Книга посвящена почвам Смоленского Поозерья и методам изучения этих интереснейших объектов. На конкретных примерах проиллюстрированы свойства почв. Цветные фотографии знакомят читателя с основными почвами региона: естественными, нарушенными распашкой и восстанавливающимися после распашки. Доступный язык поможет читателям разных возрастов и профессий понять всё многообразие и уникальность изучаемых объектов, увидеть сходства и различия почв региона. На конкретных примерах рассмотрены методы описания, познания и анализа почв в их естественной среде формирования и в виде образцов, оказавшихся в лаборатории.

Several instructors have contributed to the evolution of this laboratory manual over the years. Contributors include, alphabetically, Maurice G. Cook, Emeritus Professor of Soil Science, North Carolina State University; David A. Crouse, Associate Professor of Soil Science, North Carolina State University; Larry D. King, Emeritus Professor of Soil Science, North Carolina State University; H. Joseph Kleiss, Emeritus Professor of Soil Science, North Carolina State University; Colby J. Moorberg, Assistant Professor of Soil Science, Kansas State University; Lloyd Stone, Emeritus Professor of Agronomy, Kansas State University; and James A. Thompson, Professor of Soil Science, West Virginia University. Editorial support was provided by Nora Ransom. Contributions were also made by countless graduate teaching assistants over the development of the manual. Funding was provided by the Kansas State University Open/Alternative Textbook Initiative. This is contribution no. 18-128-B of the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station <...>

The pu rpose of th is exercise is to take the student into the field to dig in soils, to appreciate the characteristics of soil differences outlined in pages 1-40 of the textbook. This exercise can consist of several short field trips, or several half-days of describing different soils according to the format given on pages 8 and 10 of the textbook.

Unprecedented population increases have occurred since World War II. mostly in those countries with low agricultural productivity and low per capita incomes. Population growth coupled with rising energy costs and worldwide inflation has taxed the ability of farmers to meet human food requirements. In fact, in some areas. such as sub-Saharan Africa. the per capita food production has actually declined in the past decade.

To begin, we define soil as the weathered and fragmented outer layer of the earth’s terrestrial surface. It is formed initially through disintegration, decomposition, and recomposition of mineral material contained in exposed rocks by physical, chemical, and biological processes. The material thus modified is further conditioned by the activity and accumulated residues of numerous microscopic and macroscopic organisms (plants and animals). In a series of processes that may require hundreds or even thousands of years and that is called soil genesis, the loose debris of rock fragments is transmuted into a more or less stable, internally ordered, actively functioning natural body. Ultimately, this culminates in the formation of a characteristic soil profile, which resembles a layer cake. We can visualize the soil profile as a composite living body, in the same way that we think of the human body as a distinct organism, even though in reality it is an ensemble of numerous interdependent and symbiotically coordinated groups of organelles, cells, organs, and colonies of myriad organisms. <...>

Soils are a valuable resource and a critical component in many of the environmental and economic issues facing society today. Understanding soil properties and soil behaviour and interpreting soil data are especially relevant for many environmental and land management issues facing the community. These issues include urban development, control of salinity, clearing of native vegetation, prevention of land degradation, control of water and wind erosion, irrigation development, the management of effluent disposal, contamination and the management of acid sulfate soils.

This special issue of Geoderma is the result of the work of members of the “International Working-Group on Submicroscopy of Undisturbed Soil Materials (IWGSUSM)”. The papers are from the second workshop of IWGSUSM, organized in 1981 by J. Ducloux at the University of Poitiers, France; the symposium on “Submicroscopy of Undisturbed Soil Materials” organized in 1981 by M.L. Thompson in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. during the annual meeting of the Soil Science Society of America, and work done in 1982. The papers mainly concern in situ electron microscopic studies of materials in thin sections of soils and of unimpregnated soil constituents in peds. Ion microscopy is discussed in one paper.

Handbook of Soil Sciences is the second edition of a comprehensive reference work on the discipline of soil science as practiced today. The new edition has been completely revised and rewritten to reflect the current state of knowledge. It contains definitive descriptions of each major area in the discipline, including its fundamental principles, appropriate methods to measure each property, many examples of the variations in properties in different soils throughout the world, and guidelines for the interpretation of the data for various applications (agricultural, engineering, and environmental).

This book is the third in a series of three, intended primarily to provide a working manual for laboratory technicians and others engaged in the testing of soils for building and engineering purposes. It is not meant in any way to be used as a substitute for the Standards referred to therein, but to augment their requirements by the provision of step by step procedures. This third edition has been revised to take account of the current requirements of BS 1377: 1990,

Information on soil and land resources is a prerequisite for informed decisions on land use and management. Procedures for acquiring and using this information are introduced and  emphasis is given to a balanced approach with elements of mapping, modelling and monitoring within the broader context of environmental change. The conceptual basis for a range of approaches to survey is introduced along with an assessment of strengths and weaknesses. A framework for dealing with scale in measurement and prediction is then introduced.