Books published in 2002
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Handbook for the Assessment of Soil Erosion and Sedimention Using
Environmental Radionuclides. F.
Zapata, editor. Kluwer Academic Publishers,
This handbook deals with soil erosion and sedimentation.
Soil erosion and associated sediment deposition are natural landscape-forming
processes that can be greatly accelerated by human intervention through
deforestation, overgrazing, and non-sustainable farming practices. Soil erosion
and sedimentation may not only cause on-site degradation of the natural
resource base, but also off-site problems, e.g. downstream sediment deposition
in fields, floodplains and water bodies, water pollution, eutrophication, and
reservoir siltation. There is an urgent need for accurate information to
quantify the problem and to underpin the selection of effective
soil-conservation technologies and sedimentation-remediation strategies,
including assessment of environmental and economic impacts. Existing classical
techniques to document soil erosion are capable of meeting some of the needs,
but they all possess important limitations. The quest for alternative techniques
for assessing soil erosion, to complement existing methods, directed attention
to the use of environmental radionuclides, in particular fallout 137Cs, as
traces to quantify rates and establish patterns of soil redistribution within
the landscape. This handbook contains the
developments made in the refinement and standardization of the technique,
developed by 25 research groups worldwide, and featuring the contributions of a
team of leading experts in the field. It provides a comprehensive coverage of
the methodologies for using radionuclides, primarily 137Cs and 210Pb to
establish rates and spatial patterns of soil redistribution and determine the
geochronology of sediment deposits. The book also aims to give advice on
matters relating to the selection of suitable coring sites, the sampling
strategy, and on methods for retrieving cores and subsampling. It is stated
that these first steps should be well planned and executed with careful
attention to detail. The book is illustrated with many figures and photographs.
Price: EUR 79.00; USD 76.00; GBP 51.00. Orders to:
In North America, Mexico and Latin America: Kluwer Academic Publishes, P.O. Box
358, Accord Station, Hingham, MA 02013-0358, USA. Fax: +1-781-681-9045. E-mail:
kluwer@wkap.com. Homepage: www.wkap.com. Elsewhere: Kluwer Academic
Publishers, Customer Service,
Rocks for Crops. Agrominerals of sub-Saharan
Soils
of large parts of
This
text and inventory is an excellent starting point for soil and agricultural
scientists and (agro)geologists to work together to help increase crop yields
in a sustainable way.
Requests to: ICRAF,
Soil and Environmental Science Dictionary. Edited
by E.G. Gregorich, L.W. Turchenek, M.R. Carter and D.A. Angers for the Canadian
Society of Soil Science. CRC Press LLC,
The terminology of soil science
is a language in itself. Soil scientists collaborate increasingly with
colleagues from many fields, and a basic working knowledge of the vocabularies
of those fields improves understanding and enhances the flow of information.
This dictionary brings together the conventional vocabulary of soil science
with that of many overlapping disciplines. It includes definitions from a range
of disciplines such as agronomy, botany, geology, geography, plant science,
forestry, biochemistry, applied ecology, microbiology and remote sensing. It
has over 4000 terms, which are presented in traditional dictionary format, with
equivalent French terms following each definition. The terms are extensively
cross-referenced, giving a deeper understanding of the interdisciplinary nature
of soil science. Indexes group the terms according to discipline and subject
area in English and French. Appendices include SI units, tables on the Canadian
soil classification and diagrams of soil structure and texture. The Canadian
Society of Soil Science should be complimented with the initiative to prepare
this practical dictionary!
Price: USD 69.95; GBP 46.99.
Orders
to: see below.
Land Use and Sustainability: FAM Research Network on Agroecosystems. P.
Schröder, J.C. Munch and B. Huber, editors. Special Issue of Geoderma, volume
105, nos. 3-4, February 2002, pp 155-386.
Elsevier,
Improving information about
agroecosystems, developing future strategies for environmentally compatible
land use, and achieving agricultural productivity and sustainability under one
umbrella are the main goals of the FAM Research Network on Agroecosystems.
Scientists of various disciplines study these topics on a
Orders
to: Customer Support Department at the Regional Sales Office in
Sustainable Water and Soil Management S.
Kunst, T. Kruse and A. Burmester, editors.
This book looks at the pressing problems
of water and soil management, presenting state-of-the-art knowledge and
exploring future projects. Special consideration is given to the perspective of
developing countries, based on experience gained at the International Women’s
University (ifu), held in
Price: EUR 84.95.
Orders
to: Springer Auslieferungs Gesellschaft, Haberstrasse 7, D-69126
Organo-Clay Complexes and Interactions. S. Yariv
and H. Cross, editors. Marcel
Organo-clay complexes occur
everywhere in nature, and the interaction between organic matter and clay
minerals was one of the most important reactions in determining the history of
our planet. The systematic scientific study of clay-organic interactions
started at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the past 60 years various
advanced studies have been carried out and published. This book summarizes the
progress made and examines various ideas and advanced techniques and their
contributions to our knowledge of organo-clay. The book contains 11 chapters.
After a general description of clay minerals and their surface activity, Ch. 2
presents an introduction to organo-clay complexes and describes the different
types of complexes. Ch. 3 deals with organo-vermiculite complexes. Ch. 4 and 5
discuss the physical chemistry of two specific surface phenomena of organo-clay
complexes: organophilicity and hydrophobicity of these complexes and
ion-exchange equilibria in these systems. Four chapters are devoted to advanced
investigative methods commonly used in the study of organo-clay complexes:
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR),
differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetry (TG), infrared (IR) and
thermo-IR spectroscopy, and visible absorption spectroscopy. Ch. 10 deals with
the catalytic activity of clay minerals and their contribution to organic
chemical reactions in nature and in the laboratory. The last chapter reviews
the various ideas that relate clay minerals to the origin of life. Many
important subjects in clay-organic systems have not been included in this
volume. These might be covered in a second volume. Information on clay-organic
interactions and organo-clay complexes is important to workers in many
disciplines, including agricultural chemists, earth and soil scientists,
geochemists, environmental scientists, and engineers in industries in which
both clays and organic matter are essential ingredients. All chapters have many
clear figures and carry extensive lists of references. The book also contains a
mineral index, an organic compound index, and author and subject indexes.
Price: USD 195.00.
Orders
to: The
German Environmental Law. Máire
Mulloy/Eike Albrecht/Tanja Häntsch, Eds. Erich
Schmidt Verlag,
The English-language version of the legislation for
the protection of the environment currently in force in Gemany aims at making
this body of law accessible to non-German speakers, students and professionals
alike. The book addresses the principle laws aiming at the protection of air,
soil, and water, of national landscapes and habitats, including flora and
fauna, as well as laws of a more general scope, e.g. those regulating liability
in cases of harmful impacts on the environment. Moreover, laws with particular
relevance for potential investors, such as the Evironmental Impact Assessment
Act and others are included in this compilation.
The publication also contains translations of the
respective German language original versions of the laws in force by October
2001.
Price: EURO 29.80/ SFR 51.-
Soil Mineralogy with Environmental Applications. Soil
Science Society of America Book Series number 7. J. Dixon and D.G. Schulze,
editors. Soil Science Society of
The first five chapters of this
new volume in the SSSA Book Series present principles and illustrations of
mineral properties and crystallography, surface chemistry, mineral–solution
equilibria, soil
organic matter, and methods of soil mineral analysis. The
following seventeen chapters present soil mineralogy in a uniform chapter
outline devoted to various mineral groups based on their chemical composition
and structural properties. The final six chapters are devoted to applications
of soil mineralogy to our understanding of soil taxonomy, soil tectonics
(movement), radionuclides in soils, and pesticides in soils.
The chapters in this book
present the essence of important concepts and in linking scientific theory to
real environmental problems, and synthesize and summarize important concepts
rather than providing comprehensive reviews of the literature. Preference has
been given to citing recent reviews and original studies that provide
additional links to the older literature. The book has numerous visuals from
soils, sediments, and models of synthetic and natural minerals. Color visuals
are used throughout the book to make mineral structures, mineral color, and the
natural environment of occurrence as vivid as possible. Problems, exercises,
and case studies are included in most chapters to link the theory to real
environmental problems, enzymes in soils, and an introduction to charcoal in
soils. The authors contributed from their experiences with soils in countries
all over the world.
Price: USD 90.00 (SSSA members
first copy USD 75.00). Item No. 60905.
Orders
to: SSSA Headquarters Office, Attn: Book Marketing,
Publications of the SOVEUR Project.
The Mapping of Soil and Terrain
Vulnerability in Eastern and Central Europe (SOVEUR) project calls for the
development of an environmental information system for this region. Using this
system and auxiliary information on climate, land use and the type of soil
pollution, the status of human-induced soil degradation and the areas
considered vulnerable to defined pollution scenarios have been mapped at a
scale of 1:2.5 million. The SOVEUR project is a joint FAO-ISRIC activity,
coordinated at ISRIC by N.H. Batjes. It is carried out in close cooperation
with the countries involved:
For
further information, contact N.H. Batjes, ISRIC,
Soil Degradation Status and Vulnerability Assessment for Central and
The main
aim of the concluding workshop was to present preliminary results of the SOVEUR
project, to reach agreement on issues of border correlation, to set deadlines
for delivering the final revisions and products, and to formulate
recommendations for future activities. An important achievement of the project
has been to help strengthening cooperation between national, environmental
organizations throughout the region. This publication contains the report of
the workshop, the introductory papers and the contributions of the workshop participants
from the countries involved.
