Soilborne microbial plant pathogens including oomycetes, fungi, bacteria and viruses cause several economically important destructive diseases and the symptoms of infection can be recognized only after the pathogen has invaded many tissues primarily vascular tissues of susceptible plants. This condition places formidable challenges in investigating different aspects of host-microbial pathogen interactions. Early detection of infection and precise identification, differentiation, and quantification of the microbial plant pathogens in plants, soil and water sources are essential requirements for development of effective tactics to reduce the incidence and spread of the diseases caused by them. As the microbial plant pathogens differ in their virulence and sensitivity to the environment and chemicals applied, it is imperative to assess the extent of variability in the concerned pathogens. This first volume of a two-volume set introduces disease-causing microorganisms including oomycetes, fungi, bacteria, and viruses found in soils. It focuses on the biology, detection, and identification of soilborne bacterial, fungal, and viral plant pathogens. This volume discusses various techniques based on biological, immunological and genetic properties of the pathogens indicating their advantages and limitations for selecting the appropriate technique to fulfill the requirements. Features: Presents techniques useful for detection, identification, quantification of microbial plant pathogens in plants, soil, and irrigation water from waterbodies. Highlights subversive activities of viruses, resulting in the breakdown of host defense systems. Discusses RNA silencing in infected plants by viruses and posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) functioning as an endogenous mechanism in plants against virus infection. Presents information on methods of assessment of genetic variability and sensitivity of microbial plant pathogens to chemicals and adverse environmental conditions.

As the human population grows from seven billion toward an inevitable nine or 10 billion, the demands on the limited supply of soils will grow and intensify. Soils are essential for the sustenance of almost all plants and animals, including humans, but soils are virtually infinitely variable. Clays are the most reactive and interactive inorganic compounds in soils. Clays in soils often differ from pure clay minerals of geological origin. They provide a template for most of the reactive organic matter in soils. They directly affect plant nutrients, soil temperature and pH, aggregate sizes and strength, porosity and water-holding capacities. This book aims to help improve predictions of important properties of soils through a modern understanding of their highly reactive clay minerals as they are formed and occur in soils worldwide. It examines how clays occur in soils and the role of soil clays in disparate applications including plant nutrition, soil structure, and water-holding capacity, soil quality, soil shrinkage and swelling, carbon sequestration, pollution control and remediation, medicine, forensic investigation, and deciphering human and environmental histories. Features: Provides information on the conditions that lead to the formation of clay minerals in soils Distinguishes soil clays and types of clay minerals Describes clay mineral structures and their origins Describes occurrences and associations of clays in soil Details roles of clays in applications of soils Heavily illustrated with photos, diagrams, and electron micrographs Includes user-friendly description of a new method of identification To know soil clays is to enable their use toward achieving improvements in the management of soils for enhancing their performance in one or more of their three main functions of enabling plant growth, regulating water flow to plants, and buffering environmental changes. This book provides an easily-read and extensively-illustrated description of the nature, formation, identification, occurrence and associations, measurement, reactivities, and applications of clays in soils.

Soil classification and terminology are fundamental issues for the clear understanding and communication of the subject. However, while there are many national soil classification systems, these do not directly correlate with each other. This leads to confusion and great difficulty in undertaking comparative scientific research that draws on more than one system and in making sense of international scientific papers using a system that is unfamiliar to the reader. This book aims to clarify this position by describing and comparing different systems and evaluating them in the context of the World Reference Base (WRB) for Soil Resources. The latter was set up to resolve these problems by creating an international 'umbrella' system for soil correlation. All soil scientists should then classify soils using the WRB as well as their national systems. The book is a definitive and essential reference work for all students studying soils as part of life, earth or environmental sciences, as well as professional soil scientists. Published with International Union of Soil Sciences

