Discover the principles that support the practice! With its simplicity in presentation, this text makes the difficult concepts of soil mechanics and foundations much easier to understand. The author explains basic concepts and fundamental principles in the context of basic mechanics, physics, and mathematics. From Practical Situations and Essential Points to Practical Examples, this text is packed with helpful hints and examples that make the material crystal clear. The text also includes a CD-ROM that offers readers hands on learning.
Gain a practical understanding of soil properties and the soil management techniques most important for the effective use of soils with SOIL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT, 6E. This non-technical, reader-friendly book details all aspects of effective soil usage, including management techniques, composition, fertility, erosion, conservation,and irrigation in this practical guide. This edition highlights horticultural uses of soil as well as the latest green methodologies in both agricultural and horticultural practice from the perspective of farmers, horticulturalists, environmentalists and others who are concerned about how soils work and how they can be used most effectively. This edition further examines nutrient management and best practices with the latest updates on legal issues and government programs that make it a useful resource now and invaluable reference for the future.
With the help of this guide, you can use obtained test results to evaluate the fertility status of soils and the nutrient element status of plants for crop production purposes. It serves as an instructional manual on the techniques used to perform chemical and physical characteristic tests on soils. Laboratory Guide for Conducting Soil Tests and Plant Analysis describes the basis and procedures for each test in detail, including analytical instrumentation procedures and laboratory quality assurance requirements.
While many introductory texts on soil mechanics are available, most are either lacking in their explanations of soil behavior or provide far too much information without cogent organization. More significantly, few of those texts go beyond memorization of equations and numbers to provide a practical understanding of why and how soil mechanics work.
Based on the authors’ more than 25 years of teaching soil mechanics to engineering students, Soil Mechanics Fundamentals presents a comprehensive introduction to soil mechanics, with emphasis on the engineering significance of what soil is, how it behaves, and why it behaves that way. Concise, yet thorough, the text is organized incrementally, with earlier sections serving as the foundation for more advanced topics. Explaining the varied behavior of soils through mathematics, physics and chemistry, the text covers:
Engineering behavior of clays
Unified and AASHTO soil classification systems
Compaction techniques, water flow and effective stress
Stress increments in soil mass and settlement problems
Mohr’s Circle application to soil mechanics and shear strength
Lateral earth pressure and bearing capacity theories
Each chapter is accompanied by example and practicing problems that encourage readers to apply learned concepts to applications with a full understanding of soil behavior fundamentals. With this text, engineering professionals as well as students can confidently determine logical and innovative solutions to challenging situations.
Soil is the basis not only for all gardening, but for all terrestrial life. No aspect of agriculture is more fundamental and important, yet we have been losing vast quantities of our finite soil resources to erosion, pollution, and development.
Now back in print, this eminently sensible and wonderfully well-focused book provides essential information about one of the most significant challenges for those attempting to grow delicious organic vegetables: the creation and maintenance of healthy soil.
Chapter 2, “Understanding the Soil System,” is alone worth the price of admission. Gershuny and Smillie give lay readers and experts a clear explanation of subjects–soil life and nutrient cycles–that have confounded most authors. Nowhere will the reader find simpler and more coherent descriptions of key concepts including cation exchange capacity and chelation.
There are other books about soil available, including Grace Gershuny’s comprehensive Start with the Soil, and there are books that feature chapters on soil building. What distinguishes The Soil of Soilis the authors’ concise presentation; they give readers important information, including technical essentials, without getting bogged down in scientific or quasiscientific mumbo-jumbo. In addition, useful tables list specific compost materials, green manures, and other resources that allow growers to translate into action the more general information provided by the book.
The soil-building techniques featured include:
Organic matter management
Building and maintaining humus
On-site composting
Green manures and rotations
Cultivation and weed control
Nutrient balances and soil testing
Using mineral fertilizers
Planning for organic certification
Updates to the 1999 edition include analysis of Proposed Rules for the National Organic Standards, and expanded recommendations for private testing services and soil-testing equipment for home gardeners and organic farmers.
All of us involved in the cultivation of plants–from the backyard gardener to the largest farmer–need to help regenerate a “living soil,” for only in the diversity of the soil and its creatures can we ensure the long-term health of ourselves and our environment. The Soul of Soil offers everyone a basic understanding of what soil is and what we can do to improve our own patch of it. Seen in this light, this practical handbook will be an inspiration as well.