Soil Data Derived from SOTER for Environmental Studies in Central and
A uniform
set of derived soil data is required for the “vulnerability” component of the
SOVEUR project. To this avail, data from 662 soil profile descriptions held in
the Soil and Terrain Database (SOTER) compiled for the SOVEUR project area,
were clustered first according to their classification in the revised FAO
legend. Twenty-two major soil groups occur, corresponding with 83 different
soil units. This set was expanded with 1271 profiles, and following a screening
on database integrity and consistency, the resulting 1933 profile descriptions
were submitted to a statistical analysis that included an outlier
rejection-schema. Derived statistics for 17 soil attributes, commonly required
for studies of environmental change, are presented by soil unit and depth zone.
Simple taxo-transfer rules are introduced to fill some of the gaps that
remained in the derived data. The results are presented digitally, as summary
files of derived soil data.
Soil Vulnerability to Diffuse Pollution in Central and
This
report presents a procedure for assessing the relative vulnerability of soils
to diffuse pollution, using the ‘vulnerability to heavy metal mobilization, inducible
by acid deposition' as an example. The resulting maps should be seen as first
approximations, as no field-validation was possible within the framework of the
SOVEUR project. Additional maps of soil vulnerability can easily be generated,
using the available ‘parametric overviews of derived soil properties’, in
combination with specialist knowledge of contaminant behaviour. In a GIS, the
vulnerability maps can be overlain onto a map of current or anticipated
(accumulated) loadings to show where so-called Chemical Time Bombs are prone to
occur. Exploratory analyses of soil vulnerability at the (sub)continental
level, as adopted for the 1:2.5 million scale SOVEUR project, can provide the
basis for identifying areas considered at risk from diffuse pollution once
auxiliary databases on heavy metal loadings and acid deposition become freely
accessible.
SOTER Summary file for Central and
This
summary file has been compiled to aid end-users with limited programming
experience. It has been derived from the full-scale Soil and Terrain (SOTER)
database and a set of “derived soil properties” for the SOVEUR region. The file
can serve as input for a wide range of environmental studies, at an
observational scale.
Soil Degradation in Central and
As part
of the SOVEUR Project, the assessment of soil degradation in the region at a
scale of 1:2.5 million aims to produce a geographical overview of the current
status of soil degradation, with emphasis on soil pollution. The current report
presents the results of this assessment. At the scale of this assessment it is
difficult to provide quantative criteria, in particular for soil pollution,
considering the enormous variety in pollution types and impacts, but also in
the criteria in so far they exist. The criteria for the assessment of pollution
applied here follows as much as possible the standards used previously for the
other types of degradation, but separate classes and descriptions have been
defined for the degree and the impact of pollution. The assessment serves as a
means to increase awareness on soil degradation status in general and on the
status of pollution in particular. In view of the scale and the available data,
the inventory is based on experts’ estimates, giving an overall impression of
the status of soil degradation in the region. This information may help to
increase awareness of the problem and to facilitate the identification of
specific areas considered at risk from soil pollution.
Soil and Terrain Database, Land Degradation Status and Soil
Vulnerability Assessment for Central and
This CD-ROM contains the spatial
and attribute databases and the technical reports produced during the execution
of the SOVEUR project between 1997 and 2000. The databases compiled contain:
(1) a harmonized soil and terrain database for 13 countries in the SOVEUR
region at 1:2.5 million scale, compiled following the SOTER principles,
including georeferenced soil profile data; (2) a database ands associated maps
on the status of soil degradation in the region, including an evaluation of the
extent, type, severity, causes and trends; and (3) a database and associated
maps on the vulnerability to pollution, in particular by 11 metals: Cd, Mn, Ni,
Co, Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb, Hg, Fe and Al. All the coverages are in geographical
position (latitude/longitude). The technical reports included cover the various
technical documentation and guidelines prepared for the compilation of the
various spatial databases. They also contain proceedings of two workshops. A
“Shareware” directory contains subdirectories with executable files that permit
downloading of shareware versions of Acrobat 4.0 and the ACDSee graphics
viewer, needed to consult the technical reports and the image files that show
selected map outputs of the SOVEUR project.
Orders for the CD-ROM to: Sales and Marketing Group, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy. Fax: +39-06-57053360. E-mail: publications-sales@fao.org.
Interactions between Soil Particles and Microorganisms. Impact on the Terrestrial Ecosystem. IUPAC
Series on Analytical and Physical Chemistry of Environmental Systems volume 8.
P.M. Huang, J.-M. Bollag and
The main purpose of the IUPAC
series is to make chemists and other scientists aware of the most important
bio-physicochemical conditions and processes that define the behavior of
environmental systems. Thus the volumes emphasize the fundamental theoretical
concepts of environmental and bioenvironmental processes, taking into account
their specific aspects such as physical and chemical heterogeneity. Another goal
of the series is to discuss the analytical tools, which exits or should be
developed to study these processes.
The present volume focuses in 12
chapters on major elements of the analytical and physical chemistry of soil
particles in their interaction with microorganisms and organic components in
the medium, at the molecular and microscopic levels and the impact on the
terrestrial ecosystem. The book covers an overview on interactions of soil
particles and microorganisms, a fractal approach for studying interactions
between soil particles and microorganisms, microbial mobilization of metals
from minerals, fine-grained mineral development and bioremediation, and the
impact of the various interactions on formation of metal oxides, development of
aggregates, ion cycling and organic pollutant transformation, rhizosphere
chemistry and biology, and anaerobic and transport processes in the terrestrial
environment. The contributions in this book, which is co-sponsored by IUSS, are
well illustrated, have good introductions to the chapters, conclusions and
recommendations, and all have extensive lists of references. It provides the
scientific community with a critical evaluation of state-of-the-art research on
the subject matter, with the goal of advancing the understanding of reactions
and processes at the interface between chemistry and biology of soil and
related environments.
Price: GBP 150.00; EUR 240.00;
USD 247.50.
Orders
to: North and Latin America: John Wiley & Sons,
State of the World
This 19th edition of
the well-known State of the World series is made in preparation for the World
Summit on Sustainable Development in September
Price: USD 15.95, plus USD 4.00
handling and postage in the
Orders:
Worldwatch Institute,
Soil Mechanics Laboratory Manual. Sixth
edition. B.M. Das.
Proper laboratory
testing of soils to determine their physical properties is an integral part in
the design and construction of structural foundations, the placement and
improvement of soil properties, and the specification and quality control of
soil compaction works. Learning to perform laboratory tests of soils plays an
important role in the geotechnical engineering profession.
The present book includes eighteen
laboratory procedures that cover the essential properties of soils and their
behavior under stress and strain, as well as explanations, procedures, sample
calculations, and completed and blank data sheets. The manual provides a
detailed discussion of the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Classification System and the Unified Soil
Classification System updated to conform to recent American Society for Testing
and Materials (ASTM) specifications. To improve ease and accessibility of use,
this new edition includes not only the stand-alone version of the Soil
Mechanics Laboratory Test software, but also the ready-made Microsoft Excel
templates designed to perform the same calculations. With the convenience of point
and click data entry, these interactive programs can be sued to collect,
organize, and evaluate data for each of the book’s eighteen labs. The resulting
tables can be printed with their corresponding graphs, creating easily
generated reports that display and analyze data obtained from the manual’s
laboratory tests.
Price: GBP 15.99; USD 39.95.
Orders
to: In Europe:
Land under Pressure. The Impact of Water Erosion on
Food Production in
The natural conditions of the
Ethiopian Highlands generally offer a favourable environment for agricultural
development and human settlement. However, its population densities and herd
sizes are now the highest in
Price: Euro 36.00.
Orders
to: Shaker Publishing,
Soil Physics Companion. A.W. Warrick, editor. CRC
Press,
This well-written and produced
book includes the descriptions of the physical aspects of the soil system and
of transport processes. The usual physical setting is at or just below the soil
surface, but most of concepts and descriptions are valid to all depths and for
all similar geological materials. This book contains nine chapters addressing
the most significant topics of contemporary soil physics.
Chapters 1, 2 and 7 emphasize
the soil solids. Included are descriptions of the matrix as well necessary definitions
to describe both static and dynamic aspects of the soils. At the start, the
soil is considered as static to facilitate quantification of mass, particle
size and surface areas. Later the dynamics of tillage and temporal variations
due the natural and human actions are examined. Soil water is the primary theme
of Chapters 3 and
Price: USD 74.95.
Orders
to: In USA, Canada, Asia, India and Australia: CRC Press LLC, attn: Order
Entry, 2000 N.W. Corporate Blvd., Boca Raton, FL 33431-9868, USA. Fax:
+1-800-374-3401 or +1-561-989-8732. E-mail: orders@crcpress.com.
Elsewhere: CRC Press, ITPS, Cheriton House,
Soil Pattern as a Key Controlling Factor of Water Erosion. Special
issue of CATENA, vol. 46, issues 2-3,
The 16th World
Congress of Soil Science, held in
Orders to: Elsevier Science,
Essential Soil Science. A clear and concise introduction to soil science. M.R.
Ashman and G. Puri. Blackwell Science, 2002, viii + 198 p. ISBN 0-632-04885-9.
Softcover.
This textbook is aimed at
students who need to acquire a clear and concise overview of soil science
quickly. Many soil science textbooks still cater for a traditional student
market where students embark on a three years of study in a narrow discipline.
However, the growth in modular degree schemes has meant that soil science is
now often taught as a self-standing unit as part of a broad-based degree
course. This informative guide will be particularly useful for students who do
not possess a traditional scientific background, such as those studying
geography, environmental science, ecology and agriculture, who want to quickly understand
both the underlying principles and practical management aspects of soil
science.