This book provides an up-to-date compilation of the latest research on the petrography, facies, paleonvironmental significance and economic aspects of continental carbonates. The overall organization of the book first emphasizes the descriptive aspects and processes operating on carbonate deposits in greatly varied settings, and then considers applications for basin analysis, as well as economic and historical aspects. This volume will be a valuable tool for graduate and postgraduate students as well as for experienced researchers. A CD that contains all colour figures has been inserted in the book. Thefirst part(volume 61 in this series)will deal with the facies, environments, and processes of carbonates in continental settings.
Covering the greatly varied aspects of carbonate deposits from continental settings depositsClear and easy to follow organization of the bookGraduate to postgraduate levelUp to date information, so readers can find references from the classic literature to the most recent research"

This book deals with the most widespread of root symbiosis, arbuscular mycorrhizas, an essential component of soil/plant systems occurring in the majority of plant species in natural agro-ecosystems. It is intended to aid the environmental researcher in finding relevant methods quickly, and as a general reference work it will well serve field ecologists, laboratory biologists and other workers in plant biology and soil microbiology. The volume contains the most recent advances in (I) the field of the development of biomolecular methods adapted to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; (II) the promotion of innovative ecological research which considers biodiversity, in order to better understand the impact of arbuscular mycorrhizas in sustainable agriculture and natural ecosystems; (III) elucidating the role of arbuscular mycorrhizas in plant development and root morphology; and (IV) defining the cellular and molecular basis of plant-fungus exchanges. An article concerning The European Bank of Glomales, an essential tool for efficient international and interdisciplinary collaboration, is also included.

Nitrogen is an essential primary nutrient for plant growth and development. With the demand for high growth and yield of plants and the depletion of organics in soil, nitrogen availability in soil has become insufficient. This simple and comprehensive book covers the important and current information regarding rice plant biology and nitrogen metabolism. The book is divided into ten chapters that feature the steps of nitrogen assimilation and utilization in rice plant systems. Apart from describing the steps and pathways of nitrogen metabolism in rice, the book also emphasis the changes taking place due to genotypes and environmental factors and stressors during rice growth and development.

Soil contamination represents a serious environmental problem and requires an immediate action plan to be prepared for typical and emergent contaminants. This book provides an overview of some remediation technologies, both traditional and emergent, as well as case studies based on the contribution from academia and service providers. Several soil and groundwater remediation technologies such as electrokinetic remediation, biological treatments (including phytoremediation), and chemical remediation are presented. Innovative technologies such as nanoremediation and the application of life cycle assessment as a decision tool for soil remediation technologies are also considered in this book. This book serves as a reference source for soil remediation as it includes applications, technologies, and valuable tools that can help in decision making during remediation actions. It can be used by students, researchers, service providers, and industry practitioners.

A significant crop in our global society, rice is a staple food product for over half of the world's population. New technologies are being researched and utilized for increasing the overall production of strong rice crops throughout the world. This book focuses on the new areas of research on the most recent biotechnological and molecular techniques to aid in this endeavor. The researchers who have contributed to this compendium are international leaders in their respective fields. The original research included in the volume is strengthened through the addition of surveys, reviews, success stories, and other aspects that impact the global agricultural industry.

Abiotic stresses are known to adversely impact agricultural productivity on millions of hectares globally, and it is projected that these problems are likely to increase, primarily due to anthropogenic interventions as well as climatic changes. Understanding abiotic stresses-especially salt stress on soil-calls for an interdisciplinary approach because salt-stressed soils need hydro-technical, chemical, and agronomic interventions as well as an understanding of plant response when exposed to these stresses. This volume explores and conveys the latest information on emerging technologies in the management of abiotic salt stress and their field applications. It brings together experts from various fields (academia, technology, and engineering) to provide the latest information and knowledge on this important challenge.

Build healthy soil and grow better plants Robert Pavlis, a gardener for over four decades, debunks common soil myths, explores the rhizosphere, and provides a personalized soil fertility improvement program in this three-part popular science guidebook. Healthy soil means thriving plants. Yet untangling the soil food web and optimizing your soil health is beyond most gardeners, many of whom lack an in-depth knowledge of the soil ecosystem. Soil Science for Gardeners is an accessible, science-based guide to understanding soil fertility and, in particular, the rhizosphere - the thin layer of liquid and soil surrounding plant roots, so vital to plant health. Coverage includes: Soil biology and chemistry and how plants and soil interact Common soil health problems, including analyzing soil's fertility and plant nutrients The creation of a personalized plan for improving your soil fertility, including setting priorities and goals in a cost-effective, realistic time frame. Creating the optimal conditions for nature to do the heavy lifting of building soil fertility Written for the home gardener, market gardener, and micro-farmer, Soil Science for Gardeners is packed with information to help you grow thriving plants.

