External

Building Soils for Better Crops - Ecological Management for Healthy Soils 4e

The 4th edition of Building Soils for Better Crops is a one-of-a-kind, practical guide to ecological soil management. It provides step-by-step information on soil-improving practices as well as in-depth background—from what soil is to the importance of organic matter. It will show you how different physical, chemical and biological factors of the soil interconnect, and how management practices impact them to make your soil healthy and resilient or unhealthy and vulnerable to degradation.

Soil Science Geosciences

Author: Fred Magdoff & Harold van Es
Publisher: Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program
Source: LibreTexts
License: CC BY-NC
Language: EN
Category: Business Administration

Read online Download PDF (open licence)

Contents· 213 sections

01: Healthy Soils
1.01: Introduction
1.02: How is Soil Made
1.03: What Kind of Soil Do You Want
1.04: The Nature and Nurture of Soils
1.05: How Do Soils Become Degraded
1.06: How Do You Build A Healthy High-Quality Soil
1.07: Soil Health Plant Health and Human Health
1.08: A Larger View
1.09: Sources
02: What Is Organic Matter and Why Is It So Important
2.01: Introduction
2.02: Why Soil Organic Matter is So Important
2.03: Organic Matter And Natural Cycles
2.04: Summary
2.05: Sources
03: Amount of Organic Matter in Soils
3.01: Introduction
3.02: Natural Factors
3.03: Human Influences
3.04: Organic Matter Distribution Within Soil
3.05: Active Versus Passive Organic Matter
3.06: Amounts of Living Organic Matter
3.07: How Much Organic Matter Is Enough
3.08: Organic Matter and Cropping Systems
3.09: The Dynamics of Raising and Maintaining Soil Organic Matter Levels
3.10: Appendix
3.11: Sources
04: The Living Soil
4.01: Introduction
4.02: Soil Microorganisms
4.03: Small and Medium-Size Soil Animals
4.04: Large Soil Animals
4.05: Plant Roots
4.06: Biological Diversity Abundance Activity and Balance
4.07: Summary
4.08: Sources
05: Soil Particles Water and Air
5.01: Introduction
5.02: Texture - A Basic Soil Property
5.03: Water and Aeration
5.04: Available Water and Rooting
5.05: Infiltration Versus Runoff
5.06: Soil Water and Aggregation
5.07: What Comes From the Sky- The Lifeblood of Ecosystems
5.08: Sources
06: Soil Degradation- Erosion Compaction and Contamination
6.01: Introduction
6.02: Erosion
6.03: Soil Tilth and Compaction
6.04: Consequences of Compaction
6.05: The Water Range for Best Plant Growth
6.06: Chemical Contamination of Soil
6.07: Summary
6.08: Sources
07: Carbon and Nutrient Cycles and Flows
7.01: Introduction
7.02: Carbon and Nutrient Flows in History
7.03: Cycling and Flows in Modern Agriculture
7.04: Flow Patterns at Farm Scale
7.05: Flow Patterns at Large Scale
7.06: Summary
7.07: Sources
08: Soil Health Plant Health and Pests
8.01: Introduction
8.02: Soil Properties and Their Interrelationships
8.03: Ecological Principles for Agriculture
8.04: Ecological Crop and Soil Management
8.05: Plant Defenses Management Practices and Pests
8.06: Inoculate With Beneficial Organisms
8.07: Summary
8.08: Sources
09: Managing for High-Quality Soils and Focusing on Organic Matter Management
9.01: Introduction
9.02: Organic Matter Management
9.03: Maintaining Soil Biodiversity
9.04: Besides Organic Matter Management
9.05: Summary
9.06: A Case Study Bob Muth
9.07: Sources
10: Cover Crops
10.01: Introduction
10.02: Benefits of Cover Crops
10.03: Types of Cover Crops
10.04: Cover Crop Management
10.05: A Case Study Gabe Brown
10.06: Sources
11: Diversifying Cropping Systems
11.01: Introduction
11.02: Why Rotations
11.03: Rotations and Soil Organic Matter Levels
11.04: Residue Availability