Price: GBP 19.99.
Orders
to: Marston Book Services,
Bridging Wallace’s Line: The Environmental and Cultural History and
Dynamics of the SE-Asian-Australian Region. Advances in Geoecology 34. P. Kershaw, B. David, N.
Tapper, D. Penny and J. Brown, editors. Catena Verlag, Reiskirchen, 2002, viii + 360 p. ISBN
3-923381-47-6. Hardcover.
The book starts with an
introductory chapter providing the context for examination of the various
linkages within the SE Asian-Australian region from the physical, biological
and social sciences point of view. The main body of the book is divided in
three parts. Part 1 includes contributions that explore present-day processes
or long-term geological frameworks, providing contextual information for the
later contributions that concentrate on the dynamics of the environment and
people during the Quaternary. It includes background reviews on geology and
plant biogeography, and also on the climate dynamics of the Maritime Continent,
an area of increasing importance in understanding global climate change. Part 2
focuses on physical and biological changes in SE Asia-Australia during the
Quaternary period, a time when modern humans and their ancestors have been
present in the region. It provides a partial framework for understanding human
occupation, but also reveals something about the nature, timing, and degree of
human occupation. Pollen records offer evidence of transformations in
vegetation patterning in relation to climate change, sea level fluctuations,
biomass burning and the effects of mountain glaciers. These environmental
dynamics provide a framework for the colonization and adaptation of Homo
erectus and H. sapiens across the region explored in Part 3. This volume
challenges long-held assumptions of essential difference across the SE
Asia-Australia divide, bridging Wallace’s Line with a fuller exploration of
regional dynamics with global implications.
Price: EUR 109.00, USD 109.00.
Orders
to: Catena Verlag, Ärmelgasse 11, D-35447
Management of Tropical Plantation-Forests and their Soil-Litter System. Litter, Biota and Soil-Nutrient Dynamics. M.V.
Reddy, editor. Science Publishers,
There is a global recognition of
the need to promote and expand sustainable plantation forestry and farm
forestry in the tropics. While areas under native forests are diminishing,
those under planted forests are increasing. In a broad sense, the latter
include industrial plantations for pulp or timber, farm forests and
agro-forests, woodlots for fuel, and plantations established for environmental
benefits such as land rehabilitation, biodiversity rejuvenation, catchment
protection, and, more recently, for sequestering carbon. There is good basis to
state that planted forests, if judiciously managed, offer great opportunities
for sustainable land use from which people can receive multiple benefits.
The soil-litter biota system and
the processes that govern nutrient dynamics have been a popular area of
research in all ecosystems. Because planted forests are expanding in the
tropics and they are subject to a myriad of operations – small and large – it
is important that the best use is being made of existing knowledge, recognizing
the critical importance of soil and litter to sustained productivity and
ecosystem functions. This book has brought together information about the
interplay between soil, litter and biota that drives fundamental processes.
Results from a wide range of plantations representing various biophysical
environments are discussed. The volume will be a source of information for
environmental biologists, soil scientists, soil ecologists en forestry experts with
an interest in the tropics.
Orders to: Science Publishers,
Homepage:
www.scipub.net. Or: Plymbridge Distributors,
Estover,
Integrated Plant Nutrient Management in Sub-Saharan
Integrated nutrient management
is currently a major area of interest for the agricultural research community
in Africa. As the search for options to arrest soil fertility degradation in
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) gathers speed, strategies need to be developed to
increase agricultural production, while safeguarding the environment for future
generations. An in-depth diagnosis and re-definition of the problems associated
with the ever-increasing nutrient depletion in SSA formed the basis of the
Balanced Nutrient Management Systems (BNMS) project, a collaborative effort
between IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.
Previous collaboration had focused on soil organic matter as a key parameter in
soil fertility in tropical regions. Without challenging this, evidence shows
that only a combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers will lead to
acceptable and sustainable solutions in the long run. The ongoing collaboration
therefore aims at developing and testing management practices that maintain or
improve soil nutrient balances by promoting the use of locally available sources
of plant nutrients, maximizing their use efficiency and optimizing their
combination with inorganic fertilizers.
This book contains a compilation
of peer-reviewed papers presented at the International Symposium on Balanced
Nutrient Management Systems, held in Cotonou, October
Price: GBP 55.00, plus packing
and postage.
Orders
to: CABI Publishing, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8DE, UK. Fax: +44-1491-829292.
E-0mail: orders@cabi.org. Homepage: www.cabi-publishing.org/bookshop.
In North and Central America: Oxford University Press, 2001 Evans Road, Cary,
NC 27513, USA. Fax: +1-919-677-1303. E-mail: orders@oup-usa.org.
10% discount when reference AWM is quoted when ordering.
Agroecological Innovations. Increasing Food Production with Participatory
Development. N. Uphoff, editor. Earthscan Publications, London
and Sterling, 2002, xviii + 306 p. ISBN 1-85383-857-8 (softcover); 1-85383-856-X (hardcover).
By the middle of the 21st
century, world food production will need to be at least twice what it is now if
we are to meet both economic demand and human needs. Everyone has a stake in
the continued expansion of food production around the world – in ways that do
not (further) degrade our natural resource base. While having adequate food
supply is not a sufficient condition to ensure food security and economic prosperity,
it is a necessary one. With a growing shortage of land per capita and a serious
shortage of water for agriculture, doubling food production will be a
formidable task. At a meeting in 1997, professional from half a dozen
disciplines were not convinced that expanding production along the present
technological trajectory would ensure food security in ways that are
environmentally acceptable and socially desirable, or maybe even economically
sustainable. Proponents of agroecological approaches argued that these could
contribute significantly to meeting world food needs. In April 1999, an
international conference was held in Bellagio, Italy, to discuss the
above-mentioned issues. Since only a tiny fraction of the resources put into
mainstream agricultural development have thus far been invested in
agroecological approaches, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions. But the
case studies presented at the conference provided evidence of impressive
possibilities for increasing production using mostly local resources and
knowledge. Most case studies focused on African experiences. If agroecological
approaches can raise food production under such adverse soil and water
conditions, they will accomplish gains where conventional modern agricultural
methods have largely failed over the past 40 years. The case studies from Latin
America and Asia were different from, but consistent with, what is being
learned from Africa.
Price: GBP 18.95 for the softcover edition; GBP
50.00 for the hardcover edition.
Orders
to: Earthscan Publications, 120 Pentonville Road, London N1 9JN, UK. Fax:
+44-20-7278-1142. E-mail: earthinfo@earthscan.co.uk.
Homepage: www.earthscan.co.uk.
Plant Roots. The Hidden Half. Third
edition. Books in Soils, Plants, and the Environment. Y. Waisel, A. Eshel and
U. Kafkafi, editors. Marcel Dekker, New York and Basel, 2002, xx + 1120 p. ISBN
0-8247-0631-5. Hardcover. Ordering code: PA030217.
Roots, the “hidden half” of plants, serve a multitude of
functions. They are responsible for anchorage, supply the plants with water and
nutrients, and exchange various growth substances with the shoots. The
root-soil interface is the site where most interactions between the plant and
their environment occur. Roots constitute a major source of organic material
for the soil and thus affect its structure, aeration, and biological
activities. The interest of the editors in the development and function of
plant roots stems from the academic desire to understand their role in plant
life, as well as from the important aspects they have. Most agricultural
investment is spent to provide conducive conditions
for the growth of roots of crop plants. Functional and healthy plant roots are
essential for production of many of the resources on which human properity
depends. The objectives of the present monograph are multiple: to review the
recent contributions to the knowledge of the structure and function of roots,
to outline the frontiers of root sciences, to point out the areas where gaps in
knowledge exist, and to indicate the direction toward which basic and applied
root research should proceed in the future. The book serves as a major source
of information for root scientists, botanists, plant physiologists,
microbiologists, soil scientists, and those engaged in related professions. It
presents a multidisciplinary view of the filed of plant roots and its state of
the art. It covers various aspects of root origin, root structure, development and
behavior, the interactions between roots and their environment, and the various
uses of roots. The book contains 59 chapters, in which the following themes are
covered: (I) The origin and characteristics of roots (2 papers); The root
system: structure and development 11 papers); Root genetics (4 papers); (IV)
Research techniques for root studies ((5 papers); (V) The regulation of root
growth (9 papers); (VI) Physiological aspects of root systems (9 papers); (VII)
Root growth under stress (6 papers); (VIII) Root-rhizosphere interactions (6
papers); (IX) Roots of various ecological groups (4 papers); and (X) Roots of
economic value (3 papers).
Price: USD 250.00.
Orders
to: USA, Canada and Latin America:
Marcel Dekker, P.O. Box 5005, Monticello, NY 12701-5185, USA. Fax:
1-845-796-1772. E-mail: bookorders@dekker.com.
Elsewhere: Marcel Dekker, Postfach 812, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland. Fax:
+41-61-2606333. E-mail: intlorders@dekker.com.
Homepage: www.dekker.com.
Encyclopedia of Global Change -
Environmental Change and Human Society. A.S. Goudie, editor-in-chief.
D.J. Cuff, associate editor. Oxford University Press, 2002. Volume 1,
710 p.; volume 2, 669 p. ISBN: 0-19-510825-6 (set); 0-19-514518-6 (vol. 1);
0-19-514519-4 (vol. 2). Hardcover.
