Microbiology of Tropical Soils and Plant Productivity

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-IX

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2. Nitrogen balance in tropical agrosystems

   • R. Wetselaar, F. Ganry

   Pages 1-36

3. Nitrogen fixation by legumes in the tropics

   • A. H. Gibson, B. L. Dreyfus, Y. R. Dommergues

   Pages 37-73

4. Heterotrophic N2 fixation in paddy soils

   • T. Yoshida, G. Rinaudo

   Pages 75-107

5. N2-fixing tropical non-legumes

   • J. H. Becking

   Pages 109-146

6. Free — living blue — green algae in tropical soils

   • P. A. Roger, P. A. Reynaud

   Pages 147-168

7. Azolla—Anabaena symbiosis — its physiology and use in tropical agriculture

   • I. Watanabe

   Pages 169-185

8. Denitrification in rice soils

   • J. L. Garcia, J. M. Tiedje

   Pages 187-208

9. Endomycorrhizae in the tropics

   • V. Gianinazzi-Pearson, H. G. Diem

   Pages 209-251

10. Ectomycorrhizae in the tropics

    • J. F. Redhead

    Pages 253-269

11. The significance of the biological sulfur cycle in rice production

    • J. R. Freney, V. A. Jacq, J. F. Baldensperger

    Pages 271-317

12. Back Matter

    Pages 319-328

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It is an established fact that we must continually increase and improve agricultural production if we are to meet even the minimum requirements of a growing popu­ lation for food, shelter, and fuel. In recent years, the introduction of new plant varieties and the extensive use of fertilizers have effectively increased crop yields, but intensifying agricultural methods has often led to depleting soil fertility. Two examples of the harmful consequences of intensive farming practices are the loss of up to 2.5 cm of topsoil every 15 years in the United States through erosion and the alarming rise in environmental pollution through widespread use of pesticides. Countless other processes affecting the activity of soil micro flora and the inter­ actions between microorganisms and plants may pose an equal danger to soil equilibrium, but their potential hazards are often overlooked because of an insufficient understanding of soil microbiology on the part of scientists. In the first published study of its kind, the authors of this book have attempted to address major aspects of the microbial activity of soil in the tropics. Tropical conditions serve as an ideal context for a discussion of soil microbiology, since biological processes in the soil are particularly active in tropical environments in comparison to other settings and in relation to physical and chemical processes.

• algae
• biology
• microbiology
• mycorrhiza
• soil

• Laboratoire de Biologie des Sols, CNRS/ORSTOM, Dakar, Senegal

  Y. R. Dommergues, H. G. Diem

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