Soil Health, Soil Biology, Soilborne Diseases and Sustainable Agriculture

Soil Health, Soil Biology, Soilborne Diseases and Sustainable Agriculture

Author: Graham Stirling

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2016-03-01

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1486303064

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Our capacity to maintain world food production depends heavily on the thin layer of soil covering the Earth's surface. The health of this soil determines whether crops can grow successfully, whether a farm business is profitable and whether an enterprise is sustainable in the long term. Farmers are generally aware of the physical and chemical factors that limit the productivity of their soils but often do not recognise that soil microbes and the soil fauna play a major role in achieving healthy soils and healthy crops. Soil Health, Soil Biology, Soilborne Diseases and Sustainable Agriculture provides readily understandable information about the bacteria, fungi, nematodes and other soil organisms that not only harm food crops but also help them take up water and nutrients and protect them from root diseases. Complete with illustrations and practical case studies, it provides growers and their consultants with holistic solutions for building an active and diverse soil biological community capable of improving soil structure, enhancing plant nutrient uptake and suppressing root pests and pathogens. The book is written by scientists with many years' experience developing sustainable crop production practices in the grains, vegetable, sugarcane, grazing and horticultural industries. This book will be useful for: growers, consultants, agronomists and soil chemists, extension personnel working in the grains, livestock, sugarcane and horticultural industries, professionals running courses in soil health/biological farming, and students taking university courses in soil science, ecology, microbiology, plant pathology and other biological sciences.


Soil Health, Soil Biology, Soilborne Diseases and Sustainable Agriculture

Soil Health, Soil Biology, Soilborne Diseases and Sustainable Agriculture

Author: Graham Stirling

Publisher:

Published: 2016-03

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781486303045

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Our capacity to maintain world food production depends on the thin layer of soil covering the Earth's surface. The health of this soil determines whether crops can be grown successfully, whether a farm business is profitable and whether an enterprise is sustainable in the long term. This book provides information about the bacteria, fungi, nematodes and other soil organisms that not only harm food crops but also help them take up water and nutrients and protect them from root diseases. With illustrations and case studies, it provides growers with holistic solutions for building an active and diverse soil biological community capable of improving soil structure, enhancing plant nutrient uptake and suppressing root pests and pathogens. An essential resource for anyone who works with soil, including growers, consultants, agronomists and soil chemists and for extension personnel working in the grains, livestock and horticulture. * A comprehensive and readable coverage of the causes and effects of soilborne diseases * Discusses the fundamentals of soil biota and the key pathogens in Australian agriculture * Gives a step-by-step guide to biological processes to minimizing losses to diseases


The Soils of Egypt

The Soils of Egypt

Author: Hassan El-Ramady

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-08-20

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 3319955160

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This book reviews the distribution of soils across Egypt, their history, genesis, pollution and management. The conservation of Egyptian soils, soils and their connections to human activities, as well as some future soil issues are also highlighted. It is well known that soil is the main source for food, feed, fuel and fiber production. Accordingly, the study of soils is not only a crucial issue but also an urgent task for all nations worldwide. Due to their important roles in agroecosystems as well as many aspects of our lives, soils have direct and indirect functions in the agricultural, industrial and medicinal sectors. Therefore, understanding the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils, as well as soil security, have now become emerging issues. Climate change has a very dangerous dimension in Egypt concerning the rising sea level. Many coastal zones are already threatened by this sea level rise, and may ultimately disappear. At the same time, water shortages and soil pollution represent the main challenges for the Egyptian nation. Generally speaking, the environmental challenges that Egypt now faces include improving and sustaining soil health, soil carbon sequestration, wastewater treatment, and avoiding the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides. Therefore, this book examines in detail the soils of Egypt from various perspectives including their genesis, history, classification, pollution and degradation, soil security, soil fertility and land uses.


