Principles and Practice of Soil Science: The Soil as a Natural Resource

Principles and Practice of Soil Science, Fourth Editionprovides a current and comprehensive introduction to soil science for students in the fields of environmental and agricultural science, ecology, soil and land management, natural resource management and environmental engineering.

• Covers all aspects of soil science including soil habitat, processes in the soil environment and soil management.
• Emphasizes the applications of soil science to the solution of practical problems in soil and land management.
• Highlights real world examples drawn from the author’s international experience in the field.
• Includes an expanded colour section of soil profiles and other features, and greater coverage of international soil classification
• Features new problem sets and questions at the end of each chapter, designed to reinforce important principles. An answer key is provided at the end of the text.

Artwork from the book is available to instructors online at www.blackwellpublishing.com/white

This established textbook continues to provide a current and comprehensive introduction to soil science for students at tertiary institutions, and a readily accessible reference work for professional soil scientists, agronomists, ecologists, geomorphologists, engineers and land managers.

It covers all aspects of soil science, tackling in turn the soil habitat, processes in the soil environment and soil management. The author maintains the tradition of clarity and conciseness set by previous editions, and the text is extensively illustrated with photographs and diagrams. Examples are drawn from the author's experience in many parts of the world.

In this new edition, the scientific content of the text has been fully revised and updated. Emphasis has been placed on the applications of soil science to the solution of a wide variety of practical problems in soil and land management. Contemporary material has been introduced on productivity, fertilizers and agro-chemicals, problem soils and soil information systems. A completely new chapter on soil quality and sustainable land management has been added which reviews current issues in the sustainable use of natural resources at national and international levels.

Global food shortages and rising populations continue to place ever-increasing pressures on agriculture to perform as efficiently as possible. The problem of meeting these needs while limiting the impact of further intensification of production systems on the quality of the environment has never been so acute. This book reveals that the scientific contribution of soil science to environmental land management is a crucial one.

Booknews

New edition of a text which addresses the problem of meeting the legitimate needs of a growing world population while limiting the impact of development on the quality of the environment. Fifteen chapters discuss the soil habitat, processes in the soil environment, and soil management. They introduce new material on productivity, fertilizers and agro-chemicals, information systems, and problem soils. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Robert White holds degrees from the University of Queensland and the University of Oxford. He has extensive international experience in Australia, Southern Africa, England, New Zealand, China and the USA, focusing on soil, water and nutrient management in broad-acre cropping, grazing systems and vineyards for wine production. He is Emeritus Professor of Soil Science at the University of Melbourne and author of Soils for Fine Wines.