Soils play a central role in the conversion of organic matter and element fluxes because of the large number of microorganisms present in the soil. In this book the more important processes that are driven by microbiological activity are discussed. It will be of interest to students of chemistry, biology, ecology, soil science and related areas. Researchers from these fields will profit from extended literature surveys in each chapter comprising important findings from early as well as the most recent investigations.

Microbial Biomass informs readers of the ongoing global revolution in understanding soil and ecosystem microbial processes. The first paper on the subject was written by David Jenkinson in 1966, and here new insights and expansions are given on the fascinating world of soil microbial processes. In terms of contemporary issues, it also serves to support urgent efforts to sustainably manage land to feed a growing world population without compromising the environment. It presents new methods of investigation which are leading to more sustainable management of ecosystems, and improved understanding of ecosystem changes in an increasingly warmer world.The book approaches the topic by looking at the emergence of our understanding of soil biological processes, and begins by tracing the conception and first measurement of soil microbial biomass. Following this, changes in ecosystems, and in natural ecosystem processes are discussed in relation to land management issues and global change. Microbial biomass and its diversity are recognized as key factors in finding solutions for more sustainable land and ecosystem management, aided by new molecular and other tools. Information from the use of these tools is now being incorporated into emerging microbial-explicit predictive models, to help us study changes in earth system processes.Perfect for use in research and practice, this book is written for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and professionals of agronomy, chemistry, geology, physical geography, ecology, biology, microbiology, silviculture and soil science.

Sustainable agriculture is a rapidly growing field aiming at producing food and energy in a sustainable way for humans and their children. Sustainable agriculture is a discipline that addresses current issues such as climate change, increasing food and fuel prices, poor-nation starvation, rich-nation obesity, water pollution, soil erosion, fertility loss, pest control, and biodiversity depletion. Novel, environmentally-friendly solutions are proposed based on integrated knowledge from sciences as diverse as agronomy, soil science, molecular biology, chemistry, toxicology, ecology, economy, and social sciences. Indeed, sustainable agriculture decipher mechanisms of processes that occur from the molecular level to the farming system to the global level at time scales ranging from seconds to centuries. For that, scientists use the system approach that involves studying components and interactions of a whole system to address scientific, economic and social issues. In that respect, sustainable agriculture is not a classical, narrow science. Instead of solving problems using the classical painkiller approach that treats only negative impacts, sustainable agriculture treats problem sources. Because most actual society issues are now intertwined, global, and fast-developing, sustainable agriculture will bring solutions to build a safer world. This book series gathers review articles that analyze current agricultural issues and knowledge, then propose alternative solutions. It will therefore help all scientists, decision-makers, professors, farmers and politicians who wish to build a safe agriculture, energy and food system for future generations.

Geomorphometry is the science of quantitative land-surface analysis. It draws upon mathematical, statistical, and image-processing techniques to quantify the shape of earth's topography at various spatial scales. The focus of geomorphometry is the calculation of surface-form measures (land-surface parameters) and features (objects), which may be used to improve the mapping and modelling of landforms to assist in the evaluation of soils, vegetation, land use, natural hazards, and other information.
This book provides a practical guide to preparing Digital Elevation Models (DEM) for analysis and extracting land-surface parameters and objects from DEMs through a variety of software. It further offers detailed instructions on applying parameters and objects in soil, agricultural, environmental and earth sciences. This is a manual of state-of-the-art methods to serve the various researchers who use geomorphometry.
Soil scientists will use this book to further learn the methods for classifying and measuring the chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils and gain a further understaing of the role of soil as a natural resource. Geologists will find value in the instruction this book provides for measuring the physical features of the soil such as elevation, porosity, and structure which geologists use to predict natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and flooding.