The Soil-Human Health-Nexus

The Soil-Human Health-Nexus

Author: Rattan Lal

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2020-12-20

Total Pages: 351

ISBN-13: 1000326314

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The term "soil health" refers to the functionality of a soil as a living ecosystem capable of sustaining plants, animals, and humans while also improving the environment. In addition to soil health, the environment also comprises the quality of air, water, vegetation, and biota. The health of soil, plants, animals, people, and the environment is an indivisible continuum. One of the notable ramifications of the Anthropocene is the growing risks of decline in soil health by anthropogenic activities. Important among these activities are deforestation, biomass burning, excessive soil tillage, indiscriminate use of agrochemicals, excessive irrigation by flooding or inundation, and extractive farming practices. Soil pollution, by industrial effluents and urban waste adversely impacts human health. Degradation of soil health impacts nutritional quality of food, such as the uptake of heavy metals or deficit of essential micro-nutrients, and contamination by pests and pathogens. Indirectly, soil health may impact human health through contamination of water and pollution of air. This book aims to: Present relationships of soil health to human health and soil health to human nutrition. Discuss the nexus between soil degradation and malnourishment as well as the important links between soil, plant, animal and human health. Detail reasons oil is a cause of infectious diseases and source of remedial measures. Part of the Advances in Soil Sciences series, this informative volume covering various aspects of soil health appeals to soil scientists, environmental scientists and public health workers.


Soil Health on the Farm, Ranch, and in the Garden

Soil Health on the Farm, Ranch, and in the Garden

Author: Kenneth E. Spaeth Jr.

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-11-07

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 303040398X

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This book explores the importance of soil health in croplands, rangelands, pasturelands, and gardens, and presents new methods and technologies for assessing soil dynamics and health in these different land types. Through perspectives of agriculture, soil management, and ecological sustainability, the book provides accurate and up-to-date information on soil health assessment and maintenance that is often missing from current literature on conservation and environmental management and preservation. The book is written in a clear and concise format, and will appeal to non-scientists interested in soil health, as well as professional farmers, ranchers and gardeners. The book begins by discussing soil health from a historical perspective, and in terms of how it is covered in the news currently. Then the author addresses the ecological implications of soil health in farming, ranching and gardening, and comprehensively details the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil as they apply in various land types. The book then examines soil health assessment using new diagnostic and analytic technologies, and how these new innovations will be necessary going forward to maintain and improve soil health.


Organic Amendments and Soil Suppressiveness in Plant Disease Management

Organic Amendments and Soil Suppressiveness in Plant Disease Management

Author: Mukesh K. Meghvansi

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-11-05

Total Pages: 526

ISBN-13: 3319230751

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This book provides a timely review of concepts in plant disease management involving microbial soil suppressiveness and organic amendments. Topics discussed include the impact of suppressive soils on plant pathogens and agricultural productivity, the enhancement of soil suppressiveness through the application of compost and the development of disease suppressive soils through agronomic management. Further chapters describe diseases caused by phytopathogens, such as Pythium, Fusarium and Rhizoctonia, interaction of rhizobia with soil suppressiveness factors, biocontrol of plant parasitic nematodes by fungi and soil suppressive microorganisms.


No-till Farming Systems for Sustainable Agriculture

No-till Farming Systems for Sustainable Agriculture

Author: Yash P. Dang

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-09-03

Total Pages: 638

ISBN-13: 3030464091

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This book is a comprehensive summary of current global research on no-till farming, and its benefits and challenges from various agronomic, environmental, social and economic perspectives. It details the characteristics and future requirements of no-till farming systems across different geographic and climatic regions, and outlines what is needed to increase the uptake of no-till farming globally. Over 35 chapters, this book covers in detail the agronomic and soil management issues that must be resolved to ensure the successful implementation of these systems. Important economic, environmental, social and policy considerations are discussed. It also features a series of case studies across a number of regions globally, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for no-till and how these may vary depending on climate and geopolitical location. This book is a remarkable compilation by experts in no-till farming systems. The promotion and expansion of no-till farming systems worldwide will be critical for food security, and resource and environmental sustainability. This is an invaluable reference for both researchers and practitioners grappling with the challenges of feeding the world’s rising population in an environment increasingly impacted by climate change. It is an essential reading for those seeking to understand the complexity of no-till farming systems and how best to optimise these systems in their region.


Building Soils for Better Crops

Building Soils for Better Crops

Author: Fred Magdoff

Publisher: Sare

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 9781888626131

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"'Published by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, with funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture."