Managing Soil Quality: Challenges in Modern Agriculture

MANAGING SOIL QUALITY: CHALLENGES IN MODERN AGRICULTURE

Edited by P. Schonning, S. Elmholt, and B.T. Christensen Wallingford, Oxon, U.K. and Cambridge (Massachusetts, U.S.A. CABI Publishing, CAB International. $140.00 vii + 344 p. ill.; index. ISBN: 0-85199-671X. 2004

In recent years there have been a number of books addressing the issue of assessing soil quality, so it is important that the present review summarizes to what extent this new volume on the subject addresses the topic differently. There is a clear difference since most recent books on soil quality have focused on descriptive aspects of soils and identifying indicators of soil quality, whereas this book is much more concerned with the management of soils to improve their quality.

The book is edited by three Danish scientists and its preparation was supported financially by the Danish government. It consists of 18 chapters written by 38 soil scientists from a very broad international background and range of disciplines. The first and last chapters are summaries of the concepts of management soil quality, and the intervening diverse range of chapter topics address various aspects of soil fertility, acidity, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus availability, soil organic matter, soil microbial diversity, soil compaction, tillage, and erosion, the use of organic wastes in soil improvement, the effects of pesticides on soil quality, the importance of land-use planning and ends with a comparison of soil quality in industrialized and developing countries.

The book claims to be targeted at post-graduate students and researchers in agronomy and soil sciences. It does provide an excellent overview of many of the more important issues associated with the identification, maintenance and management of soil quality. Its price may preclude many post-graduate students from purchasing it but nevertheless it will provide an excellent reference source for all interested in soil science, and the importance and maintenance of soils for crop production.

CLIVE A. EDWARDS, Soil Ecology Laboratory, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio