The Black Earth Ecological Principles for Sustainable Agriculture on Chernozem Soils /

• Main Authors: Dent, David (Author), Boincean, Boris P. (Author), Krupenikov, Igori Arcadie (Author)
• Corporate Author: SpringerLink (Online service)
• Format: Electronic eBook
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands : Imprint: Springer, 2011.
• Series: International Year of Planet Earth
• Subjects: Earth sciences.; Earth Sciences.; Earth Sciences, general.

Soil is the Earth’s living skin. It provides anchorage for roots, holds water long enough for plants to make use of it and the nutrients that sustain life – otherwise the Earth would be as barren as Mars. It is home to myriad micro-organisms and armies of microscopic animals as well as the familiar...

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• 1. Introduction
• 2. The soil cover
• 3. Soil texture and structure
• 4. Soil mineralogy and elemental composition
• 5. Adsorption capacity and reaction
• 6. Soluble salts and soil solution
• 7. Humus - the guardian of soil fertility and global carbon sink
• 8. The nitrogen riddle
• 9. Phosphorus and sulphur budgets
• 10. Life in the soil
• 11. Soil structure, soil water and drought
• 12. The chernozem family
• 13. Accomodating soil diversity
• 14. Society's perspective
• 15. Biological cycles
• 16. Soil health and soil quality
• 17. Farming and soil health
• 18. Experimental confirmation of the efficiency of various farming systems
• 19. The past, present and future of the chernozem.