Synopses & Reviews
"Principles of Soil Management and Conservation" comprehensively reviews the state-of-knowledge on soil erosion and management. It discusses in detail soil conservation topics in relation to soil productivity, environment quality, and agronomic production. It addresses the implications of soil erosion with emphasis on global hotspots and synthesizes available from developed and developing countries. It also critically reviews information on no-till management, organic farming, crop residue management for industrial uses, conservation buffers (e.g., grass buffers, agroforestry systems), and the problem of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and in other regions. This book uniquely addresses the global issues including carbon sequestration, net emissions of CO2, and erosion as a sink or source of C under different scenarios of soil management. It also deliberates the implications of the projected global warming on soil erosion and vice versa. The concern about global food security in relation to soil erosion and strategies for confronting the remaining problems in soil management and conservation are specifically addressed. This volume is suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students interested in understanding the principles of soil conservation and management. The book is also useful for practitioners, extension agents, soil conservationists, and policymakers as an important reference material.
Review
From the reviews: "Blanco and Lal (both, Ohio State Univ.) are experts in soil conservation and management ... . The mathematical descriptions for measuring erosion are clearly more appropriate for graduate students in the field ... . Summing Up: Recommended. ... upper-division undergraduates and above." (M. S. Coyne, Choice, Vol. 46 (8), April, 2009) "Principles of Soil Conservation and Management is a well-designed, practically oriented book addressing many of the contemporary soil resource issues facing land managers in the United States and throughout the world. The book is intended as a resource for undergraduate and graduate students in soil science, agronomy, environmental sciences, agricultural engineering, hydrology, and natural resource management. ... a valuable reference manual for soil conservationists, extension agents, and environmental managers. ... provides an excellent introductory overview for students entering the field of soil conservation and management." (Alan J. Franzluebbers, Vadose Zone Journal, Vol. 9 (1), February, 2010)
Synopsis
This volume examines soil erosion and management, detailing soil conservation topics in relation to soil productivity, environment quality, and agronomic production. It addresses the implications of soil erosion with an emphasis on global hotspots.
Table of Contents
Preface; Foreword 1 SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION; 1.1. Why Conserve Soil?; 1.2. Agents that Degrade Soil; 1.3. Soil Erosion; 1.4. History of Soil Erosion;1.5. Consequences of Soil Erosion; 1.6. Drivers of Soil Erosion; 1.7. Erosion in the USA; 1.8. Global Distribution of Soil Erosion; 1.9. Current Trends in Soil and Water Conservation; Summary; Study Questions; References 2 WATER EROSION; 2.2. Types; 2.3. Processes; 2.4. Factors; 2.5. Agents; 2.6. Rainfall Erosivity; 2.7. Runoff Erosivity; 2.8. Soil Properties Affecting Erodibility; 2.9. Measuring Erosion; Summary; Study Questions; References 3 WIND EROSION; 3.1. Processes; 3.2. Factors; 3.3. Wind Erosivity; 3.4. Soil Erodibility; 3.5. Measuring Wind Erosion; 3.6. Management of Wind Erosion; 3.7. Windbreaks; 3.8. Crop Residues; 3.9. Perennial Grasses; 3.10. Conservation Tillage; Summary; Study Questions; References 4 MODELING WATER AND WIND EROSION; 4.1. Modeling Erosion; 4.2. Empirical Models; 4.3. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE); 4.4. Modified USLE (MUSLE); 4.5. Revised USLE (RUSLE): 4.6. Process-Based Models; 4.7. Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP); 4.8. Ephemeral Gully Erosion Model (EGEM); 4.9. Other Water Erosion Models; 4.10. Modeling Wind Erosion; 4.11. Wind Erosion Equation (WEQ); 4.12. Revised WEQ (RWEQ); 4.13. Process-Based Models; 4.14. Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS); 4.15. Other Wind Erosion Models; 4.16. Limitations of Water and Wind Models; Summary; Study Questions; References 5 TILLAGE EROSION; 5.1. Definition and Magnitude of the Problem; 5.2. Tillage Erosion Research: Past and Present; 5.3. Tillage Erosion versus Water and Wind Erosion; 5.4. Factors Affecting Tillage Erosion; 5.5. Landform Erodibility; 5.6. Soil Erodibility; 5.7. Tillage Erosivity; 5.8. Tillage Erosion and Soil Properties; 5.9. Indicators of Tillage Erosion; 5.10. Measurement of Soil Displacement; 5.11. Tillage Erosion and Crop Production; 5.12. Management of Tillage Erosion; 5.13. Tillage Erosion Modeling; 5.14. Predictive Equations; 5.15. Computer Models; 5.16. Soil Erosion and Crop Harvesting; Summary; Study Questions; References 6 BIOLOGICAL MEASURES OF EROSION CONTROL; 6.1. Functions of Canopy Cover; 6.2. Soil Amendments; 6.3. Cover Crops; 6.4. Crop Residues; 6.5. Residue Harvesting for Biofuel Production; 6.6. Bioenergy Plantations as an Alternative to Crop Residue Removal; 6.7. Manuring; 6.8. Soil Conditioners: Polymers; 6.9. Polyacrylamides; Summary; Study Questions; References 7 CROPPING SYSTEMS; 7.1. Fallow Systems; 7.2. Summer Fallows; 7.3. Monoculture; 7.4. Crop Rotations; 7.5. Cover Crops; 7.6. Cropping Intensity; 7.7. Row Crops; 7.8. Multiple Cropping; 7.9. Double Cropping; 7.10. Relay Cropping; 7.11. Intercropping; 7.12. Contour Farming; 7.13. Strip Cropping; 7. 14. Contour Strip Cropping; 7.15. Land Equivalent Ratio; 7.16. Organic Farming; Summary; Study Questions; References 8 NO-TILL FARMING; 8.1. Seedbed and Soil Tilth; 8.2. Factors Affecting Soil Tilth; 8.3. Tilth Index; 8.4. Tillage; 8.5. Tillage Tools ;8.6. Types of Tillage Systems ;8.7. Conventional Tillage: Moldboard Plowing; 8.8. Conservation Tillage Systems; 8.9. No-Till Farming; 8.10. Benefits of No-Till Farming; 8.11. Challenges in No-Till Management; 8.12. No-Till and Subsoiling; 8.13. Reduced Tillage; 8.14. Mulch Tillage; 8.15. Strip Tillage; 8.16. Ridge Tillage; Summary; Study Questions; References 9 BUFFER STRIPS; 9.1. Importance; 9.2. Mechanisms of Pollutant Removal; 9.3. Factors Influencing the Performance of Buffer Strips; 9.4. Types and Management; 9.5. Riparian Buffer Strips; 9.6. Filters Strips; 9.7. Grass Barriers; 9.8. Grass Waterways; 9.9. Field Borders; 9.10. Modeling of Sediment Transport through Buffer Strips; Summary; Study Questions; References 10 AGROFORESTRY; 10.1. Importance; 10.2. Classification; 10.3. History; 10.4. Current Trends; 10.5. Functions of Agroforestry; 10.6. Agroforestry and Factors of Soil Erosion; 10.7. Agroforestry and Land Reclamation; 10.8. Agroforestry Plant Species; 10.9. Alley Cropping; 10.10. Forest Farming; 10.11. Silvopasture; 10.12. Use of Computer Tools in Agroforestry; 10.13. Challenges in Agroforestry Systems; Summary; Study Questions; References 11 MECHANICAL STRUCTURES AND ENGINEERING TECHNIQUES; 11.1. Types of Structures; 11.2. Farm Ponds; 11.3. Terraces; 11.4. Functions of Terraces; 11.5. Types of Terraces; 11.6. Design of Terraces; 11.7. Management and Maintenance of Terraces; 11.8. Gully Erosion Control Structures; Summary; Study Questions; References 12 SOIL EROSION FROM FORESTLANDS; 12.1. Importance of Forestlands; 12.2. Classification of Forestlands; 12.3. Natural Forests and Soil Erosion; 12.4. Deforestation and Soil Degradation; 12.5. Causes of Deforestation; 12.6. Global Implications of Deforestation; 12.7. Methods of Land Clearing; 12.8. Water Repellency of Forest Soils; 12.9. Management of Burned Forestlands; 12.10. Reforestation; 12.11. Afforestation; 12.12. Management of Cleared Forestlands; 12.13. Modeling of Erosion on Forestlands; Summary; Study Questions; References 13 EROSION IN GRAZING LANDS; 13.1. Rangeland Systems; 13.2. Pastureland Systems; 13.3. Degradation of Grazing Lands; 13.4. Grazing Impacts on Soil Erosion; 13.5. Grasses and Erosion Reduction: Mechanisms; 13.6. Grass Roots and Soil Erodibility; 13.7. Water Pollution in Grazed Lands; 13.8. Grazing and Conservation Buffers; 13.9. Grasslands and Biofuel Production; 13.10. Methods of Grazing; 13.11. Management of Grazing Lands; 13.12. Modeling of Grazing Land Management; Summary; Study Questions; References 14 NUTRIENT EROSION AND HYPOXIA OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS; 14.1. Water Quality; 14.2. Eutrophication; 