Soil & Plants: Library Resources

If you want methods that won't break your back, are good for the environment, and create high-yielding, beautiful gardens of all shapes and sizes, this is the book for you!

Since the dawn of agriculture, great civilizations have sunk into poverty after destroying their once fertile land. Today, few people realise how close we are to the same fate if we don't take action. In Growing a Revolution, David R. Montgomery leads us on a journey through history and around the world to see how innovative farmers ditch the plough, mulch cover crops and adopt complex rotations to restore the soil, finding the foundation for the next agricultural revolution: a soil health revolution. Cutting through the debates about conventional versus organic agriculture, Montgomery shows how new regenerative methods heal damaged environments and improve farmers' bottom lines. Ancient wisdom merges with modern science and Growing a Revolution shows how agriculture can help solve modern environmental woes.

Why do container plants wilt even when they've been regularly watered? Why did the hydrangea that thrived last year never bloom this year? Plant physiology--the study of how living things function--can solve these and most other problems gardeners regularly encounter. In How Plants Work, horticulture expert Linda Chalker-Scott brings the stranger-than-fiction science of the plant world to vivid life. She uncovers the mysteries of how and why plants do the things they do, and arms you with fascinating knowledge that will change the way you garden.

Valuable advice from an expert in soil science. Intended for both small and medium-size gardens, Improving Your Soil reveals the steps to take to achieve the perfect soil base in which to grow plants. With directions on amending poor soil, modifying mediocre earth, aerating compacted topsoil and substrates, and testing pH levels, this book enables gardeners to nurture their plants and promote more abundant growth. Improving Your Soil shows gardeners how to improve the soil in their garden to encourage good seed bedding and a strong root system for proper nutrient disbursement throughout various soil depths. Flower gardeners and vegetable gardeners will all benefit from the tips and methods in Improving Your Soil. The detailed information is complemented with line drawings, diagrams and illustrations that demonstrate various soil issues and how to resolve common problems. With information on remedying specific problems with particular plants, Improving Your Soil will be an often-consulted resource for all gardeners.

Using native plants in a garden has many benefits. They attract beneficial wildlife and insects, they allow a gardener to create a garden that reflects the native beauty of the region, and they make a garden more sustainable. Because of all this, they are an increasingly popular plant choice for home and public gardens. Native Plants of the Southeast shows you how to choose the best native plants and how to use them in the garden. This complete guide is an invaluable resource, with plant profiles for over 460 species of trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, grasses, and wildflowers. Each plant description includes information about cultivation and propagation, ranges, and hardiness. Comprehensive lists recommend particular plants for difficult situations, as well as plants for attracting butterflies, hummingbirds, and other wildlife.

This new volume explores a wide variety of topics in modern agriculture. From the use of big data and new technologies for monitoring water levels and weather, to the use of biotechnology in seed production and new non-chemical ways to control pests and weeds, this volume provides students and researchers with new and interesting ways to look at agricultural production in modern society. Will our farmers be able to produce enough food to support the growing population? What is the future of our water supply and our soil health? How will climate change affect agricultural production? How do sustainable practices affect prices and growth rates?
**REFERENCE MATERIAL** not available for check-out
**Also available as an ebook

Through Dr. William Albrecht's experiments with growing plants, soils and their effect on animals, he sustained his theory and observation that declining soil fertility, due to a lack of organic material, major elements, and trace minerals was responsible for poor crops and in turn for pathological conditions in animals.

Healthy soils -- Organic matter : what it is and why it's so important -- Amount of organic matter in soils -- The living soil -- Soil particles, water, and air -- Soil degradation : erosion, compaction, and contamination -- Nutrient cycles and flows -- Soil health, plant health, and pests -- Managing for high-quality soils : organic matter, soil physical condition, nutrient availability -- Cover crops -- Crop rotations -- Animal manures for increasing organic matter and supplying nutrients -- Making and using composts -- Reducing erosion and runoff -- Preventing and lessening compaction -- Reducing tillage -- Managing water : irrigation and drainage -- Nutrient management: an introduction -- Management of nitrogen and phosphorus -- Other fertility issues : nutrients, CEC, acidity, and alkalinity -- Getting the most from routine soil tests -- How good are your soils? Field and laboratory evaluation of soil health -- Putting it all together.

Part of the NOFA guides. This volume covers: Historical roots of cover-crop techniques, thinking beyond this season's cash crop (disease and pest reduction, weed suppression, cash vs. cover crops), what is a good rotation? (mapping the farm, grouping crops, sample groupings), the economics of rotations, and cover cropping (organizing your work, reducing labor inputs, land and cover-crop seed costs) Including on-farm examples and detailed appendices.

Our capacity to maintain world food production depends on the thin layer of soil covering the Earth's surface. The health of this soil determines whether crops can be grown successfully, whether a farm business is profitable and whether an enterprise is sustainable in the long term. This book provides information about the bacteria, fungi, nematodes and other soil organisms that not only harm food crops but also help them take up water and nutrients and protect them from root diseases. With illustrations and case studies, it provides growers with holistic solutions for building an active and diverse soil biological community capable of improving soil structure, enhancing plant nutrient uptake and suppressing root pests and pathogens. An essential resource for anyone who works with soil, including growers, consultants, agronomists and soil chemists and for extension personnel working in the grains, livestock and horticulture.

Carbon, a major constituent of structural and energy-releasing organic molecules, is essential to life. A substantial amount of C found in soils is available as soluble organic molecules (SOM) or particulate organic matter (POM) derived from plant primary production. Available atmospheric C as CO2, used by plants during photosynthesis, is part of a larger biogeochemical cycle, including the cyclic release of CO2 by respiration in living organisms and its fixation through photosynthesis. Carbon also is fixed through biological calcification and is eventually bound in carbonate-containing rocks, especially in aquatic and marine environments. This book focuses mainly on soil carbon and its environmental benefits.

Micronutrient Deficiency in Soils and Plants highlights the problems caused by micronutrient deficiencies in vegetative production. This eBook emphasizes on the necessary requirements for plant growth micronutrients, the vital deficiency symptoms of micronutrients and their crucial role in plant metabolism. The scope of this eBook covers a range of topics including micronutrient deficiency, the availability of micronutrient in soils, plant metabolism and micronutrient solubility. The contents of this eBook include chapters on micronutrient solubility and availability in soils, the role of micronutrients in plant metabolism and growth and diagnostic tools to assess deficiencies of iron, zinc, copper and other micro-nutrients. Micronutrient Deficiency in Soils and Plants is a valuable resource for MSc and PhD students, academic personnel and researchers seeking updated and critically important information on major nutritional problems in agricultural soils and crops.

Already renowned as a user-friendly beginners' guide to soil science, Soil Science Simplified, 6th Edition is an updated version of the beloved textbook that includes even more thorough applications of soil science to interdisciplinary fields. It includes the most recent research concerning uses of soil in municipal, engineering, and other areas, conversion agriculture covering no-till, hoe-till, and the methodology of cover crops, crop rotations, N contribution, and worldwide trends in conversion agriculture. The experienced authors have fully revised and updated the fundamental chapters on physical, chemical, and biological properties to create an ideal introductory text.

This multi-contributor, international volume synthesizes contributions from the world's leading soil scientists and ecologists, describing cutting-edge research that provides a basis for the maintenance of soil health and sustainability. The book covers these advances from a unique perspective of examining the ecosystem services produced by soil biota across different scales - from biotic interactions at microscales to communities functioning at regional and global scales. The book leads the user towards an understanding of how the sustainability of soils, biodiversity, and ecosystem services can be maintained and how humans, other animals, and ecosystems are dependent on living soils and ecosystem services.