These
two massive volumes, each well over 650 pages thick, present a comprehensive
and interdisciplinary guide to the Earth's environment, set in the context of
global environmental change. The Encyclopaedia includes over 300 entries,
organized in alphabetical order. In
order to facilitate access to this wealth of information, volume 2 contains a
synoptic outline of contents, which define broad conceptual categories, as well
as an extensive index. The main conceptual categories are: (a) Front Matter;
(b) Concepts of Global Change; (c) Earth and Earth Systems, including
‘Principal Articles’, ‘Geological Processes’, ‘Atmosphere’, ‘Ocean’ and ‘Biosphere’;
(d) Human Factors, which include ‘Human Populations’, ‘Agriculture and
Fishing’, ‘Industrial Activity’, ‘Social, Cultural and Ideological Factors’,
and ‘Hazards and Human Health’; (e) Resources, which starts with a principal
article followed by ‘Water and Air’, Land and land Use’, Mineral and Energy
resources’; (f) Responses to Global Change, including ‘Scientific and
Technological Tools’, and ‘Economic and Social Policies’; (g) Agreements,
Associations, and Institutions; (h) selected Biographies (e.g., Svante
Arrhenius); and, 20 case studies such as Deforestation of Amazonia and
Desiccation of the Aral Sea. In view of the variety and quality of the
information presented, the readership of the Encyclopaedia of Global Change
will certainly include academic researchers, high school and university
students, policy makers in government and industry, as well as general readers
interested in the subject of global environmental change.
Price: GBP 185.00 (hardback).
Orders to: From Eire, Europe, and the rest of the
world: CWO Department , Oxford University Press, Saxon Way West, Corby,
Northants NN18 9ES, UK; From the UK: CWO Department, Oxford University Press,
FREEPOST NH 4051, Corby, Northants NN18 9BR (no stamp required).
N.H. Batjes, The
Procedures for Soil Analysis. Sixth
edition. ISRIC Technical Paper 9. Compiled and edited by L.P. van Reeuwijk.
ISRIC and FAO. International Soil Reference and Information Centre, Wageningen,
2002. ISBN 90-6672-044-044-1. ISSN 0923-3792: no. 9. Softcover.
This laboratory manual presents
the procedures for soil analysis as they were in use at ISRIC. The present
sixth edition replaces the fifth, which was published in 1995. It is expanded
with two procedures sued in soil characterization: the optical density of the
oxalate extract (ODOE) for the characterization of Podzols, and the
determination of the Melanic Index, used in Andisols.
Price: EUR 17.00 or USD 17.00, including postal charges.
Orders to: ISRIC, P.O. Box 353, 6700 AJ
Wageningen, The Netherlands. Fax: +31-317-471700. E-mail: sales@isric.nl. Homepage: www.isric.org
Geoecology of Antarctic Ice-Free Coastal Landscapes. L. Beyer,
M. Bölter, University of Kiel (Eds.). 2002. xxiv, 424 pp., 54 figs., 59 tabs.
(Ecological Studies Analysis and Synthesis, Vol. 154). Hardcover. ISBN
3-540-42268-4.
Research in Antarctica in the past two decades has
fundamentally changed our perceptions of the southern continent. This volume
describes typical terrestrial environments of the maritime and continental
Antarctic. Life and chemical processes are restricted to small ranges of
ambient temperature, availability of water and nutrients. This is reflected not
only in life processes, but also in those of weathering and pedogenesis. The
volume focuses on interactions between plants, animals and soils. It includes
aspects of climate change, soil development and biology, as well as above-and
below-ground results of interdisciplinary research projects combining data from
botany, zoology, microbiology, pedology, and soil ecology.
Price: Euro 109,--; Pounds 76,50; SFr 180,50
Orders
to: Springer, Customer Service,
Haberstr. 7, 69126
Participation of Non-Governmental Organisations in International
Environmental Co-operation. Legal Basis and Practical Experience. Sebastian Oberthür, Matthias Buck, Sebastian Müller,
Dr. Stephanie Pfahl, Richard G. Tarasofsky, Dr. Jacob Werksmann, Alice Palmer.
Ecologic Centre for International & European Environmental Research,
Berlin. Reihe: Berichte des Umweltbundesamtes, Band 11/02. 2003. XIII. 287
Seiten,
The importance of non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) in international environmental co-operation has increased tremendously
over the last decades. Accordingly, the participation of non-governmental
actors has become a prominent subject for research, especially in the legal and
social sciences. However, limited effort has been spent at systematically
analysing the relationship between the legal basis and the practical influence
of NGOs in different areas of international environmental co-operation. This
study first laid a conceptual basis by reviewing existing definitions of NGOs
and developing an own working definition, elaborating the functions NGOs
perform in international environmental policy-making and examining various
criteria that can serve to distinguish different types of NGOs.
Pice: Euro (D) 39,80
Orders to: Erich Schmidt Verlag GmbH&Co, POB
102451, Viktoriastraße 44A, 33602 Bielefeld.
Dictionnaire de Science du Sol, 4ème edition. J. Lozet et C. Mathieu. Editions TEC & DOC, Lavoisier,
Londres, Paris, 2002, 584 p. ISBN 2-7430-0538-6. Hardcover.
A dictionary is a record of
generally accepted meanings, which words have acquired at the time of
publication. It can also be a book of
alphabetically listed words in a language with their equivalent in another
language.
This fourth edition of the
‘Dictionnaire de Science du Sol’ meets both purposes in the field of soil
science and related disciplines including soil classification, soil formation,
landuse, soil fertility, soil conservation, mineralogy and geomorphology. It lists words in alphabetical order with
definitions in French, the equivalent word in English and the etymology of
terms derived from roots in classical languages. An English-French index constitutes a real
Dictionary in both languages. With
reference to ‘accepted meanings which words have acquired at the time of
publication’ it is obvious that updating is regularly required, especially in
the domain of soil science, which evolved at a fast rate since the 1950s. In 1954 Lozet published his ‘Dictionnaire de
Pédologie’ of 800 words. In 1958
Plaisance and Caillaux published a very comprehensive ‘Dictionnaire des
Sols’. This valuable book is still a
rich source of information, including vernacular names and expressions, but it
is of limited pertinence for the present-day soil scientist. Hence, in 1986 Lozet and Mathieu prepared the
first edition of their ‘Dictionnaire de Science du Sol’ covering 2400 words. The success of this publication led to a 2nd
edition in
Price: EUR 85.00.
Orders to: Lavoisier, 11 rue Lavoisier, F-75008 Paris, France.
Or : Lavoisier, rue de Provigny, 14, F-94236 Cachan Cedex, France.
Fax : +33-1-47-40-67-02
Homepage : www.lavoisier.fr.
R.
Dudal, Belgium.
Man and Soil at the Third Millennium. J.L.
Rubio, R.P.C. Morgan, S. Asins and V. Andreu, editors. Geoformes Ediciones,
Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificacion, Logrono, 2002, 2234 p., in two
volumes. ISBN volume I 84-87779-46-8; volume II 84-87779-47-6. Set of two
volumes 84-87779-45-X. Hardcover.
This set consists of the proceedings of the Third
International Congress of the European Society for Soil Conservation (ESSC),
which was held in Valencia, from 28 March to 1 April, 2000.
With strategy documents on soil emerging at both
European and national levels, soil is being recognized again as an important
resource, alongside air and water, underpinning future sustainable development.
Since implementation of strategies needs to be based on sound science, these
volumes are timely in providing a clear statement of scientific understanding
and knowledge of soils at the start of the new millennium. The volumes are
organized around ten themes: (1) soil and society (17 papers); (2) soil and
water cycle (17 papers); (3) interlinkages between biodiversity, climate change
and water resources (17 papers); (4) traditional soil and water conservation
systems (7 papers); (5) soil indicators (7 papers); (6) soil functions and soil
quality (31 papers); (7) desertification and soil degradation processes (38
papers); (8) soil contamination (17 papers); (9) new technologies and soil
assessment (20 papers); and (10) soil conservation (11 papers). Also included
are the opening speeches and the texts of twelve keynote addresses. In his
preface to the volumes, the Crown Prince of Spain encourages soil scientists to
explore their subject with depth and efficiency to understand better the
functioning of one of the essential components of the earth’s ecosystem.
Although this was a European meeting, in which the IUSS collaborated,
contributions came also from the USA, Africa, Asia and Latin America. The
result is a timely, comprehensive statement of the issues, methodologies and
research findings on soils as they affect society. This is certainly a welcome
addition, at an affordable price, to the growing literature on this important
subject!
Price: EUR 60.00, plus EUR 5.00 mailing costs.
Orders
to: Dr. Katharina Helming, ZALF,
Eberswalde Starsse 84, D-15374 Müncheberg, Germany. Fax: +49-33432-82280.
E-mail: essc.helming@zalf.de
Fundamentals of Soil Science. G.S. Sekhon, Editor. Indian Society of Soil Science, New
Delhi, 2002, viii + 548 p. ISBN 81-901470-0-5. Hardcover.
This authoritative text begins with
an introductory chapter by Dr. J.S.
Kanwar, Past President of the
International Society of Soil Science,
and includes chapters on weathering and
soil formation, soil classification, soil survey and mapping, physical
properties of soils, soil water, soil air and soil temperature, tillage, water
management of rainfed soils, water management of irrigated lands, soil erosion
and conservation, basic chemical principles in soil science, chemical
composition of soils, soil colloids, ion exchange in soils, soil acidity, soil
salinity and alkalinity, essential nutrients and their uptake by plants,
nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, secondary nutrients, micronutrients, analysis
of soil, plant, and fertilizer, soil fertility evaluation, organisms in soil
and their activities, soil organic matter, fertilizers, soil fertility
management, soil pollution and its
control, and soil management for sustainable farming. SI units and conversion factors for SI and
non-SI units are presented in the appendices that also include 48 color
photographs of soilscapes and soil profiles, soil and water conservation
measures, and nutrient deficiency symptoms. The 31 chapters have been written
by 49 eminent Indian soil scientists. It is a cohesive and well-presented book.
