pesticides in soil, including fumigants, fungicides, and insecticides. The text examines the occurrence and persistence of pesticide residues in soil and minimizing pesticide residues in soil. Discussions focus on persistence, bound residues, plant uptake, short residual residues, and eliminating pesticide residues. The text is a dependable reference for readers interested in the effects of pesticide use on the quality of soil.

  • Advances in Applied Microbiology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 95
    • English
    The Advances in Applied Microbiology series, first published in 1959, continues to be one of the most widely read and authoritative review sources in microbiology. The series contains comprehensive reviews of the most current research in applied microbiology, and includes recent research on the roles of fungal communities in soil nutrient recycling, the microbial nitrogen cycle in soil, and the inter-kingdom associations between soil bacteria, fungi, and mycorrhizal fungi.

  • Biochar Application

    Essential Soil Microbial Ecology
    • 1st Edition
    • T. Komang Ralebitso-Senior + 1 more
    • English
    Biochar Application: Essential Soil Microbial Ecology outlines the cutting-edge research on the interactions of complex microbial populations and their functional, structural, and compositional dynamics, as well as the microbial ecology of biochar application to soil, the use of different phyto-chemical analyses, possibilities for future research, and recommendations for climate change policy. Biochar, or charcoal produced from plant matter and applied to soil, has become increasingly recognized as having the potential to address multiple contemporary concerns, such as agricultural productivity and contaminated ecosystem amelioration, primarily by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and improving soil functions. Biochar Application is the first reference to offer a complete assessment of the various impacts of biochar on soil and ecosystems, and includes chapters analyzing all aspects of biochar technology and application to soil, from ecogenomic analyses and application ratios to nutrient cycling and next generation sequencing. Written by a team of international authors with interdisciplinary knowledge of biochar, this reference will provide a platform where collaborating teams can find a common resource to establish outcomes and identify future research needs throughout the world.

  • Advances in Applied Microbiology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 94
    • English
    Published since 1959, Advances in Applied Microbiology continues to be one of the most widely read and authoritative review sources in microbiology. The series contains comprehensive reviews of the most current research in applied microbiology, and includes recent research on the roles of fungal communities in soil nutrient recycling, the microbial nitrogen cycle in soil, and the inter-kingdom associations between soil bacteria, fungi, and mycorrhizal fungi.

  • Soil Microbiology, Ecology and Biochemistry

    • 4th Edition
    • Eldor Paul
    • English
    The fourth edition of Soil Microbiology, Ecology and Biochemistry updates this widely used reference as the study and understanding of soil biota, their function, and the dynamics of soil organic matter has been revolutionized by molecular and instrumental techniques, and information technology. Knowledge of soil microbiology, ecology and biochemistry is central to our understanding of organisms and their processes and interactions with their environment. In a time of great global change and increased emphasis on biodiversity and food security, soil microbiology and ecology has become an increasingly important topic. Revised by a group of world-renowned authors in many institutions and disciplines, this work relates the breakthroughs in knowledge in this important field to its history as well as future applications. The new edition provides readable, practical, impactful information for its many applied and fundamental disciplines. Professionals turn to this text as a reference for fundamental knowledge in their field or to inform management practices.

  • Soil Remediation and Plants

    Prospects and Challenges
    • 1st Edition
    • Khalid Hakeem + 3 more
    • English
    The soil is being contaminated continuously by a large number of pollutants. Among them, heavy metals are an exclusive group of toxicants because they are stable and difficult to disseminate into non-toxic forms. The ever-increasing concentrations of such pollutants in the soil are considered serious threats toward everyone’s health and the environment. Many techniques are used to clean, eliminate, obliterate or sequester these hazardous pollutants from the soil. However, these techniques can be costly, labor intensive, and often disquieting. Phytoremediation is a simple, cost effective, environmental friendly and fast-emerging new technology for eliminating toxic heavy metals and other related soil pollutants. Soil Remediation and Plants provides a common platform for biologists, agricultural engineers, environmental scientists, and chemists, working with a common aim of finding sustainable solutions to various environmental issues. The book provides an overview of ecosystem approaches and phytotechnologies and their cumulative significance in relation to solving various environmental problems.

  • Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry

    • 1st Edition
    • Eldor Paul
    • English
    Soil Microbiology and Biochemsitry enconmpasses the broad spectrum of soil organisms and the dynamic processes carried on by them, including ecological relationships in the biota, the dynamics of the carbon and nitrogen cycles, and microbe-driven reactions involving sulfu, phosphorous, and metals. This reference source will prove invaluable to anyone involved in the study of agricultural and nonagricultural soils.

