Advances in Soil Science

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

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2. Soil Management for Optimized Productivity Under Rainfed Conditions in the Semi-Arid Tropics

   • S. A. El-Swaify, P. Pathak, T. J. Rego, S. Singh

   Pages 1-64

3. Soil Profile Modification for Increasing Crop Production

   • H. V. Eck, P. W. Unger

   Pages 65-100

4. The Effect of Exchangeable Sodium and Electrolyte Concentration on Crust Formation

   • I. Shainberg

   Pages 101-122

5. Ammonia Volatilization from Ammonium or Ammonium-Forming Nitrogen Fertilizers

   • L. B. Fenn, L. R. Hossner

   Pages 123-169

6. The Effect of Pedogenic Environments on Iron Oxide Minerals

   • U. Schwertmann

   Pages 171-200

7. Soil Testing

   • J. T. Cope, C. E. Evans

   Pages 201-228

8. Boron in Water, Soils, and Plants

   • R. Keren, F. T. Bingham

   Pages 229-276

9. Relationship between Soil Physical Properties and Crop Production

   • J. Letey

   Pages 277-294

10. Back Matter

    Pages 295-300

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The world population in 1930 was 2 billion. It reached 3 billion in 1960, stands at 4. 6 billion today, and is expected to reach 6 billion by the end of the century. The food and fiber needs of such a rapidly increasing population are enormous. One of the most basic resources, perhaps the most basic of all, for meeting these needs is the soil. There is an urgent need to improve and protect this resource on which the future of mankind directly depends. We must not only learn how to use the soil to furnish our immediate needs, but also ensure that the ability of the soil to sustain food production in the future is unimpaired. This is indeed a mammoth task; a 1977 United Nations survey reported that almost one-fifth of the world's cropland is now being steadily degraded. This volume is the first of a new series entitled Advances in Soil Science. The diversity of soil makes it necessary for research to be conducted in many locations. There are basic principles, however, that are universal. This new series will present clear and concise reviews in all areas of soil science for everyone interested in this basic resource and man's influence on it. The purpose of the series is to provide a forum for leading scientists to analyze and summarize the available scientific information on a subject, assessing its importance and identifYing additional research needs.

• Infiltration
• chemistry
• environment
• fertility
• forest
• growth
• nitrogen
• plant growth
• soil science
• tropics

• USDA Conservation & Production Research Laboratory, Bushland, USA

  B. A. Stewart