11.05: Species Richness and Active Rooting Periods
11.06: Rotations Water Quality and Gaseous Losses of N
11.07: Farm Labor and Economics
11.08: General Principles
11.09: Rotation Examples
11.10: Agroforestry
11.11: Summary
11.12: A Case Study Celia Barss
11.13: Sources
12: Integrating Crops and Livestock
12.01: Introduction
12.02: Types of Crop-Livestock Farms
12.03: Manure
12.04: Types of Manure
12.05: Manure Handling Systems
12.06: Chemical Characteristics of Manures
12.07: Effects of Manuring on Soils
12.08: Using Manures
12.09: Estimating Manure Nutrient Availability
12.10: Grazing
12.11: Potential Problems Using Manures
12.12: Summary
12.13: A Case Study Darrell Parks
12.14: Sources
13: Making and Using Composts
13.01: Introduction
13.02: Making Composts
13.03: Other Composting Techniques
13.04: Using Composts
13.05: Advantages of Composting
13.06: Summary
13.07: A Case Study Cam Tabb
13.08: Sources
14: Reducing Runoff and Erosion
14.01: Introduction
14.02: Tolerable Soil Loss
14.03: Off-Site Effects
14.04: Addressing Runoff and Erosion
14.05: Other Practices and Structures for Soil Conservation
14.06: Sources
15: Addressing Compaction
15.01: Introduction
15.02: Diagnosing Different Types of Compaction
15.03: Relieving and Preventing Compaction
15.04: Summary
15.05: Sources
16: Minimizing Tillage
16.01: Introduction
16.02: Tillage Systems
16.03: Which Tillage System is Right for Your Farm
16.04: Summary
16.05: A Case Study Steve Groff
16.06: Sources
17: Managing Water- Irrigation and Drainage
17.01: Introduction
17.02: Irrigation
17.03: Drainage
17.04: Summary
17.05: Sources
18: Nutrient Management
18.01: Introduction
18.02: The Bottom Line- Nutrients and Plant Health Pests Profits and the Environment
18.03: Organic Matter and Nutrient Availability
18.04: Improving Nutrient Cycling on the Farm
18.05: Using Fertilizers and Amendments
18.06: Sources
19: Management of Nitrogen and Phosphorus
19.01: Introduction
19.02: Management of N and P
19.03: Planning for N and P Management
19.04: Managing High-P Soils
19.05: Summary
19.06: Sources
20: Other Fertility Issues
20.01: Introduction
20.02: Other Nutrients
20.03: Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) Management
20.04: Soil Acidity
20.05: Remediation of Sodic (Alkali) and Saline Soils
20.06: Sources
21: Analyzing Your Soil and Crop
21.01: Introduction
21.02: Taking Soil Samples
21.03: Accuracy of Recommendations Based on Soil Tests
21.04: Sources of Confusion About Soil Tests
21.05: Soil Testing for Nitrogen
21.06: Soil Testing for P
21.07: Testing Soils for Organic Matter
21.08: Testing Soils for pH Lime Needs
21.09: Interpreting Soil Test Results
21.10: Adjusting a Soil Test Recommendation
21.11: Making Adjustments to Fertilizer Application Rates
21.12: Managing Field Nutrient Variability
21.13: Testing High Tunnel Soils
21.14: Nutrient Recommendations without Soil Analyses
21.15: Summary
21.16: Sources
21.17: Chapter Appendix- The Basic Cation Saturation Ratio System
22: Soils for Urban Farms Gardens and Green Spaces
22.01: Introduction
22.02: Common Challenges with Urban Soils
22.03: Testing for Soil Contaminants
22.04: Soil Reconditioning Strategies
22.05: Urban Green Infrastructure
22.06: Other Construction Concerns
22.07: Summary
22.08: A Case Study City Slicker Farms
22.09: Sources
23: How Good Are Your Soils
23.01: Introduction
23.02: General Field Observations
23.03: Field Indicators
23.04: Laboratory Soil Health Testing
23.05: Summary
23.06: Sources
24: Putting It All Together
24.01: Introduction
24.02: General Approaches
24.03: What Makes Sense for Your Situation
24.04: Practices to Help Remedy Specific Constraints
24.05: Some Final Thoughts