Plant and Soil Science: Fundamentals and Applications

Plant & Soil Science: Fundamentals and Applications leads the learner through four major sections, Introduction to Plants, Fundamentals of Soil Science, Fundamentals of Plant Growth and Propagation, and Crops - Applied Plant and Soil Science. Organized into twenty-eight chapters, each chapter features learning objectives, key terms (defined in the glossary), tables, charts, illustrations and color photographs to aid the learning and teaching process. Learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter indicate to the student and the teacher the important concepts. The review questions at the end of each chapter are tied to the learning objectives to help assess the students grasp of key concepts contained within each chapter. Similarly, additional resources are listed at the end of each chapter, and a "Knowledge Applied" section contains student activities designed to get the students "doing" so that they begin "understanding" plant and soil science. In the final chapter, students who enjoy learning about and working with plants and soils can learn more about employing the necessary skills and education for a career paths in plant and soil science.

Dr. Parker is the director for AgrowKnowledge, the National Center for Agriscience and Technology Education, a project funded by the National Science Foundation. The former division director at the College of Southern Idaho, he worked in agriculture, information technology, drafting, and electronics, and taught computer, agriculture, and writing classes. He is the 2008 recipient of the N.A.C.T.A. (National American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture) Distinguished Educator Award, and the 2010 recipient of the N.A.C.T.A. Murray Brown Leadership Award. Dr. Parker has authored several Delmar,Cengage textbooks (Plant & Soil Science, Aquaculture Science, Introduction to Plant Science, and Introduction to Food Science, and others), and serves as Editor of the N.A.C.T.A. Journal. He earned his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University, a Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology from Iowa State University, and completed post-doctoral work at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, and the University of Wyoming, Laramie.