Organic Soils and Peat Materials for Sustainable Agriculture

224pp  ISBN 0849314585      £74.00

• Illustrates the moorsh-forming process as a global index of soil degradation and climatic change in drained organic soils
• Provides ideal management practices for long-term agricultural use of organic soil and cutover peatlands
• Displays field-recognizable pedological features associated with reduced soil quality or climatic change
• Presents physical attributes for quantifying hydrophobicity, hydraulicity, and the pore space complex influencing plant productivity in organic soils and peat substrates
• Reviews pesticide and Cu reactions in organic soils

While organic soils have the potential to contribute greatly to agricultural production, the irreversible processes that occur from draining organic soils need to be managed with caution. The wise use of peatlands must include the avoidance of unacceptable ecological effects on the contiguous and global environment. Organic Soils and Peat Materials for Sustainable Agriculture provides detailed information from a worldwide perspective on the degradation process of fragile peat resources used for agriculture. It documents the best management practices and defines and quantifies soil quality indicators and pedo-transfer functions for organic soils and peat materials.

Co-published with the International Peat Society, this reference is the first to integrate the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of organic soils and peat materials for sustainable agriculture and horticulture. It details the principles and indicators behind positive action in sustainable management. The book presents a complete analysis of how peat works chemically, physically, and ecologically. It quantifies the moorsh-forming, or peat degradation, process in tables and figures, provides conversion equations among pH determination methods, and supplies a novel diagnosis of N and P release. In addition, the book revisits water, pesticides, phosphorus, and copper sorption characteristics of organic soils.

The authors provide up-to-date information in order to define quality indicators for the optimum use of organic soils. With detailed information and a global perspective, Organic Soils and Peat Materials for Sustainable Agriculture aims to promote a shift from the current paradigm of input-based unsustainable use to a new knowledge-based approach.

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