  • Soil Structure/Soil Biota Interrelationships

    International Workshop on Methods of Research on Soil Structure/Soil Biota Interrelationships, Held at the International Agricultural Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 24-28 November 1991
    • 1st Edition
    • L. Brussaard + 1 more
    • English
    Some pioneers in soil research such as Müller and Kubiëna were as much biologists as they were soil scientists and the legendary biologist Charles Darwin was foresighted in recognizing the earthworms as instrumental in reworking the soil, thereby forming what he called "vegetable mould". Still, soil science has largely been the realm of physicists and chemists over the past decades. Whatever the reason, this picture is rapidly changing. Until recently, research on the transport and transformation of elements in soil was often concerned with either soil biota/plant relationships or with soil structure/plant relationships, if the biota were considered at all, but very few studies explicitly took the interrelationships between soil structure and soil biota into account. The conference on Soil Structure/Soil Biota Interrelationships, held at Wageningen, The Netherlands, 24-28 November 1991, was meant to bridge that gap, focussing on methods of research, organized in three levels: features, processes and effects. The proceedings of the conference are testimony of the need to intertwine the biological, morphological, physical and chemical disciplines in soil research to understand better and forecast soil properties and processes as related to land use for agricultural and other purposes.This book should be of particular interest to soil scientists and ecologists who feel the need for a cross-disciplinary approach in soils research. It should also be a rich source of teaching material for courses in soil science and soil ecology at graduate level and above, with ample reference to studies on land use as related to agriculture and the environment.

  • Kinetics of Soil Chemical Processes

    • 1st Edition
    • Donald L. Sparks
    • English
    The kinetics of reactions in soil and aquatic environments is a topic of extreme importance and interest. To properly understand the fate of applied fertilizers, pesticides, and organic pollutants with time, and to thus improve nutrient availability and the quality of our groundwater, one must study kinetics. This is the first compre

  • Diversity of Environmental Biogeochemistry

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 6
    • J. Berthelin
    • W.S. Fyfe
    • English
    Biogeochemistry, still in its formative stage twenty years ago, is now a young, interdisciplinary subfield of earth sciences, life sciences and chemistry. An international scientific association (International Symposia on Environmental Biogeochemistry incorporated - ISEB) was founded to organize international symposia to bring together microbiologists, biologists, chemists, geochemists, soil scientists, oceanographers, ecologists and environmental engineers interested in the biogeochemistry of terrestrial, aquatic and atmospheric environments.After the 8th ISEB held in Nancy, France, this volume was compiled. These fifty selected contributions from specialists of varying backgrounds and interests show the diversity and the common framework of the direct or indirect interactions of living organisms and their abiotic environments.

  • Environmental Soil Chemistry

    • 1st Edition
    • Donald L. Sparks
    • English
    As the author states in his Preface, this book is written at a time when scientific and lay communities recognize that knowledge of environmental chemistry is fundamental in understanding and predicting the fate of pollutants in soils and waters, and in making sound decisions about remediation of contaminated soils. Environmental Soil Chemistry presents the fundamental concepts of soil science and applies them to environmentally significant reactions in soil. Clearly and concisely written for undergraduate and beginning graduate students of soil science, the book is likewise accessible to all students and professionals of environmental engineering and science. Chapters cover background information useful to students new to the discipline, including the chemistry of inorganic and organic soil components, soilacidity and salinity, and ion exchange and redox phenomena. However, discussion also extends to sorption/desorption, oxidation-reduction of metals and organic chemicals, rates of pollutant reactions as well as technologies for remediating contaminated soils. Supplementary reading lists, sample problems, and extensive tables and figures make this textbook accessible to readers.

  • Cycling of Mineral Nutrients in Agricultural Ecosystems

    • 1st Edition
    • M Frissel
    • English
    Cycling of Mineral Nutrients in Agricultural Ecosystems contains the papers presented in the first international environmental symposium of the Royal Netherlands Land Development Society held at Amsterdam on 1976. The symposium is cosponsored by the International Association for Ecology and Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company. This compilation reflects the exchange of information and ideas by specialists and participants of the symposium. The book is comprised of nine chapters, which cover the following concepts of nutrient cycling in agricultural ecosystems: principles and control of nutrient cycling; description and classification of agro-ecosystems; nutrient cycling data from different countries; and general discussion on nutrient balances, changes in soil pools, manipulations, and future researches. This book also offers potential background and perspectives for further studies on nutrient cycling in agro-ecosystems, presenting a view on what directions future research should take. This volume will be an invaluable reference source for environmental science students and professionals. Research workers in agriculture and other environmental disciplines will also find this book useful.