* Technical details on a variety of software packages allow researchers to solve real-life mapping issues
* Provides soil and agronomy researchers best practice techniques for soil data analysis to assist in enhanced land-use and planning
* Offers geologists essential tactics for better environmental management by providing a comprehensive analysis of the physical features of soil
* Companion website includes access to the latest technological advancements previously unpublished in any other comprehensive source: geomorphometry software, DEM data sources, and applications

The analysis of soils and sediments for pollutants is increasingly required in today's industrial world. It is therefore important that extraction procedures used for environmental risk assessment studies, production of certified reference materials and applications of extraction schemes are standardised throughout the scientific community. This book deals specifically with operationally-defined extraction methods for the determination of "fractions" of elements in soil and sediment matrices. Bringing together the work of a number of different international laboratories, the book describes single and sequential extraction procedures. It then goes on to present a summary of the latest research on extraction/leaching tests for the determination of trace organic compounds in wastes, followed by an outline of an international network which aims to standardise extraction and leaching methodologies for their applications to various environmental matrices. Methodologies for Soil and Sediment Fractionation Studies will be welcomed by researchers and analysts in academia, industry and government institutions worldwide.

Highlighting the vast differences in tropical climate, from hot and humid to cool and arctic, Soils in the Humid Tropics and Monsoon Region of Indonesia explores the climate, soil zones, and altitudinal variation in soil formation. The author explores the changes in geomorphology, especially in climate and vegetation above sea level, that have yielded zones of different soils.

The book makes accessible hard-to-find information translated from Dutch archives. Informally divided into two parts, it begins with coverage of the development of soil science in Indonesia. The author reviews the geography and geomorphology of the archipelago, climate, vegetation, and mineralization and humification processes as factors of soil formation. The second part examines the major soils, their genesis, properties, taxonomy, land use, and evaluation. The discussion moves from lowlands, to uplands, then mountains, and concludes with andosols found in the mountains as well as in the lowlands.

Focused and timely, this book knits new knowledge with old but important information that has been previously difficult to access. These features and more make it an important resource in this field.

The Handbook of Irrigation System Selection for Semi-Arid Regions compares the various types of available irrigation systems for different regions and conditions, and explains how to analyze field data to determine the suitability of the land for surface, sprinkle, or drip irrigation systems. The book focuses on strategies for irrigation development and management and examines deficit irrigation and partial root-zone drying systems. Also, solute leaching modeling under different irrigation systems, soil moisture conditions, and organic fertilizer application in arid areas are discussed. Further, it examines multi-criteria decision making for irrigation management and the appraisal of agricultural lands for irrigation in hot, sub-humid regions. Features: Presents comparative analysis to aid in the selection of the most appropriate types of irrigation systems according to land characteristics. Includes numerous practical case studies. Offers parametric evaluation systems for irrigation purposes. Considers data from semi-arid zones, each with different sub-climates. Focusing on semi-arid land, the book highlights parametric evaluation systems for irrigation purposes, along with the use of analytical hierarchy processes integrated with GIS to determine which systems are best suited. This comprehensive and well-illustrated handbook will be of great interest to students, professionals, and researchers involved with all aspects of irrigation in semi-arid regions.

The term "soil health" refers to the functionality of a soil as a living ecosystem capable of sustaining plants, animals, and humans while also improving the environment. In addition to soil health, the environment also comprises the quality of air, water, vegetation, and biota. The health of soil, plants, animals, people, and the environment is an indivisible continuum. One of the notable ramifications of the Anthropocene is the growing risks of decline in soil health by anthropogenic activities. Important among these activities are deforestation, biomass burning, excessive soil tillage, indiscriminate use of agrochemicals, excessive irrigation by flooding or inundation, and extractive farming practices. Soil pollution, by industrial effluents and urban waste adversely impacts human health. Degradation of soil health impacts nutritional quality of food, such as the uptake of heavy metals or deficit of essential micro-nutrients, and contamination by pests and pathogens. Indirectly, soil health may impact human health through contamination of water and pollution of air. This book aims to: Present relationships of soil health to human health and soil health to human nutrition. Discuss the nexus between soil degradation and malnourishment as well as the important links between soil, plant, animal and human health. Detail reasons oil is a cause of infectious diseases and source of remedial measures. Part of the Advances in Soil Sciences series, this informative volume covering various aspects of soil health appeals to soil scientists, environmental scientists and public health workers.