The authors' stated audience is students and teachers. It is best suited as a
textbook. The book projects Indian data and examples; as such it is unique in
its field. Although it focuses on Indian soils, it deals with basic principles
of soil science and management. It is,
therefore, equally well suited to a broad audience in natural resource fields.
The clear, easy-to-follow book will serve as an invaluable resource to
individuals interested in soil science. This book is certainly a "must
have" publication for all agricultural libraries.
Price: USD 75.00 (including airmail charges and handling).
Orders to: Indian Society of Soil Science, Division of Soil
Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New
Delhi - 110 012, India. Fax: +91-11-5755529. E-mail: isss@vsnl.com. Homepage:
www.indiansocietyofsoilscience.org.
Natural Resources Engineering. E.W. Tollner. Iowa State Press, Ames, 2002, xvi + 576 p. ISBN 0-8138-1847-8. Hardcover.
This practical text and reference book examines the
physics and engineering aspects related to water, soil and air-quality
preservation. The book covers a diverse range of topics on the forefront of
natural resources engineering. The hydrologic cycle and natural circulation of
the wind shape the topic organization: general hydrologic topics, uplands water
quality, stream channel design, management structures, stream and lake
processes, storages and various uses, and air related processes. The volume
stresses fundamentals, building on traditional agricultural engineering soil
and water teachings. Furthermore, it provides useful internet addresses and
links to sites offering practical tips. The text serves as a platform for upper
undergraduate and graduate students in natural resources, environmental
science, agricultural biosystems, biological, civil and chemical engineering,
and as a reference and resource for practicing professionals in agriculture and
natural resource engineering, forestry, ecology, water quality and hydrology
management.
Price: USD
99.99.
Orders to: Iowa State Press, 2121 State Avenue, Ames, IA
50014-8300, USA. Fax: +1-515-292-3348. Homepage: www.iowastatepress.com.
Tillage for Sustainable Cropping. P.R.
Gajri, V.K. Arora and S.S. Prihar. Food Products Press, New York, London, 2002,
ix + 195 p. ISBN 1-56022-903-9, softcover; 1-56022-902-0, hardcover.
This book is a state-of-the-art examination of various
tillage systems and tillage-induced edaphic changes and their implications for
soil productivity and the environment. It provides a rational framework for
tillage systems that takes soil and climatic characteristics and the
availability of other edaphic inputs into consideration. This well-referenced
volume also examines soil sustainability in terms of pollution, greenhouse
gases, water contamination, growing production demands, and soil degradation,
and looks at the way crops respond to tillage techniques in terms of weed
growth, root growth, crop yields and more.
Price: USD
39.95, softcover; USD 89.95, hardcover.
Orders to: Food Products Press, 10 Alice Street, Binghamton,
NY 13904-1580, USA. Fax: +1-607-771-0012. E-mail: orders@haworthpressinc.com.
Homepage: www.haworthpressinc.com.
Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific. A Conservation Assessment. E. Wikramanayake, E.
Dinerstein, C.J. Loucks et al. Island Press, Washington, Covelo, 2002, xxix +
643 p. ISBN 1-55963-923-7. Softcover.
This analysis of the terrestrial ecoregions of the
Indo-Pacific is the third installment of a series using ecoregions to identify
biological and conservation priority areas. This study has built on and
improved the lessons learned from the previous two volumes (on Latin America
and the Caribbean in 1995; on North America in 1999), and is a guide to the upcoming
assessment of Africa’s biological and conservation status. Together, these
assessments form the backbone of the World Wildlife Fund global strategies for
conserving the Global 200 ecoregions. The present volume offers a comprehensive
examination of the state of the Indo-Pacific biodiversity and habitats, moving
beyond endangered or charismatic species to quantify for the first time the
number of mammal and bird species, including endemics, in each ecoregion. Short
essays by regional experts address special topics relating to finer-scale
conservation issues or ecological processes that are typically overlooked in a
regional-scale analysis. This study involved the collection, synthesis and
analysis of a vast amount of information. In chapter 2 the background and basis
for the delineation of the140 ecoregions are given. In chapter 3 the objectives
and the approach used in the analysis are defined. In the next two chapters the
biological distinctiveness and conservation status are described, which are integrated
in chapter 6 to set the conservation agenda and provide recommendations for
where efforts should first be concentrated. Chapter 7 discusses the
conservation needs at the ecoregional or landscape scale, which the authors
argue as being the best hope for saving nature in Asia. Descriptions are also
given of all the ecoregions, with reference to the biodiversity and
conservation status of each.
Scanty information on soils in most of the 140 ecoregions
is given. Short term (1 to 5 years) and long term (5 to 20 years) conservation
actions are mentioned for all ecoregions. Together, these well-organized
assessments form an invaluable resource for anyone interested in understanding
and protecting global biodiversity.
Price: GBP
66.50; USD 85.00.
Orders to: EDS, 3 Henriette Street, Covent Garden, London
WC2E 8LU, UK. Fax: +44-20-7379-0609. E-mail: orders@edspub.co.uk. In the USA: Island
Press, Distribution Center, P.O. Box 7, Covelo, CA 95428, USA. Fax:
+1-707-983-6414. E-mail: service@islandpress.org.
Homepage: www.islandpress.org.
Cation Binding by Humic Substances. E.
Tipping. Cambridge University Press, 2002, 444 p. ISBN 0-521-62146-1.
Hardcover.
Humic substances are highly-abundant organic compounds
formed in soils and sediments by the decay of dead plants, microbes and
animals. This book focuses on the important binding properties of these
compounds which regulate the chemical reactivity and bioavailability of
hydrogen and metal ions in the natural environment. Topics covered include the
physico-chemical properties of humic matter and interactions of protons and
metal cations with weak acids and macromolecules. Experimental laboratory
methods are also discussed, together with mathematical modeling. Finally the
author looks at how the results of this research can be used to interpret
environmental phenomena in soils, waters and sediments. This comprehensive
account of cation binding by humic matter is a valuable resource for advanced
undergraduate and graduate students, environmental scientists, ecologists and
geochemists.
Price: GBP
70.00; USD 95.00.
Orders to: see below.
Agriculture. The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability
and Change for the
Agriculture is one of the
sectors of the economy that depends most on weather and climate. Scientists now
believe that climate will change at unprecedented rates over the 21st
century. This has caused concern that food and fiber production in the US could
be threatened. But, warmer temperatures and changes in precipitation are not
necessarily detrimental for all crops or all areas. The impacts of climate and
weather also extend well beyond the farm. Changes can affect consumer prices,
erosion, pollution of lakes, rivers and coastal areas, and the need for
pesticides and irrigation water. These changes can further effect recreation,
health, wildlife as well as food supply. This volume reports the results of a
rigorous and quantitative assessment of the impacts of climate change on US
agriculture over the 21st century. It advances work on climate
impacts by using climate scenarios from state-of-the-art climate models. It
also considers impacts of changes in climate variability and impacts on the
environment and natural resources caused by changes in agriculture due to
climate change. It describes the forces likely to shape US agriculture over the
next century, the policy and economic environment, and their interaction with
climate change. The basic findings are that climate change is positive for
agriculture production, although southern parts of the US could be harmed.
Price: GBP 21.95; USD 30.00.
Orders to: Cambridge University Press, The
Edinburgh Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 2RU, UK. Fax:
+44-1223-315052. E-mail: information@cup.cam.ac.uk.
Homepage: www.cup.ac.uk. In North and
Central America: Cambridge University Press, 40 West 20th Street,
New York, NY 10011-4211, USA. Fax: +1-212-6913-239. E-mail: information@cup.org. Homepage: www.cup.org. Online ordering: www.uk.cambridge.org.
Les éléments traces métalliques dans les sols.
Approches fontionnelles et spatiales. D. Baise et M. Tercé, coord. Institut National
de
Une prise de conscience générale émerge enfin sur
l’importance des sols et de maintien de leurs “qualités” biologiques, physiques
et chimiques. Parmi celles-ci, la dynamique des éléments traces (ET) est parmi
les grandes préoccupations environnementales de nos sociétés. Par des
approaches complémentaires, les auteurs, principalement des chercheurs
français, mais aussi suisses et belges, offrent au lecteur une vision complète
de l’état de la recherche sur les éléments traces dans les sols agricoles ou
forestiers plus au moins contaminés. Premier du genre en français, cet ouvrage
rend accessible les résultats de travaux récent, applications au plan local de
methods d’intérêt general: il détaille les possibilités ouvertes par les
techniques modernes, leurs limites, les précautions indispensables, etc.; il
montre comment les raisonnements de la pédologie et les caractéristiques des
sols peuvent etre utiles dans l’interprétation des teneurs en elements traces.
Une grande quantité de “literature grise” est ainsi mise à la disposition d’un
large public au lieu de demeurer inaccessible. Ce livre s’articule autour de
quatre parties principales: écosystèmes peu anthropisés – sols agricoles
modérément contaminés par des pratiques courantes – sols fortement contaminés
par des activités industrielles et méthodes de réhabilitation – études de la
mobilité des ET dans les sols et de leur biodisponibilité. Ce livre s’adresse à
tous les ingénieurs qui ont à gérer des problèmes d’éléments traces dans les
sols et les récoltes: agronomes, géologues, géochimistes, hygienistes,
environnementalistes, et écologues.
