Natural History
Book Details

Soil Science

An Introduction

G. W. Leeper and N. C. Uren

Soil science now reaches out to secondary and tertiary students of ecology, geography and environmental science, as well as farmers.

About this Title

Soil science, once restricted to schools of agricultural science and horticulture, now reaches out to secondary and tertiary students of ecology, geography and environmental science, to people concerned with natural resource management and to farmers. This is the fifth edition of a work that has become an institution.

Table of Contents

Preface; I MAPPING, CLASSIFICATION AND FORMATION OF SOILS: 1. Soil in the Field: the 'Soil Type'; 2. Soil Profiles and their Classification; 3. Soil Formation; II THE PHYSICS OF SOIL: 4. Introduction to Physical Properties; 5. Colloids of the Soil; 6. The Soil as a Reservoir of Water; 7. Excessive Water: Aeration and Drainage; 8. Mechanical Composition; 9. Soil Temperature; III THE CHEMISTRY OF SOIL: 10. General Chemical Considerations; 11. Soil Organisms and Organic Matter; 12. The Nitrogen Cycle; 13. Primary Minerals in Soils; 14. Acidity and Alkalinity; 15. Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium; 16. Phosphorus and Sulphur; 17. Iron, Aluminium, Silicon; 18. Various Trace Elements; IV SOIL EROSION: 19. Soil Erosion: Appendix: Suggestions for Practice; Glossary; Abbreviations, Symbols, Units; Index

About the Author

The late Professor G. W. Leeper was Professor of Agricultural Chemistry at the University of Melbourne until 1969. Dr N. C. Uren is Reader in Soil Science at the School of Agriculture, La Trobe University.

978-0-522-84464-1