Better Manage Soil C for Improved Soil Quality In the United States, soil has fueled the availability of abundant, safe food, thus underpinning economic growth and development. In the future we need to be more vigilant in managing and renewing this precious resource by replacing the nutrients and life-sustaining matter that we remove for our own needs. Taking these issues into consideration, Soil Carbon Management: Economic, Environmental, and Societal Benefits explores all of the advantages of effective soil carbon (C) management. A Different Way of Examining Soil C Management This unique resource provides a new conceptual framework to develop policies for managing and enhancing soil C and presents new approaches to achieve positive environmental outcomes. In each chapter, the book poses a problem or set of problems and then describes how effective soil C management can help to solve these challenges, listing the multiple benefits that arise from these practices. The book addresses specific problems such as soil erosion and land degradation and evaluates the advantages of soil C sequestration, specifically for policy development purposes. The policies discussed can be tailored to meet regional and local needs and constraints. The book also explains how to achieve an ideal environment by applying beneficial practices for farming and land management. A Plan for the Future Illustrating how to conserve and preserve soil quality for future generations and detailing how to restore the ecological functions of soil, this book will aid in the formulation of future agricultural policies that sustain food and fuel needs and have long-lasting, positive environmental impacts.

This book is an unique integrated treatise, on the concepts of fractional calculus as models with applications in hydrology, soil science and geomechanics. The models are primarily fractional partial differential equations (fPDEs), and in limited cases, fractional differential equations (fDEs). It develops and applies relevant fPDEs and fDEs mainly to water flow and solute transport in porous media and overland, and in some cases, to concurrent flow and energy transfer. It is an integrated resource with theory and applications for those interested in hydrology, hydraulics and fluid mechanics. The self-contained book summaries the fundamentals for porous media and essential mathematics with extensive references supporting the development of the model and applications.

The concept of effective stress and the effective stress equation is fundamental for establishing the theory of strength and the relationship of stress and strain in soil mechanics and poromechanics. However, up till now, the physical meaning of effective stress has not been explained clearly, and the theoretical basis of the effective stress equation has not been proposed. Researchers have not yet reached a common understanding of the feasibility of the concept of effective stress and effective stress equation for unsaturated soils. Effective Stress and Equilibrium Equation for Soil Mechanics discusses the definition of the soil skeleton at first and clarifies that the soil skeleton should include a fraction of pore water. When a free body of soil skeleton is taken to conduct internal force analysis, the stress on the surface of the free body has two parts: one is induced by pore fluid pressure that only includes normal stress; the other is produced by all the other external forces excluding pore fluid pressure. If the effective stress is defined as the soil skeleton stress due to all the external forces excluding pore fluid pressure, the effective stress equation can be easily obtained by the internal force equilibrium analysis. This equation reflects the relationship between the effective stress, total stress and pore fluid pressure, which does not change with the soil property. The effective stress equation of saturated soils and unsaturated soils is unified, i.e., o~=o~t -Seuw-(1-Se)ua. For multiphase porous medium, o~=o~t -u*,u*=Seiui(i=1,2,...,M). In this book, a theoretical formula of the coefficient of permeability for unsaturated soils is derived. The formula of the seepage force is modified based on the equilibrium differential equation of the pore water. The relationship between the effective stress and the shear strength and deformation of unsaturated soils is preliminarily verified. Finally, some possibly controversial problems are discussed to provide a better understanding of the role of the equilibrium equation and the concept of effective stress.

