This book establishes the equations of limit analysis and provides a complete theoretical basis for foundation capacity, slope stability, and earth pressure. It is divided into three parts, the first of which discusses the failure mode and fundamental equation of soil mass. The second part addresses the solution methods for limit analysis, including the characteristic line method, stress field method, limit equilibrium method, virtual work equation-based generalized limit equilibrium method and generalized limit equilibrium method for the surface failure mode. Lastly, the third part examines the application of the limit analysis theory to soil mass.

This book celebrates the relaunch of the African Pollen Database, presents state-of-the-art of modern and ancient pollen data from sub-Saharan Africa, and promotes Open Access science. Pollen grains are powerful tools for the study of past vegetation dynamics because they preserve well within sedimentary deposits and have a huge diversity in ornamentation that allows different taxa to be determined. The reconstruction of past vegetation from the examination of ancient pollen records thus can be used to characterize the nature of past landscapes (e.g. abundance of forests vs. grasslands), provide insights into changes in biodiversity, and gain empirical evidence of vegetation response to climatic change and human activity. In this, the 35th Volume of "Palaeoecology of Africa", we bring together new data and extensive synthetic reviews to provide novel insights into the relationships between human evolution, human activity, climate change and vegetation dynamics during the Quaternary, the last 2.6 million years. Current and ongoing climate and land-use change is exerting pressure on modern vegetation formations and threatening the livelihoods and wellbeing of many peoples in Africa. In this book the focus is on the Quaternary because it is during this geological period that the modern vegetation formations developed into their current configurations against a backdrop of high magnitude global climate change (glacial-interglacial cycles), human evolution, and a growing human land-use footprint. In this book the latest information is presented and collated from around the African continent to parameterize past vegetation states, identify the drivers of vegetation change, and assess the vegetation resilience to change. To achieve this research from two broad themes are covered: (i) the present is the key to the past (i.e. studies which improve our understanding of modern environments so that we can better interpret evidence from the past), and (ii) the past is the key to the future (i.e. studies which unlock information on how and why vegetation changed in the past so one can better anticipate trajectories of future change). This Open Access book will provide a strong foundation for future research exploring past ecological, environmental and climatic change within Africa and the surrounding islands. The book is organized regionally (covering western, eastern, central, and southern Africa) and it contains specialized articles focused on particular topics (such as modern pollen-vegetation relationships and fire as a driver of vegetation change), as well as regional and pan-African syntheses drawing together decades of research to assess key scientific questions (including the role of climate in driving vegetation change and the role of vegetation change in human evolution). These articles will be useful to students and teachers from high school to the highest level of university who are interested in the origins and dynamics of vegetation in Africa. Furthermore, it is also meant to provide societally relevant information that can act as an inspiration for the development of sustainable management practices for the future.

Soil organic carbon (SOC), a key component of the global carbon (C) pool, plays an important role in C cycling, regulating climate, water supplies and biodiversity, and therefore in providing the ecosystem services that are essential to human well-being. Most agricultural soils in temperate regions have now lost as much as 60% of their SOC, and as much as 75% in tropical regions, due to conversion from natural ecosystems to agricultural uses and mainly due to continuous soil degradation. Sequestering C can help to offset C emissions from fossil fuel combustion and other C-emitting activities, while also enhancing soil quality and long-term agronomic productivity. However, developing effective policies for creating terrestrial C sinks is a serious challenge in tropical and subtropical soils, due to the high average annual temperatures in these regions. It can be accomplished by implementing improved land management practices that add substantial amounts of biomass to soil, cause minimal soil disturbance, conserve soil and water, improve soil structure, and enhance soil fauna activity. Continuous no-till crop production is arguably the best example. These soils need technically sound and economically feasible strategies to sustainably enhance their SOC pools. Hence, this book provides comprehensive information on SOC and its management in different land-use systems, with a focus on preserving soils and their ecosystem services. The only book of its kind, it offers a valuable asset for students, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders involved in the sustainable development and management of natural resources at the global level.