  • Interactions Between Non-Pathogenic Soil Microorganisms And Plants

    • 1st Edition
    • Y.R. Dommergues
    • English
    Interactions between Non-Pathogenic Soil Microorganisms and Plants provides a comprehensive discussion of the non-pathogenic microorganisms associated with roots. It describes how a myriad of soil microorganisms affect plant growth, and how climatic and edaphic conditions contribute to the magnitude of microbial activity. The book is divided into 11 chapters that cover the plant-microorganism system; growth, structure, and physiology of roots; and nutrient uptake. It also explains the root exudates and exudation; energy flow in the plant; and rhizosphere. Legume symbiosis and root nodule symbioses in non-leguminous nitrogen fixing plants are also discussed. Moreover, the book explains the mycorrhizae and the impact of climatic and edaphic conditions on soil management and plant growth. The information that the book presents serves as a useful focal point for further studies on the interactions between plants and soil microorganisms. Thus, it provides an impetus for the development of agricultural practices that could improve food production, while mitigating anthropogenic pollution of agrosytems and waste of energy resources. Students, lecturers, and research workers in plant physiology and anatomy, microbiology, soil science, general ecology, and agronomy will find this book an invaluable reference for their learning and practice.

  • Soil Microbial Associations

    Control of Structures and Functions
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 17
    • V. Vancura + 1 more
    • English
    This volume is the first publication of its kind to provide a fully comprehensive and detailed approach to the survey of microbial associations in soil: their structure and function in relation to soil fertility and environment protection. The problems covered by this title are presented on various levels of the ecological system; from subcellular phenomena occurring in the microbial cell (genetic and enzyme regulation), to processes taking place in the flow of mass and energy in the agroecosystem. The aim of this monograph is to contribute to the understanding of the laws of formation and function of microbial associations in natural and agricultural soils, and to build a scientific basis for the control of soil biological processes. Using a contemporary approach to some fields of soil microbiology, the book highlights the possibility of utilizing certain microorganisms and microbial processes to increase soil fertility and protect the environment. These critically evaluated and selected results were obtained at the Institute of Microbiology and the Institute of Experimental Phytotechnics of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.

  • Windbreak Technology

    • 1st Edition
    • J.R. Brandle + 2 more
    • English
    This book contains a selection of papers presented at the first International Symposium on Windbreak Technology, summarising the available worldwide literature on windbreaks and the response, both positive and negative, to wind protection. State-of-the-art information is presented on general design criteria, and principles of planting and establishment for a wide range of conditions and objectives. It provides descriptive information of tree and shrub species for arid, semi-arid, temperate and tropical areas, and their use in windbreaks.

  • The Soil Mites of the World

    Vol. 1: Primitive Oribatids of the Palaearctic Region
    • 1st Edition
    • J. Balogh + 1 more
    • English
    Soil mites are of great biological importance both in natural and in cultivated soils. Recently much attention has been paid to them especially because of their sensitivity to a number of chemicals used in agriculture. Of the soil mites, the Oribatids represent the largest number of both individuals and species. Unfortunately, the study of Oribatids has been greatly hampered by the lack of modern reference works from which they can be identified, and it was this great lack that stimulated the authors to launch this new series of books.The first volume, after a short morphological treatment, gives the method of collection, preparation, and mode of study of prepared specimens. The work is designed to discuss critically all recognizable species and is amply complemented with differential diagnoses and entirely new figures from supercohorts down to species. The book also includes an index of taxa.

  • The Soil Mites of the World

    Vol. 3: Oribatid Mites of the Neotropical Region II
    • 1st Edition
    • P. Balogh + 1 more
    • English
    Distributed in the East European countries, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, People's Republic of Mongolia, Republic of Cuba and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam by Kultura, Budapest, HungaryThis volume presents the second part of brief characterizations and identification keys for oribatid mites inhabiting the Neotropical Region, as well as a check-list and bibliography of all described species from this area.This work is destined to become a basic handbook that will serve academic and applied science/taxonomists, field workers, ecologists, etc., for years to come. It will also aid the work of Latin American oribatologists. This volume is primarily intended for use by taxonomists in acarology, ecologists of neotropical soils and veterinary parasitologists.

  • Humus, its Structure and Role in Agriculture and Environment

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 25
    • J. Kubát
    • English
    This volume presents the proceedings of the 10th internationalsymposi... Humus et Planta held in Prague in August 19-23,1991. The main topics of this book are devoted to the recentadvances in fundamental, as well as applied research of humicsubstances, the most abundant of the naturally occuringmacromolecul... of nature, the understanding of their natureand how they react and interact in their natural environments.Texts are included on the structure, physical and chemicalproperties of humic substances; the relationships among humus,soil properties and fertility; the biotransformations oforganic substances in the soil; the relationships betweenhumic substances and plants and the interactions of humus andxenobiotic substances. This book presents recent knowledge ofthe complicated and challenging humic substances. It will beof interest not only to scientist, but also to Universityteachers and students of agricultural and environmentalscience...

  • Shrub-Steppe

    Balance and Change in a Semi-Arid Terrestrial Ecosystem
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 20
    • Alec Rickard + 3 more
    • English
    Owing to man-made intervention, the shrub-steppe now represents a rapidly disappearing landscape in the arid regions of North America. This book represents a systems-level study of ecological variables affecting water balance, and responses to perturbation. The study focused on a very large, protected, landscape unit, comprising a natural ``watershed'' area located in the semi-arid western United States. Long-term and concurrent data sets were established with a view towards establishing system-level responses to manipulative interventions, and natural perturbations like wildfire. These data sets were established for micrometeorology, climatology, mineral cycling in soils, nutrient and mineral pathways in springs and streams, vegetational dynamics, and population changes on the site. In synthesizing nearly twenty years of data, the more interesting ecosystem level responses concerned vegetational recovery and water balance. For instance, the synthesis uniquely demonstrates the interaction of biotic and non-biotic factors and their integrated effect on regional water balance. However, special attention was also paid to species diversity and the genetic resource pool represented at this site.This book will be of primary interest as a reference resource to land managers and wildlife specialists, and as a research study for scientists interested in systems-level ecology. Conservation-minded citizens who take more than a cursory interest in ecology will also find it interesting.

  • Biotic Interactions and Soil-Borne Diseases

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 23
    • A.B.R. Beemster + 5 more
    • English
    This volume contains a collection of all the papers presented at the founding conference of the European Foundation for Plant Pathology, held from 26th February to 2nd March 1990 at Wageningen, The Netherlands. It focusses on the theme of "Biotic Interactions and Soil-Borne Diseases", on which there are contributions from leading European scientists in the field of soil-borne diseases. Ways of exploiting biotic processes and phenomena which result in plant production harmless to the environment are explored.

  • The Soil- Plant System

    In Relation To Inorganic Nutrition
    • 1st Edition
    • Maurice Fried
    • English
    The Soil-Plant System in Relation to Inorganic Nutrition focuses on the soil-plant system in relation to the inorganic nutrition of plants. More specifically, the book investigates the dynamics of ion uptake in relation to those physical and chemical processes that must be considered both in understanding any observation made on the soil-plant system and in predicting the results of any stress placed on the system. This volume is organized into two parts encompassing seven chapters and begins with an overview of the inorganic nutrition of plants grown in the soil-plant system. This book then discusses the uptake of nutrient ions from the soil into the plant system. The emphasis is on fundamental aspects of ion movement from the soil into and through the soil solution, then into the plant root, and finally into the shoot. The next chapters consider the more practical aspects of the supply of nutrients to plants grown in the soil-plant system and how it can best be supplemented. This book examines the use of isotopes with respect to solid-phase-soil-sol... relationships; movement of ions to the roots, into the roots (active or passive), and translocation to the shoot; the mobility of nutrients; laboratory, greenhouse, and field evaluation of soil nutrient supply; and when, where, and what kind of fertilizer to apply. This book will be of interest to botanists, biologists, students, and research workers engaged in the physical and biological sciences.

  • Inorganic Nutrition of Plants

    • 1st Edition
    • F.C. Steward
    • English
    Plant Physiology, Volume III: Inorganic Nutrition of Plants deals with the inorganic nutrition and metabolism of plants. The book explores the role of elements, other than carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, which are essential to, or used by, plants in their vital processes. It summarizes the knowledge about mineral nutrition of plants and presents a philosophy of plant nutrition in general. This volume is organized into six chapters and begins with a brief history of mineral nutrition of plants, as well as the media from which plants draw their nutrients, such as the soil and artificial culture medium. The book then discusses the requirements for specific elements, the symptoms incurred by their deficient supply, and the evidence that a given element can be considered essential. The next chapters focus on the inorganic nutrition of microorganisms, general functions of the essential nutrient elements, and the biological situations in which elementary nitrogen is converted to the organic form. The book concludes by analyzing the soil as a complex biological system and its implication for the interpretation of the nutrition of higher plants. This book is a valuable resource for those interested in plant nutrition and plant physiology.

  • Nitrogen, the Confer-N-s

    • 1st Edition
    • K. van der Hoek + 3 more
    • English
    The First International Nitrogen Conference provided an opportunity for researchers and decision-makers to exchange information on environmental pollution by nitrogen compounds on three scales: global, continental/regional and local. The main topics were air, ground water and surface water pollution; emission sources, atmospheric chemistry, deposition processes and effects; disturbance of nitrogen cycles, critical loads and levels; assessments, policy development and evaluation; target groups and abatement techniques; and new approaches leading to an integrated abatement strategy.The peer-reviewed papers from the Conference presented in this volume will provide readers with a comprehensive review of the transport, deposition and impact on ecosystems of nitrogen.

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