Increased throughput of carbon-based fossil energy, the destruction of Earth's forests, and other land use changes have resulted in ever higher levels of waste in the form of greenhouse gases-as well as a diminished capacity of the planet to absorb and store those wastes. This means that to avoid catastrophic global warming and maintain the habitability of Earth by protecting essential soil and water resources, we will need to not only reduce emissions, but also increase carbon storage in the land system. Biosequestration and Ecological Diversity: Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change and Environmental Degradation discusses ways to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and build soil by changing the way people use and manage land. Principles and Practices for Better Land Management Examining biosequestration in social, economic, and political context, the book reviews recent scientific evidence on climate change and global ecological degradation and explains how the carbon cycle has been transformed by destructive land use practices, such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels. It describes the principles of biosequestration and restorative land management practices and discusses the potential of carbon storage. The author offers specific examples of inexpensive, proven practices that build soil, protect scarce water resources, and enhance ecological diversity. He also identifies conservation policies that provide technical assistance and financial resources for ecological protection and restoration. How You Can Help Mitigate Climate Change with a Little Piece of Land Restorative land use and land management practices are critical components of any comprehensive strategy for mitigating and adapting to climate change and global environmental degradation. This book explains how anyone who owns or manages land-from an apartment to a city lot to a

Save time and effort with this practical guide to all aspects of water and soil conservation Soil and Water Conservation Handbook is a concise, compact encyclopedia of the policies, practices, conditions, and terms related to soil and/or water conservation. This handy A-to-Z guide contains descriptions of more than 700 entries, presented in a practical, non-technical format that's suitable for beginners as well as experts. It's a ready reference source of information for researchers, extension agents, policymakers, academics, and anyone else concerned about soil and water conservation. Internationally acclaimed soil scientist Dr. Paul Unger has called on his 35 years experience researching the effects of tillage, crop residues, and soil management as well as his observations in more than 40 countries to assemble a resource on soil and water conservation that's concise but comprehensive. Sources for the book's main and secondary entries--many of which are cross-referenced--include technical journals, bulletins, reports, farm magazines, commercial leaflets, books, and Internet resources. Soil and Water Conservation Handbook also includes a detailed table of contents and an index, allowing quick and easy access to any entry.Soil and Water Conservation Handbook includes entries that cover: climate characteristics cropping systems and sequences erosion types human factors management issues planting and seeding methods crop residue types and management practices soil and land conditions tillage methods water control practices and much moreSoil and Water Conservation Handbook is an invaluable reference for researchers, agricultural extension agents, Natural Resource Conservation Servicepersonnel, educators and students, land managers, and farmers.

This work presents an holistic view of the fundamental principles and practicable methods of polluted soils. A set of definitions is presented and different aspects of the evolution of pollutants and their toxicity are developed.

In Awakening the Dreamer: Clinical Journeys, Philip Bromberg continues the illuminating explorations into dissociation and clinical process begun in his seminal Standing in the Spaces (TAP, 1998). Bromberg is among our most gifted clinical writers, especially in his unique ability to record peripheral variations in relatedness - those subtle, split-second changes that capture the powerful workings of dissociation and, as such, chart the changing self-states that analyst and patient bring to the moment. Three interrelated contentions weave their way through these essays. For Bromberg, a model of mind premised on the centrality of self-states and dissociation not only offers the optimal lens for comprehending and interpreting clinical data; it also provides maximum leverage for achieving true intersubjective relatedness. And finally, this manner of looking at clinical data offers the best vantage point for integrating psychoanalytic experience with the burgeoning findings of contemporary neuroscience, cognitive and developmental psychology, and attachment research. But, these essays are no esoteric attempt at theory construction for its own sake. heart of the clinical encounter. Dreams are approached not as texts in need of deciphering but as means of contacting genuine but not yet fully conscious self-states. From here, he explores how the patient's dreamer and the analyst's dreamer can come together to turn the real into the really real of mutative therapeutic dialogue. The difficult, frequently traumatized patient is newly appraised in terms of tensions within the therapeutic dyad. Such patients, Bromberg finds, sense dangers within the dyad that the analyst unwittingly heightens. And then, there is the haunted patient who carries a sense of preordained doom through years of otherwise productive work - until the analyst can finally feel the patient's doom as his or her own. Laced with Bromberg's characteristic honesty, humor, and thoughtfulness, these essays elegantly attest to the mind's reliance on dissociation, in both normal and pathological variants, in the ongoing effort to maintain self-organization. to become a permanent part of the literature on therapeutic process and change.