14.3. Non-Point Source Pollution and Runoff; 14.4. Factors Affecting Transport of Pollutants; 14.5. Pollutant Sources; 14.6. Common Pollutants; 14.7. Pathways of Pollutant Transport; 14.8. Hypoxia of Coastal Waters; 14.9. Wetlands and Pollution; 14.10. Mitigating Non-point Source Pollution and Hypoxia; 14.11. Models of Non-Point Source Pollution; Summary; Study Questions; References 15 RESTORATION OF ERODED AND DEGRADED SOILS; 15.1. Methods of Restoration of Agriculturally Marginal Soils; 15.2. Compacted Soils; 15.3. Acid Soils; 15.4. Restoration of Acid Soils; 15.5. Saline and Sodic Soils; 15.6. Restoration of Saline and Sodic Soils; 15.7. Mined Soils; 15.8. Restoration of Mined Soils; Summary; Study Questions; References 16 SOIL RESILIENCE AND CONSERVATION; 16.1 Concepts of Soil Resilience; 16.2 Importance; 16.3. Classification of Soil Resilience; 16.4. Soil Disturbance; 16.5. What Attributes Make a Soil Resilient?: Factors; 16.6. Soil Processes and Resilience; 16.7. Soil Erosion and Resilience; 16.8. Soil Resilience and Erodibility; 16.9. Soil Resilience and Chemical Contamination; 16.10. Indicators of Soil Resilience; 16.10. Measurements of Resilience; 16.11. Modeling; 16.12. Management Strategies to Promote Soil Resilience; Summary; Study Questions; References 17 SOIL CONSERVATION AND CARBON DYNAMICS; 17.1. Importance of Soil Organic Carbon; 17.2. Soil Organic Carbon Balance; 17.3. Soil Erosion and Organic Carbon Dynamics; 17.4. Fate of the Carbon Transported by Erosion; 17.5. Carbon Transported by Erosion: Source or Sink for Atmospheric CO2; 17.6. Tillage Erosion and Soil Carbon; 17.7. Conservation Practices; and Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics; 17.8. No-Till and Carbon Sequestration; 17.9. Crop Rotations; 17.10. Cover Crops; 17.11. Crop Residues; 17.12. Manure; 17.13. Agroforestry; 17.14. Organic Farming; 17.15. Bioenergy Crops; 17.16. Reclaimed Lands; 17.17. Measurement of Soil Carbon Pool; 17.18. Soil Management and Carbon Emissions; 17.19. Charcoal Carbon; 17.20. Modeling Soil Carbon Dynamics; 17.21. Soil Conservation and Carbon Credits; Summary; Study Questions; References 18 EROSION CONTROL AND SOIL QUALITY; 18.1. Definitions of Soil Quality; 18.2. Divergences in Conceptual Definitions and Assessment Approaches; 18.3. New Perspective; 18.4. Soil Quality Paradigm and its Importance; 18.5. Indicators of Soil Quality; 18.6. Soil Quality Index; 18.7. Assessment Tools; 18.8. Soil Quality and Erosion Relationships; 18.9. Management of Soil Quality; Summary; Study Questions; References 19 SOIL EROSION AND FOOD SECURITY; 19.1. Soil Erosion and Yield Losses; 19.3. Soil Factors Affecting Crop Yields on Eroded Landscapes; 19.4. Wind Erosion and Crop Production; 19.5. Response Functions of Crop Yield to Erosion; 19.6. Techniques of Evaluation of Crop Response to Erosion; 19.8. Productivity Index (PI) ; 19.9. Process-Based models; Summary; Study Questions; References 20 CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOIL EROSION RISKS; 20.1. Greenhouse Effect on Climatic Patterns; 20.2. Climate Change and Soil Erosion; 20.3. Complexity of Climate Change Impacts; 20.4. Erosion and Crop Yields; 20.5. Impacts of Climate Change on Soil Erosion Factors; 20.6. Soil Formation; 20.7. Soil Processes; 20.8. Soil Properties ;20.9. Crop Production; 20.10. Soil Warming Simulation Studies; 20.11. Modeling of Climate Change Impacts; 20.12. Adapting to Global Warming; Summary; Study Questions; References 21 THE WAY FORWARD; 21.1. Soil and Water Conservation Strategies; 21.2. Soil Conservation is a Multidisciplinary Issue; 21.3. Policy Imperatives; 21.4. Specific Strategies; 21.5. Food Production; 21.6. Crop Residues and Biofuel Production; 21.7. Biological Practices and Soil Conditioners; 21.8. Buffer Strips; 21.9. Agroforestry; 21.10. Tillage Erosion; 21.11. Organic Farming; 21.12. Soil Quality and Resilience; 21.13. No-Till Farming; 21.14. Soil Organic Carbon; 21.15. Deforestation; 21.16. Abrupt Climate Change; 21.17. Modeling; 21.18. Soil Management Techniques for Small Farmers in Resource-Poor Regions; Summary; Study Questions; References Appendix A. Abbreviations of some of the words frequently used in the book; Appendix B. Common and Scientific names of plants used in the textbook; Index