Prix: EUR
94,00 + EUR 4,57 frais de port pour l’UE.
Commandes à: INRA Editions, RD 10, F-78026 Versailles Cedex,
France. Fax: +33-1-30-833449. E-mail: INRA-Editions@versailles.inra.fr.
Catalogue et commande en ligne: www.inra.fr/editions.
How to Unravel and Solve Soil Fertility Problems. ACIAR
Monograph No.
The maintenance and improvement of the fertility of our
soils has never been more important than it is today. Meeting the needs of the
rapidly growing world population for food, fiber, timber, and fuel is going to
require a very large increase in agricultural and forestry production in the
decades ahead. Improving the productivity of existing farmlands by ecologically
sustainable methods is essential, not only to meet the needs of the world
population, but also to alleviate pressures to clear and cultivate remaining
areas of natural vegetation, with their rich and irreplaceable flora and fauna.
On fragile and nutrient-depleted lands, appropriate inputs of nutrients may
play an important role in protecting the soil surface from erosion by
increasing plant cover, and along with the return of crop residues, allowing a
rebuilding of soil organic matter reserves. Nutrient management needs to be
guided by a sound knowledge of which chemical elements are limiting without our
intervention. Simple pot experiments, which are discussed in some detail in
this publication, are one of the more reliable tools by which this knowledge
can be gained. The monograph allows farmers in developing countries to benefit
from scientific knowledge on plant nutrition and soil fertility. It bridges the
gap between basic research and the results of applied research on soil and crop
management. It is intended for use by agricultural scientists and extention
staff in developing countries.
Requests
for a complimentary copy for developing countries to:
Publications Manager, ACIAR, GPO Box 1571, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia. Fax:
+61-2-6217-0501. Homepage: www.aciar.gov.au/publications/complimentary.htm.
Orders to: CSIRO Publishing, P.O. Box 1139, Collingwood,
Victoria 3066, Australia. Fax: +61-3-9662-7555. E-mail: publishing.sales@csiro.au.
Homepage: www.publish.csiro.au.
Vital Signs 2002. The Trends that are Shaping our
Future. The Worldwatch Institute, in cooperation with the United Nations
Environment Programme. W.W. Norton & Company, New York and London, 2002,
215 p. ISBN0-393-32315-3. Softcover.
The 11th volume in the series Vital Signs from
the Worldwatch Institute shows in graphic detail the key trends that are too
often overlooked by the news media and world leaders. It is a unique snapshot
of the social, economic, and environmental trends that determine the quality of
our lives and the future of our children’s lives. From the seemingly mundane,
like drinking soda, to the massive concrete, like the contribution of sprawling
cities to global warming, this book helps you chart the future.
Among the findings in this year’s edition: Global
pesticides sales have increased 15-fold since 1950, but farmers are still
losing as great a share of their crops to pests as they were 50 years ago. The
average global surface temperatures in 2001 were the second warmest on record,
putting additional pressure on nations to adopt the Kyoto Protocol and cut back
on the use of fossil fuels and the release of carbon dioxide. The area of forests
certified as well managed by the Forest Stewardship Council more than doubled
between 1998 and 2001. Since 1961, the total area under irrigation was 139
million ha, or
A CD-ROM, soon to come, will contain all the figures
presented in this issue, plus user-friendly software.
Price: USD
14.95.
Orders to: W.W. Norton, Order Department, Dept. I, Keystone
Industrial Park, Scranton, PA 18512, USA. Fax: +1-800-458-6515. Homepage: www.wwnorton.com. Or: W.W. Norton, Castle
House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT, UK. Fax: +44-20-7436-4553. E-mail: office@wwnorton.co.uk. Homepage
Worldwatch Institute: www.worldwatch.org.
Ecology of Desert Systems. W.G. Whitford. Academic
Press, 2002, 360 p. ISBN 0-12-747261-4. Hardcover.
Conventional wisdom considers deserts stark, harsh regions
that support few living things. Most people also believe that water alone makes
the desert bloom. This book challenges these conventional views. It explores a
broad range of topics of interest to ecosystem, population, community, and
physiological ecologists. Climate, weather patterns, geomorphology, and wind
and water processes are examined as variables that affect the distribution of
biota through fundamental ecosystem processes. Descriptions of morphological,
behavioral, and physiological adaptations of desert biota illuminate, through
the lens of patch dynamics, principles for understanding observed patterns of
primary production, nutrient cycling, and the effects of consumers.
Desertification, and the techniques for monitoring and quantifying it, is
examined within the framework of desert ecosystem patterns and processes.
Price: GBP
49.00; USD 74.95.
Orders to: In Europe, Middle East and Africa: Elsevier
Science, Customer Service Department, Foots Cray High Street, Sidcup, Kent DA14
5HP, UK. Fax: +44-20-8308-5702. E-mail: cservice@harcourt.com.
Homepages: www.academicpress.com/geoscience
and www.elsevier-international.com.
Interactions of Microorganisms with Radionuclides. Radioactivity in the Environment, volume
Many environmental processes are influenced, if not
controlled, by microbial action and it is becoming increasingly important to
develop understanding of microbial roles in geochemistry. This book brings
together state-of-the-art research into microbial processes and the extent to
which they affect or can be used to control radioactive elements. The basic
principles and fundamental mechanisms by which microbes and radionuclides
interact are outlined, the methodology described, potential microbial influences
on waste repositories examined, direct and indirect effects on transport both
on local and global scales considered and potential technological applications
identified.
Price: EUR
170.00; USD 170.00.
Orders to: see below.
Understanding and Solving Environmental Problems in the 21th Century. Toward a
new, integrated hard problem science. R. Costanza and S.E. Joergensen, editors.
Elsevier, 2002, 350 p. ISBN 0-08-044111-4. Hardcover.
The aim of this book is to encourage integration of the
natural and social sciences with the policy and design making community, and
thereby develop a deeper understanding of complex environmental problems. Its
themes are: (1) integrated modeling and assessment; (2) complex, adaptive,
hierarchical systems; (3) ecosystem services; (4) science and decision making;
(5) ecosystem health and human health; and (6) quality of life and the
distribution of wealth and resources. The book will act as a state-of-the-art
assessment of integrated environmental science and its relation to real world
problem solving. It is not only aimed at the academic community, but also as a
sourcebook for managers, policy makers, and the informed public. It dealt both
with the state of the science and the level of consensus among scientists on
key environmental issues. The concepts underlying this book were developed at
the 2nd EcoSummit workshop held in Halifax in June 2000, with the
active participation from all delegates, and attempts to present their
collective view.
Price: EUR
95.00; USD 95.00.
Orders to: see below.
Soil Mineral-Organic Matter-Microorganism Interactions and Ecosystem
Health. Dynamics,
Mobility and Transformation of Pollutants and Nutrients. Developments in Soil Science
28A. A. Violante, P.M. Huang, J.-M. Bollag and L. Gianfreda, editors. Elsevier,
Amsterdam, Boston, 2002, xvii + 459 p. ISBN 0-444-51038-9 (this volume); with
volume 28B as set: 0-444-51040-0. Hardcover.
Soil Mineral-Organic Matter-Microorganism Interactions and
Ecosystem Health. Ecological Significance of the Interactions Among Clay
Minerals, Organic Matter and Soil Biota. Developments in Soil Science 28B. A.
Violante, P.M. Huang, J.-M. Bollag and L. Gianfreda, editors. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Boston, 2002, xix + 434
p. ISBN 0-444-51039-7 (this volume); with volume 28A as set: 0-444-51040-0.
Hardcover.
The Working Group MO (Interactions of Soil Minerals with
Organic Components and Microorganisms) of the IUSS was founded in 1990 at the
14th International Congress of Soil Science in Kyoto. It organized
two symposia and was involved in four other meetings. As a result, seven
volumes or special books were published in the last six years. The present book
consists of two volumes, and includes 59 of a total of 175 papers delivered at
the 3rd Symposium on Soil Mineral-Organic Matter-Microorganism
Interactions and Ecosystem Health, which was held in May
Price: EUR
160.00 for volume 28A; EUR 150.00 for volume 28B.
Orders to: In Europe: Customer Support Department, Elsevier
Science, P.O. Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Fax:+31-20-4853432.
E-mail: nlinfo-f@elsevier.nl. Homepage: www.elsevier.nl. In USA and Canada:
Elsevier Science, P.O. Box 945, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 10160-0945,
USA. Fax: +1-212-633-3680. E-mail: usinfo-f@elsevier.com.
For other sales offices see homepage: www.elsevier.com.
Land Use and Land Use
Planning in
Having worked under the able leadership of the author
while surveying the soils in Bangladesh, I was glad to read this impressive volume.
It is a follow-up of earlier books in this series, based upon the extensive
knowledge of Dr. Brammer of many aspects of the physical and human resources of
this small country with its many inhabitants, by far surpassing the density of
population of my own country, The Netherlands. At the time, while making soil
maps, the author was busy developing a series of practical guides, in Bengali,
for extensionists on agricultural development, related to the occurrences of
the soils, depth of water table, flooding characteristics, etc. I believe that
this worthwhile activity was an exceptional case of the direct application of
soil survey data to agricultural development. In the present book, the fifth
volume of the collected works, the author provides a historical perspective on
Bangladesh’s dynamic land use and evolving approaches to rural development
planning in the 1970s and 1980s. Aimed particularly at agriculture, geography
and soil science researchers, teachers and students, and agricultural planning
and extension officials, this book makes available material that previously had
a limited circulation, provides models and benchmarks for repeating some of the
studies described, and supplies practical training material.comprises land use
studies made in support of agricultural development planning. Part I provides
background information about Bangladesh’ physical environment and land use.
Part II comprises nine chapters describing wide-ranging land use studies made
in support of agricultural development planning. Part III outlines the policies
and principles involved in national and local-level land use planning, while
Part IV gives information and guidelines for use in planning more intensive
land use. Part V describes in detail the various methods tried to use soil
survey information at village level. Throughout, emphasis is given to
participatory planning methods.
The book is very well
illustrated with maps, tables and figures. It has a practical index.
Unfortunately, the book does not have photographs. For other books in the
series, see the homepage mentioned below.
Price: USD 46.00; GBP 35.00; Tk. 1500, including handling and
postage.
Orders to: The University Press, G.P.O. Box 2611, Dhaka
1000, Bangladesh. Fax: +88-02-9565443. E-mail: upl@bttb.net.bd. Homepage: www.uplbooks.com.
Hans van Baren, The Netherlands.
Spatial Data Quality. W. Shi,
P.F. Fischer and M.F. Goodchild, editors. Taylor & Francis, London and New
York, 2002, xx + 313 p. ISBN 0-415-25835-9. Hardcover.
Quality is an issue for any kind
of information. This book is about the quality of spatial (synonymous with
geographical and geospatial) data and in the sense of this book spatial data
consist of information about the surface and near-surface of the Earth. Such
information is used today for many purposes, including the management of
natural resources, navigation, agriculture, the monitoring of disease
outbreaks, and a host of other everyday activities. In all of these cases it is
obvious that data must be of high quality, and over the last two decades a
large research literature has emerged on this subject. The first section of the
present book looks at efforts to advance the theoretical framework for spatial
data quality, in the form of models of quality, links to existing areas such as
geostatistics that can provide ready-made techniques and approaches, and
designs for spatial databases that incorporate knowledge of data quality and
directly address problems of its analysis and impacts. The second section looks
in detail at a selection of methods for handling spatial; data quality, with
discussions that range from new techniques for visualization, to the
perspectives of policy makers. The final section has two themes: case studies
of data quality as metadata, and assessments of the consequences of data
quality on specific applications. Each section is introduced, and the book ends
with an epilog. The book attempts to create a sense of the art in spatial data
quality, and the directions currently being pursued by the research community.
The chapters grew out of a
Symposium on Spatial Data Quality, held in Hong Kong in 1999, and each has been
extensively modified and edited to suit the purposes of the book.
Price: GBP 59.99.
Orders to: Taylor & Francis Customer
Services, ITPS, Cheriton House, North Way, Andover, Hampshire SP10 5BE, UK.
Fax: +44-1264-343005. E-mail: book.orders@tandf.co.uk.
Or: Taylor & Francis, 7625 Empire Drive, Florence, KY 41042, USA. Fax:
1-800-248-4724, toll free. E-mail: cserve@routledge-ny.com.
Homepage: www.tandf.co.uk/books
Diversity and Integration in Mycorrhizas.
Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Mycorrhizas.
Development in Plant and Soil Sciences 94. S.E. Smith and F.A. Smith, editors.
Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston, 2002, x + 335 p. ISBN
1-4020-0269-6. Hardcover. Reprint from Plant and Soil, volume 244, nos. 1-2
(2002).
The present book contains chapters
that were derived from invited Keynote and Symposium presentations at the 3rd
International Conference on Mycorrhizas (ICOM3), held in Adelaide, from 8 to 13
July 2001. However, it is more than ‘a book of the conference’: it also
contains chapters by authors who did not speak at the conference, but who were
invited in order to provide additional depth and balance. Abstracts of all
papers can be found at the ICOM3 website:
www.waite.adelaide.edu.au/soil_water/3icom.html.
Mycorrhizas are being
increasingly recognized as ubiquitous plant/fungal symbiosis, with the
potential to influence the function and ecology of around 90% of all land
plants; perhaps the most common and also ancient terrestrial symbiosis in
existence. This book has a broad coverage of biology of symbiosis between
mycorrhizal fungi and plants, especially ecto- and arbuscular mycorrhizas, and
the forward-looking review papers include overviews of research challenges for
the future. After the scene is set in an interesting introductory chapter, the
papers are presented in four groups: (1) Molecular diversity and phylogeny (7
papers); (2) Development: from genes to structure (7 papers); (3) Functional
relationships (9 papers); and (4) Ecological interactions (7 papers). The last
group contains papers on the implications of the symbioses for ecosystems
processes, including agriculture.
Price: EUR 85.00, USD 83.00, GBP 54.50.
Orders to: North, Central and South America:
Kluwer Academic Publishers, Order Department, P.O. Box 358, Accord Station,
Hingham, MA 02013-0358, USA. Fax: +1-781-681-9045. E-mail: kluwer@wkap.com.
Elsewhere: Kluwer Academic Publishers, P.O. Box 322, 3300 AH Dordrecht, The
Netherlands. Fax: +31-78-6576474. E-mail: orderdept@wkap.nl.
Homepage: www.wkap.nl.
Soil Fertility and Food Production. K.R.
Krishna, editor. Science Publishers, Enfield and Plymouth, 2002, xv + 465 p.
ISBN 1-57808-215-3. Hardcover.
Soil fertility and crop
management are the two most important ingredients of the modern agricultural
activity on the globe. Soils, their fertility along with the general
agro-climate have almost always dictated the spread of agricultural enterprise,
including the cropping patterns and grain harvest levels possible. The success
of agricultural activity in the 20th century, particularly in the
American and European continents, and the green revolution in parts of Asia,
have relied on improved soil fertility management procedures and appropriate
cropping patterns. The greener revolution in the offing in some agrobelts will
involve further intensification of cropping patterns. It also indicates
priority to develop suitable soil fertility management practices. This book
offers a combination of recent findings and basic principles related to both
soil and crop sciences, presenting concise and comprehensive discussions on a
wide range of topics. The first of the 18 chapters deals with the historical
aspects of soil fertility research. Soil fertility aspects of all major and
micro nutrients are discussed in detail. Attention is also given to such
aspects as: soil geography, soil organic matter, modeling and computer
simulation, fertilizers and bio-inoculants, the use of isotopes, nutrient
dynamics, the use of remote sensing techniques in soil fertility research.
Price: USD 99.50.
Orders to: Science Publishers, P.O. Box
699, Enfield, NH 03748, USA. E-mail: sales@scipub.net.
Homepage: www.scipub.net. Or: Plymbridge
Distributors, Estover, Plymouth, PL6 7PY, UK. Fax: +44-1752-202331. E-mail: cservs@plymbridge.com.
Wetlands in
Soil ecology deals with the
interactions among soil organisms and between such organisms and the
environment. The science has gained increasing attention during the pas years
and has contributed to the understanding of ecological processes in many ecosystems.
Wetlands, which are unique and very sensitive ecosystems, function as a habitat
for many organisms, including soil organisms. Although information on soil
ecological processes in wetlands is still lacking, such knowledge is very much
needed for landscape planning purposes and for climatic change predictions.
This book on the wetlands of Central Europe focuses on wetlands as habitats for
soil organisms (3 papers), on soil ecological processes in fens and floodplains
(3 papers), on carbon and nitrogen dynamics in soils with different water
regimes (3 papers), and on trace gas emissions (4 papers). The papers are based
on presentations made at a workshop on soil ecological processes in wetlands,
held at the Centre for Agricultural Landscape and Land Use Research (ZALF), in
Müncheberg, Germany, in 1988.
Price: EUR 69.95; GBP 49.00; USD 79.95.
Orders to: Springer Auslieferungs
Gesellschaft, Haberstrasse 7, D-69126, Heidelberg, Germany. Fax:
+49-6221-345229. E-mail: orders@springer.de.
In North America: Springer Verlag, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA.
Fax: +1-212-473-6262. E-mail: orders@springer-ny.com.
Homepage: www.springer-ny.com.
Handbook of Plant Growth. pH as
the Master Variable. Z. Rengel, editor. Marcel Dekker, New York and Basel,
2002. ISBN 0-8247-0761-3. Hardcover.
This book explores the
molecular, biochemical, functional, structural, and developmental mechanisms of
pH in plant growth; examining the role of pH in plant symplasm, plant apoplasm,
the rhizosphere, the ecosystem, and in plant interaction with biotic and
abiotic environments. The book discusses the dynamics of H+ fluxes across
membranes; the interdependence of pH dynamics and soil abiotic systems; the
effect of pH fluxes on soil-plant-microbe interactions; the physiological
properties of vacuolar proton pumps; the maintenance and regulation of stable
cytoplasmic pH; and the current methods for the imaging of intracellular pH.
Price: USD 175.00.
Orders to: see below.
Enzymes in the Environment. Activity, Ecology, and Applications. R. Burns
and R. Dick, editors. Marcel Dekker, New York and Basel, 2002, 640 p. ISBN
0-8247-0614-5. Hardcover.
Covering the latest research on
the role of enzymes in biogeochemical processes, such as nutrient cycling,
atmosphere gas exchange, and degradation of environmental pollutants, this book
explores the function, molecular biology, and biochemistry of microorganisms
and their intra- and extracellular enzymes in soils and aquatic systems. With
contributions from over 50 experts in the field, the book provides discussions
on: the use of enzymes to assess nutrient turnover, soil health and stresses
due to pollution and climatic changes; current methods to determine and
manipulate the diversity of microbial populations; the effect of biofilms and
their microbes and enzymes on the environment; microbe-plant symbiosis
including the rhizosphere and phyllosphere; community interactions of microbes
and enzymes in organic matter breakdown; microbial activities in lake and ocean
systems; enzyme assays and microbial responses as indicators of aquatic and
terrestrial ecosystem stress; and biological control and bioremediation. It is
supplemented with nearly 3000 references to assist in further study.
