Soils and Soil Fertility
Recommended by users for its clear explanations and readability. Troeh and Thompson's Soil; and Soil Fertility provides and excellent overview of soils for students in agriculture and the environmental sciences. Now in its sixth edition, this book has been updated throughout and incorporates discussions of GIS (geographic information system) and GPS (global positioning system), humus and its function in soil structure and fertility, soil reclamation for sites contaminated by pesticides or petroleum spills, and advances in the understanding of water flow. In addition a new chapter on soil mechanics has been added, explaining the use of soils as foundation and construction material.
Although fully updated, the text retains essential information on basic topics such as soil formation, soil chemistry, physical properties of soil, organic matter, mineralogy, and soil water movement and storage. It includes a detailed discussion of plant nutrients, their deficiency symptoms, and the fertilizers and soil amendments used to correct those deficiencies.
Troeh and Thompson make a special effort to provide a uniquely broad perspective, complementing the varied backgrounds and interests of today's students. Instructors and students will appreciate this broad-based approach and through coverage.
1 Soil.
2 Soil Formation.
3 Physical Properties of Soils.
4 Soil Mechanics.
5 Soil Water.
6 Soil Organic Matter.
7 Soil Mineralogy.
8 Soil Chemistry.
9 Amending the Soil.
10 Fertilizers.
11 Nitrogen.
12 Phosphorus.
13 Potassium.
14 Calcium, Magnesium, and Sulfur.
15. The Micronutrients.
16. Variations in Plant Composition.
17 Soil Classification and Survey.
18 Land Use and Soil Management.
19 Water Management.
20 Soil Erosion and Its Control.
21 Soil Pollution.
Appendix.
thorough introduction to soil science as well as the fundamentals
of soil fertility, and is an appropriate text for undergraduate
students in agricultural and/or environmental sciences...Each
chapter is well organized...and features boldface subheadings to
assist in quickly locating topics of interest...In summary, this
textbook is comprehensive, readable, and does not bog down in
vernacular or complex reference tables. Thus, it is an ideal choice
for support of an introductory soil science course."
M.J.Schlossberg, Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences, The
Pennsylvania State University in the Journal of Environmental
Quality Volume 34, No. 6, November-December 2005.
"Soils and Soil Fertility by Troeh and Thompson would be an
excellent textbook for soils and related classes. This is a very
intelligent book full of supportive black and white illustrations
within the text. Although designed as a textbook, gardeners and
enthusiasts may enjoy reading this text for information and a
better understanding of soil properties and soil fertility." Dr
Lee Luckeydoo, Eastern New Mexico University in SIDA: Contributions
to Botany Volume 22, Issue 1, 2006.
Iowa State University, Ames, who taught for 32 years. Dr. Troeh
also worked for seven years as a soil scientist for the Soil
Conservation Society in Idaho and California and served four years
as a soil technologist for Cornell University in New York.
Louis M. Thompson is Emeritus Associate Dean of
Agriculture and Emeritus Professor of Agronomy, also at Iowa State
University. Dr. Thompson based the early editions of Solis and Soil
Fertility on thirty years of teaching at Texas A&M and iowa
State University. He continued teaching seminars and returned to
teach introductory soil science while in the position of Associate
Dean of Agriculture. Since retirement, he has published several
articles related to the effects of climatic cycles on crop
yields.
