Organic Soils and Peat Materials for Sustainable Agriculture

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.

Machine generated contents note: Chapter 1 — The Moorsh Horizons as Quality Indicators of Reclaimed Organic Soils — Henryk Okruszko and Piotr Ilnicki — Chapter 2 — Irreversible Loss of Organic Soil Functions after Reclamation — Piotr Ilnicki and Jutta Zeitz — Chapter 3 — Water-Related Physical Attributes of Organic Soils — Tomasz Brandyk, Jan Szatylowicz, Ryszard Oleszczuk, and Tomasz Gnatowski — Chapter 4 — Quality of Peat Substrates for Plants Grown in Containers — Jean Caron and Louis-Marie Riviere — Chapter 5 — Soil Acidity Determination Methods for Organic Soils and Peat Materials. — Leon E. Parent and Catherine Tremblay — Chapter 6 — Nitrogen and Phosphorus Balance Indicators in Organic Soils — Leon E. Parent and Lotfi Khiari — Chapter 7 — Retention of Copper in Cu-Enriched Organic Soils — Antoine Karam, Caroline Cote, and L6on E. Parent — Chapter 8 — Fate of Pesticides in Organic Soils — Jose Fortin — Chapter 9 — Quality of Organic Soils for Agricultural Use of Cutover Peatlands in Russia — Vera N. Kreshtapova, Rudolf A. Krupnov, and Olga N. Uspenskaya — Chapter 10 — Agricultural Production Systems for Organic Soil Conservation — Piotr Ilnicki — Index.