The book encompasses different Agriculturally Important microorganisms (AIMs), mechanisms of action and modes of application for sustainable agriculture. The potential of microbes in nitrogen fixation, solubilizing nutrients like phosphorous, Potassium, tolerance to etc. are the major strength of the book. There is relatively a new frontier, use of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria(PGPR)in enhancing crop productivity. These microbes inhabit at the rhizospheric region of the root and facilitate plant growth through a variety of direct and indirect mechanisms. These PGP have been identified to solubilize phosphate, Potassium, Zinc, produce siderophore, IAA, Hydrogencyanide, fix ammonia and many more. Today, such microbes are extensively studied not only as a biofertilizer or fortification of nutrient to the plant, but also a potential agent to decrease application of chemical fertilizer and other agrochemicals. The book also gives an insight to this aspect also. Last but not the least,a light has been thrown on use and application of nano-biofertilizer for sustainable agriculture. Note: T&F does not sell or distribute the hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This title is co-published with NIPA.

Plants require essential nutrients (macronutrients and micronutrients) for normal functioning. Sufficiency range is the levels of nutrients necessary to meet the plant's needs for optimal growth. This range depends on individual plant species and the particular nutrient. Nutrient levels outside of a plant's sufficiency range cause overall crop growth and health to decline, due either to deficiency or toxicity from over-accumulation. Apart from micronutrients (B, Cl, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mo), Aluminum (Al), cerium (Ce), cobalt (Co), iodine (I), lanthanum (La), sodium (Na), selenium (Se), silicon (Si), titanium (Ti), and vanadium (V) are emerging as novel biostimulants that may enhance crop productivity and nutritional quality. These beneficial elements are not "essential" but when supplied at low dosages, they augment plant growth, development, and yield by stimulating specific molecular, biochemical, and physiological pathways in responses to challenging environments. The book is the first reference volume that approaches plant micronutrient management with the latest biotechnological and omics tools. Expertly curated chapters highlight working solutions as well as open problems and future challenges in plant micronutrient deficiency or toxicity. We believe this book will introduce readers to state-of-the-art developments and research trends in this field.

Agronomic crops have been used to provide foods, beverages, fodders, fuels, medicines and industrial raw materials since the dawn of human civilization. Today, agronomic crops are being cultivated by employing scientific methods instead of traditional methods. However, in the current era of climate change, agronomic crops are subjected to various environmental stresses, which results in substantial yield loss. To meet the food demands of the ever-increasing global population, new technologies and management practices are being adopted to boost yield and maintain productivity under both normal and adverse conditions. Scientists are now exploring a variety of approaches to the sustainable production of agronomic crops, including varietal development, soil management, nutrient and water management, pest management, etc. Researchers have also made remarkable progress in developing stress tolerance in crops through different approaches. However, achieving optimal production to meet the increasing food demand is an open challenge. Although there have been numerous publications on the above-mentioned problems, and despite the extensive research being conducted on them, there is hardly any comprehensive book available. In response, this book offers a timely resource, addressing all aspects of production technologies, management practices and stress tolerance in agronomic crops in a single volume.

Most landslides are triggered by rainfall. In previous studies, slope stability is often evaluated based on the infiltration analysis. Hydro-mechanical coupling is significant to rainfall-caused landslide evolution. This book covers theoretical models of unsaturated infiltration, and provides hydro-mechanical models for rainfall-induced landslides. The influences of rainfall patterns, boundary conditions, layered structures, and SWCC hysteresis on the coupled unsaturated infiltration and deformation are discussed. Laboratory testing of rainfall-induced landslides is performed to study the developing process of landslide upon rainfall infiltration. The results provide a better understanding of rainfall-induced landslides.

This book intends directly the practical engineers, who will be of great interest in reading the interesting chapters. Earthwork projects are critical components in civil construction and often require detailed management techniques and unique solution methods to address failures. Being earthbound, earthwork is influenced by geomaterial properties at the onset of a project. Hence, an understanding of the in-situ soil properties and all geotechnical aspects is essential. Analytical methods for earth structures remain critical for researchers due to the mechanical complexity of the system. Striving for better earthwork project management, the geotechnical engineering community continues to find improved testing techniques for determining sensitive properties of soil and rock, including stress wave-based, non-destructive testing methods. To minimize failure during earthwork construction, past case studies and data may reveal useful lessons and information to improve project management and minimize economic losses.

This volume presents select papers presented during the Second International Conference on Waste Management held at IIT Guwahati. The book comprises of eight sections, and deals with various technologies associated with curbing of different environmental issues as well as management and legislative policies associated with them. This book will be of interest to various researchers, students, policy makers and people who pursue keen interest in the waste management techniques and policies.

This Ph.D. thesis attempts to decipher the closure of the Palaeozoic Palaeo-Asian Ocean along the enigmatic Solonker Suture in East Asia adopting a methodology that integrates geochemical and geochronological data from Palaeozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks in the region. It provides an in-detail but also broad insight into the Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the region, not only pin-pointing the debated location of the Solonker Suture but also the timing of final disappearance of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean during Permian to Early Triassic times. The results have led to propose a tectonic 'soft-collision' model for the amalgamation of the North China Craton and the Mongolian Terranes in northern Asia explaining the general absence of geologic features characteristic for continent-continent collisions such as the occurrence of regional-scale high-grade metamorphic rocks, ophiolite belts and fold-thrust structures. This new model may serve as a blueprint for the tectonic evolution of similar suture zones that are characterized by the absence of typical collision related lithologies and structures. The thesis is particularly useful as a guide for researchers who seek an in-depth understanding of the Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of northern China and Central Asia along the Solonker Suture.

Fertilizers have been used extensively around the globe since the Green Revolution, due to the high subsidies. However, extensive fertilizer use exacerbates soil degradation and causes yield stagnation, and as a result threatens food security and soil sustainability, especially in developing countries. This means that sustainable soil and environmental management are vital to provide food and nutritional security for present and future generations. This has led to the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS) declaring 2015-2024 the International Decade of Soils. This book focuses on the impact of sustainable management of soil and environment on improving the functioning of soil-ecosystems and agronomic productivity, and also discusses food security, nutrient cycling, recent advances in INM technologies, eco-friendly cultivation, agricultural practices to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as conservation agriculture and its effects, and strategies for soil sustainability. Offering a comprehensive overview of management in the context of the sustainability of soil and the agroecosystems that it supports, it demonstrates the options available and provides insights into restoring soil health and matching soil nutrient supply with crop demand to ensure nutritional security in an eco-friendly environment.

Proceedings of the International Geotechnical Symposium on [title], Fukuoka Kyushu, Oct. '88. No index; acidic paper. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

This book presents evidence-based approaches and techniques used to diagnose and manage organic solutes, oxidative stress, and antioxidant enzymes in crop plants under abiotic stressors. It discusses strategies in abiotic stress tolerance including osmoregulation, osmoprotectants, and the regulation of compatible solutes and antioxidant enzymes in plants. With contributions from 49 scholars worldwide, this authoritative guide is educational for scientists working with plants and abiotic stressors. Provides comprehensive coverage of all aspects of abiotic stress, from abiotic stresses' effects on plant growth, development, and defense mechanisms, to functionality of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant enzymes in crop plants. Outlines the dangers of reactive oxygen species. Discusses using antioxidant enzymes and antioxidant molecules in plant protection mechanisms. Edited by Arafat Abdel Hamed Abdel Latef, Professor of Plant Physiology at South Valley University, Egypt, this book is written for graduate students and scholars researching abiotic plant stressors. "The book represents an excellent strategy to understand the mechanisms and techniques of antioxidant enzymes in the plant cell under stress conditions." - Professor Mostafa El-sheekh "Provides a thorough and detailed picture of the updated knowledge on the techniques used to manage organic solutes, oxidative stress and stress-related enzymes under abiotic stressors." - Bhoopander Giri, Ph.D. "Will serve as an imperative source of scientific literature in the plant stress biology field." - Narendra Singh Yadav, Ph.D. "The book has eighteen chapters written by scholars of international expertise in plant stress management." - Dr. Sikander PAL, Senior Assistant Professor

The living soil is crucial to photosynthesis, biogeochemical cycles, global food production, climate change, biodiversity, and plant and animal health. In the past decade, scientists have made significant advances in soil microbiology research. While the basic principles are now better understood, knowledge has been forthcoming on the best available technologies and methods applied to researching soil microorganisms, their diversity, interactions, biochemistry, survival, gene expression, and their roles in global climate change, plant disease suppression and growth stimulation, and biogeochemical cycles. This knowledge can be applied to better predict the transformation of pollutants in soil and the activities of microbes in the rhizosphere. It will also assist us in fostering crop production in an era with an increasing human population and intensification of agriculture. Following the tradition of its predecessors, Modern Soil Microbiology, Third Edition, is an indispensable source that supports graduate/undergraduate teaching for soil and environmental microbiologists in academia, as well as in government and industrial laboratories. It is a comprehensive collection of chapters on various aspects of soil microbiology, useful for all professionals working with soils. Compiled by internationally renowned educators and research scholars, this textbook contains key tables, figures, and photographs, supported by thousands of references to illustrate the depth of knowledge in soil microbiology. FEATURES Fully updated and expanded to include new key chapters on historical developments, future applications, and soil viruses and proteins Discusses molecular methods applied to soil microbiology, diverse soil microorganisms, and global climate change Emphasizes the role of terrestrial microorganisms and cycles involved in climate change Details the latest molecular methods applied to soil microbiology research User-friendly for students, and containing numerous tables, figures, and illustrations to better understand the current knowledge in soil microbiology

Globally, 30% of the world population lived in urban areas in 1950, 54% in 2016 and 66% projected by 2050. The most urbanized regions include North America, Latin America, and Europe. Urban encroachment depletes soil carbon and the aboveground biomass carbon pools, enhancing the flux of carbon from soil and vegetation into the atmosphere. Thus, urbanization has exacerbated ecological and environmental problems. Urban soils are composed of geological material that has been drastically disturbed by anthropogenic activities and compromised their role in the production of food, aesthetics of residential areas, and pollutant dynamics. Properties of urban soils are normally not favorable to plant growth-the soils are contaminated by heavy metals and are compacted and sealed. Therefore, the quality of urban soils must be restored to make use of this valuable resource for delivery of essential ecosystem services (e.g., food, water and air quality, carbon sequestration, temperature moderation, biodiversity). Part of the Advances in Soil Sciences Series, Urban Soils explains properties of urban soils; assesses the effects of urbanization on the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and water and the impacts of management of urban soils, soil restoration, urban agriculture, and food security; evaluates ecosystem services provisioned by urban soils, and describes synthetic and artificial soils.

This 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 and 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:
DT soil carbon and how its retention or sequestration interacts with tillage and no-tillage
DT controlled traffic farming as an adjunct to no-tillage
DT comparison of the performance of generic no-tillage opener designs
DT the role of banding fertilizer in no-tillage
DT the economics of no-tillage
DT small-scale equipment used by poorer farmers
DT forage cropping by no-tillage
DT a method for risk assessment of different levels of machine sophistication

The cropping system is one of the important components of sustainable agriculture, since it provides more efficient nutrient cycling. As such, balanced fertilization must be based on the concept of sustainable crop production. Feeding the rapidly growing world population using environmentally sustainable production systems is a major challenge, especially in developing countries. A number of studies have highlighted the fact that degradation of the world's cultivated soils is largely responsible for low and plateauing yields. Soil is lost rapidly but only formed over millennia, and this represents the greatest global threat to nutrient dynamics in agriculture. This means that nutrient management is essential to provide food and nutritional security for current and future generations. Nutrient dynamics and soil sustainability imply the maintenance of the desired ecological balance, the enhancement and preservation of soil functions, and the protection of biodiversity above and below ground. Understanding the role of nutrient management as a tool for soil sustainability and nutritional security requires a holistic approach to a wide range of soil parameters (biological, physical, and chemical) to assess the soil functions and nutrient dynamics of a crop management system within the desired timescale. Further, best nutrient management approaches are important to advance soil sustainability and food and nutritional security without compromising the soil quality and productive potential. Sustainable management practices must allow environmentally and economically sustainable yields and restore soil health and sustainability. This book presents soil management approaches that can provide a wide range of benefits, including improved fertility, with a focus on the importance of nutrient dynamics. Discussing the broad impacts of nutrients cycling on the sustainability of soil and the cropping systems that it supports, it also addresses nutrient application to allow environmentally and economically sustainable agroecosystems that restore soil health. Arguing that balanced fertilization must be based on the concept of INM for a cropping system rather than a crop, it provides a roadmap to nutrient management for sustainability. This richly illustrated book features tables, figures and photographs and includes extensive up-to-date references, making it a valuable resource for policymakers and researchers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students of Soil Science, Agronomy, Ecology and Environmental Sciences.

Bioremediation is a rapidly advancing field and the technology has been applied successfully to remediate many contaminated sites. The goal of every soil remediation method is to enhance the degradation, transformation, or detoxification of pollutants and to protect, maintain and sustain environmental quality.

Advances in our understanding of the ecology of microbial communities capable of breaking down various pollutants and the molecular and biochemical mechanisms by which biodegradation occurs have helped us in developing practical soil bioremediation strategies. Chapters dealing with the application of biological methods to soil remediation are contributed from experts authorities in the area of environmental science including microbiology and molecular biology from academic institutions and industry."

This book offers extensive information on the course of sedimentation in the Proterozoic Vindhyan Basin and the potential record of ancient life stored within the rocks. It covers topics ranging from facies analysis to sequence-building, from carbonates to siliciclastics, and mixed lithology and life records from microbial to potentially eukaryotes, along with the basin evolutionary history. Further, the book includes 75 color photographs and accompanying hand-sketches to help readers grasp key aspects of Vindhyan Geology. Vindhyan rocks are well known for their excellent preservation of microbial record of earth. Offering a student-friendly field guide containing detailed route maps, geological maps and a wealth of visual examples, it is also extremely useful in terms of understanding the microbe-dominated environments on Mars.

Several textbooks and edited volumes are currently available on general soil fertility but' to date' none have been dedicated to the study of "Sustainable Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Soil." Yet this aspect is extremely important, considering the fact that the soil, as the 'epidermis of the Earth' (geodermis)' is a major component of the terrestrial biosphere. This book addresses virtually every aspect of C and N cycling, including: general concepts on the diversity of microorganisms and management practices for soil, the function of soil's structure-function-ecosystem, the evolving role of C and N, cutting-edge methods used in soil microbial ecological studies, rhizosphere microflora, the role of organic matter (OM) in agricultural productivity, C and N transformation in soil, biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and its genetics, plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs), PGPRs and their role in sustainable agriculture, organic agriculture, etc. The book's main objectives are: (1) to explain in detail the role of C and N cycling in sustaining agricultural productivity and its importance to sustainable soil management; (2) to show readers how to restore soil health with C and N; and (3) to help them understand the matching of C and N cycling rules from a climatic perspective. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for educators, researchers, and policymakers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students of soil science, soil microbiology, agronomy, ecology, and the environmental sciences. Gathering cutting-edge contributions from internationally respected researchers, it offers authoritative content on a broad range of topics, which is supplemented by a wealth of data, tables, figures, and photographs. Moreover, it provides a roadmap for sustainable approaches to food and nutritional security, and to soil sustainability in agricultural systems, based on C and N cycling in soil systems.

Meeting the food requirements of an ever-increasing population is a pressing challenge for every country around the globe. Soil degradation has a negative impact on food security by reducing the cultivated land areas, while at the same time the world population is predicted to increase to 9.2 billion in 2050. Soil degradation adversely affects soil function and productivity and degraded soils now amount to 6 billion ha worldwide. The major factors are salinization, erosion, depletion of nutrients due to exhaustive agricultural practices and contamination with toxic metal ions and agrochemicals, which reduces the activity of soil microbe. In addition, poor soil management also decreases fertility. As such, measures are required to restore the soil health and productivity: organic matter, beneficial microorganisms and nutrient dynamics can all improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Understanding the role of soil health restoration and management in sustainability and nutritional security calls for a holistic approach to assess soil functions and examine the contributions of a particular management system within a defined timescale. Further, best management practices in cropping systems are important in ensuring sustainability and food and nutritional security without compromising the soil quality and productivity po tential. Rational soil management practices must allow environmentally and economically sustain able yields and restoration of soil health.

This book discusses how sediments compact with depth and applications of the compaction trends. Porosity reduction in sediment conveniently indicates the degree of sediments compacted after deposition. Published empirical curves- the compaction curves- are depth-wise porosity variation through which change in pore spaces from sediment surface to deeper depths e.g. up to 6 km can be delineated. Porosity is derived from well logs. Compaction curves, referred to as the Normal Porosity Profile of shales, sandstones and shale bearing sandstones of different models are reviewed along with the different mechanical and chemical compaction processes. These compaction models reveals how porosity reduces depth-wise and the probable reason for anomalous zones. Deviation from these normal compaction trends may indicate abnormal pressure scenarios: either over- or under pressure. We highlight global examples of abnormal pressure scenarios along with the different primary- and secondary mechanisms. Well logs and cores being the direct measurements of porosity, well log is the only cost-effective way to determine porosity of subsurface rocks. Certain well logs can detect overpressure and the preference of one log above the other helps reduce the uncertainty. Apart from delineation of under-compacted zones by comparing the modeled- with the actual compaction, porosity data can also estimate erosion.