This collection summarises current research on the effects of different management strategies on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils. It assesses the viability of these management strategies, including zero tillage and intercropping, as a means for improving crop yield, ecosystem productivity and soil health in general.
Improving soil health is increasingly seen as the foundation for ‘climate-smart’ and more sustainable crop production based on agroecological principles.
Improving soil health provides a comprehensive coverage of recent research on the effects of different management strategies on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils. The collection offers an assessment of the key management strategies implemented as a means for improving soil health, crop yields and ecosystem productivity, including zero tillage, intercropping, crop rotation, cover crops and organic amendments.
Edited by Professor William Horwath, University of California-Davis, USA, Improving soil health will be a standard reference tool for researchers in soil and crop science, government and other agencies monitoring the health of agricultural soils, companies providing soil monitoring and management services and farmers wishing to further their knowledge on the latest developments in soil monitoring.
- Assesses the viability of management strategies implemented to improve soil health, e.g. intercropping and zero tillage
- Provides a comprehensive coverage of the dimensions of soil health
- Reviews the role of organic and other amendments in improving soil health
1.Soil health: towards a sustainable world: William R. Horwath,
University of California-Davis, USA;
Part 1 Dimensions of soil health
2.Soil health: definitions, history, key concepts and hurdles: Michelle M.
Wander, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA;
3.Understanding biological processes in soil: Regina OKelley and David D.
Myrold, Oregon State University, USA;
4.Mycorrhizae and soil health: Muhammad Adnan and Fazli Wahid, The University
of Swabi, Pakistan; Shah Fahad, The University of Haripur, Pakistan; Muhammad
Arif, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan; Songmei Shi, Yunnan
Agricultural University, China; and Xinhua He, Southwest University, China,
University of California-Davis, USA and University of Western Australia,
Australia;
Part 2 Cultivation practices and soil health
5.Agricultural traffic management systems and soil health: Paula A.
Misiewicz, Magdalena Kaczorowska-Dolowy, David R. White, Edward Dickin and
Richard J. Godwin, Harper Adams University, UK;
6.Assessing the effects of no-till cultivation practices on soil health:
Alison Hamm and Daniel K. Manter, USDA-ARS, USA;
7.Cover crops for soil health: Sieglinde S. Snapp, Michigan State University,
USA; Carmen M. Ugarte, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA; Dane
W. Hunter, Southern Illinois University, USA; and Michelle M. Wander,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA;
8.Assessing the effects of crop residue retention on soil health: Hero T.
Gollany, USDA-ARS, USA;
Part 3 The role of organic and other soil amendments
9.Assessing the effects of compost on soil health: Cristina Lazcano,
University of California-Davis, USA; Charlotte Decock, California Polytechnic
State University, USA; Connie T. F. Wong, University of California-Davis,
USA; and Kamille Garcia-Brucher, California Polytechnic State University,
USA;
10.Assessing the effects of using animal manure on soil health: Ashraf M.
Tubeileh, California Polytechnic State University, USA; and Michael J. Goss,
University of Guelph, Canada
11.Assessing the effect of biosolids on soil health: Fiona A. Nicholson, Anne
Bhogal, Alison Rollett and John R. Williams, ADAS, UK;
12.Biofertilizers: assessing the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on
soil health: M. J. Salomon, The Waite Research Institute and The School of
Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Australia; S. F.
Bender, Agroscope, Switzerland; T. R. Cavagnaro, The Waite Research Institute
and The School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide,
Australia; and M. G. A. van der Heijden, Agroscope and University of Zurich,
Switzerland;
13.Biofertilizers: assessing the effects of plant growth-promoting bacteria
(PGPB) or rhizobacteria (PGPR) on soil and plant health: Elisa Zampieri,
Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, Italy; Iakovos S. Pantelides,
Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus; and Raffaella Balestrini, Institute
for Sustainable Plant Protection, Italy;
14.The role of liming in improving soil health: Richard C. Hayes, Jason R.
Condon and Guangdi D. Li, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries,
Australia;
Dr William Horwath is a Distinguished Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry and J. G. Boswell Endowed Chair in Soil Science at the University of California-Davis, USA, where he is also Faculty Director of the Sustainable Agriculture and Food System undergraduate major. He is the current chair of the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at the university. Professor Horwath is Editor of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Journal and is a Fellow of the SSSA. He has published widely on measuring and improving soil health and climate impacts on ecosystems.
Dr Richard Hayes is a Senior Research Scientist at the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wagga Wagga Australia. He has over twenty years experience as a farming systems researcher, specialising in acid soil management, perennial agriculture and species evaluation. Dr Hayes has completed three post-graduate degrees all involving field research on acidic soils, including an examination of the response to lime of self-regenerating annual legumes, the effect of lime on soil water dynamics under perennial forages and the spatial variation of soil pH as it relates to the drill row.