Price: USD195.00.
Orders to: see below.
Using the Agricultural, Environmental, and
Food Literature. Books in Library and Information Science volume
61. B.S. Hutchinson and A. Paris Greider, editors. Marcel Dekker, New York and
Basel, 2002, x + 533 p. ISBN 0-8247-0800-8. Hardcover.
This reference book provides the
groundwork, tools, and terminology to conduct specialized searches for
information and resources pertaining to traditional and emerging fields of
agriculture, such as food and nutrition, rural development, farming,
conservation management, veterinary sciences, soils, genetic engineering,
biological control, and the environment, as well as discussing a wide range of
print and electronic media to locate hard-to-find documents, navigate poorly
indexed subjects, and investigate specific research topics and subcategories.
The book outlines strategies for targeted literature searches, and contains
numerous titles and descriptions of useful books, guides and journals. It
contains lists of significant agricultural websites, details the use of
thesauri and category codes for the utilization of electronic data and
furnishes URLs for free electronic journals.
Price: USD 125.00.
Orders to: In USA, Canada and Latin
America: Marcel Dekker, P.O. Box 5005, Monticello, NY 12701-5185, USA. Fax:
+1-845-796-1772. E-mail: bookorders@dekker.com.
In Eastern Hemisphere: Marcel Dekker, Postfach 812, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland.
Fax: +41-61-260-6333. E-mail: intlorders@dekker.com. Homepage: www.dekker.com.
Sustainable Land Management – Environmental Protection. A Soil
Physical Approach. Advances in Geoecology
This book contains papers
presented at The International Conference on Sustainable Soil Management for
Environmental Protection – Soil Physical Aspects, held in Florence, 2-7 July
2001, under the auspices of the IUSS, the Italian Soil Science Society,
European Society of Agricultural Engineers and the International Commission of
Agricultural Engineering. The meeting was organized to present information and
to make proposals useful for policymakers in the development of future
strategies for a sustainable agriculture able to prevent soil physical
degradation. Many aspects of environmental degradation can be ascribed to soil
physical processes, including erosion, compaction, crusting, structure decline,
loss of organic matter, salinization, etc. Strategies to be developed must take
into account interactions between the many forms of soil degradation that up to
now have not been adequately considered. Many of the environmental disasters
that frequent not only the Mediterranean, but also other parts of the world,
are the direct consequence of inappropriate land use and management. There is
clearly a need to change agricultural soil management practices, and success
will depend on adopting an interdisciplinary approach. This monograph in the
series Advances in Geoecology contains a selection of papers presented at the
conference, which covers the following topics: Introductory papers (5 papers);
(2) Soil structure (11 papers); (3) Soil Hydrology (12 papers); (4) Soil
compaction (13 papers); (5) Soil erosion (6 papers); and (6) Models, Databases
and Maps (10 papers).
Price: EUR 143.00; USD 143.00.
Orders to: Catena Verlag, Armelgasse 11,
D-35447 Reiskirchen, Germany. Fax: +49-6408-64978. E-mail: catenaverl@aol.com. Homepage:
members.aol.com/catenaverl. Or: HSU Bookstore, Catena Verlag Distribution,
Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521, USA. Homepage: www.humboldt.org.bookstore.
Methods of Soil Analysis: Part 4 – Physical Methods. Soil
Science Society of America Book Series Number 5. J.H. Dane and G.C. Topp, editors.
Soil Science Society of America, Madison, 2002, 1692 p. ISBN 0-89118-841-X.
Hardcover.
Due to the rapid and numerous
changes in measurement methods associated with soil physical and mineralogical
properties, it was decided not to print a third edition of the highly popular
Methods of Soil Analysis: Part 1 – Physical and Mineralogical Methods. The
volume is split into two parts, and the part containing soil physical
measurements has now been published. The approach in Part 4 differs
substantially from that in Part
Price: USD
Orders to: see below.
Soil Mineralogy with Environmental Applications. Soil
Science Society of America Book Series Number 7. J.B. Dixon and D.G. Schulze,
editors. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, 2002, xxix + 866 p. ISBN
0-89118-839-8. Hardcover.
With the present knowledge about
soils and a technologically advanced set of tools for addressing the needs of
humanity and the earth, comes the responsibility to translate our science into
practice and to effectively communicate the vital role of soils in sustaining
human welfare and in assuring environmental stability and agricultural
productivity. The chapters in this book attempt to synthesize and summarize
important concepts rather than to provide comprehensive reviews of the literature.
Preference has been given to citing recent reviews and original studies that
provide additional links to the older literature. The educational focus is
enhanced by the inclusion of numerous questions and exercises that facilitate a
practical synthesis of the information given.
The first five chapters present
principles and illustrations of mineral properties and crystallography, surface
chemistry, mineral-solution equilibria, soil organic matter, and methods of
soil mineral analysis. The following seventeen chapters present soil mineralogy
in a uniform chapter outline devoted to various mineral groups based on their
chemical composition and structural properties. The final six chapters are
devoted to applications of soil mineralogy to our understanding of soil
taxonomy, soil movement, radionuclides in soils, pesticides in soils, enzymes
in soils, and an introduction to charcoal in soils.
The book has many visuals from
soils, sediments, and models of synthetic and natural minerals, part of them in
colour.
Price: USD
Orders to: SSSA Headquarters Office,
Attn: Book Order Department, 677 South Segoe Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53711,
USA. Fax: +1-608-273-2021. E-mail: books@soils.org.
Homepage: www.soils.org.
Global Environmental Outlook 3. Past, present and future perspectives. UNEP and
Earthscan Publications, 2002, xxxiii + 446 p. ISBN Earthscan softcover
1-85383-845-4. Hardcover 1-85383-844-6. With CD-ROM.
The GEO reports are produced
using a regional and participatory approach. Input is solicited from a wide
range of sources throughout the world, including the collaborating center
network, UN organizations and independent experts. During the preparation of
the report, UNEP organizes consultations inviting policy makers and other
stakeholders to review and comment on draft materials. This iterative process
is designed to ensure that the contents are scientifically accurate and policy
relevant to users in different parts of the world and with different
environmental information needs. The present GEO-3 places major emphasis on
providing an integrated assessment of environmental trends over the 30 years
since the 1972 Stockholm Conference. The analysis of environmental trends takes
into consideration the widest possible range of social, economic, political and
cultural drivers and root causes – demographics, production and consumption,
poverty, urbanization, industrialization, governance, conflict, globalization
of trade, finance, information and others. It also investigates the
relationship between policy and environment, showing how policy can impact the
environment and how the environment can drive policy. Description and analysis
are primarily targeted at global and regional levels but included sub-regional
differentiation where appropriate. The analysis focuses on priority issues,
with assessment of vulnerability, hot spots and emerging issues. The report
analyses the increasing human vulnerability to environmental change to
determine extent and impacts on people. The report breaks with the tradition of
most environmental resources rather than around human concerns. Using a 2002
–20032 time frame, GEO-3 also contains a forward-looking and integrated
analysis, which is based on four scenarios and linked to major issues of
current concern. The global-level analysis is extended to regions and
sub-regions, identifying potential areas of vulnerability and hot sports of the
future. The final chapter presents positive policy and action items, linked to
overall conclusions of the assessment and targeted at different categories and
levels of decision makers and actors. The CD-ROM contains the full text of the
report, accompanied by a compendium of the data used in preparing it.
Price: Softcover: GBP 25.00; hardcover GBP 60.00.
Orders to: Littlehampton Book Services,
P.O. Box 53, Littlehampton BN17 7BU, UK. Fax: +44-1903-828-802. E-mail: orders@lbsltd.co.uk. Homepage: www.earthscan.co.uk.
Global Environment Outlook 3. Data
Compendium.United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, 2002, viii + 269 p.
Publication UNEP/DEWA/RS.02-5. Book in softcover ISBN 92-807-2223-9. CD-ROM ISBN 92-807-2222-0.
The publication mentioned above
(GEO-3) was published in 2002. The present Data Compendium presents major
statistical data sets underlying the integrated analysis of the environment at
global and regional levels in GEO-3. As such, it supports the scientific and
empirical nature of the GEO process and provides background information to
other assessment programs and data users. The compendium holds data tables for
environmental issues, such as climate change, water stress and deforestation,
as well as a wide variety of socio-economic variables. Examples of data sets
are CO2 emissions, water consumption, forest cover change, population growth,
land use change and GDP development. Documentation on data sources, definitions
and other parameters is also provided in the form of meta-data for each data
set. Most of the tables are available for the GEO regions and sub-regions, and
for the world as a whole. The data for the compendium have been extracted from
the wider GEO Data Portal, available at http://geodata.grid.unep.ch,
through the GEO-3 website at http://www.unep.org/geo,
or through the UNEP.Net site at http://www.unep.net.
The CD-ROM gives access to the full compendium tables, that is for all the
years available and including all national statistics. The GEO-3 Data
Compendium is also available on the internet at http://geocompendium.grid.unep.ch.
For additional and up-to-date statistical and geospatial data, see the GEO Data
Portal mentioned above.
Price: USD 37.50, plus postage and packing.
Orders to: Earthprint Ltd., attn. Mr.
Anthony Polak, P.O. Box 119, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 4TP, UK. Fax:
+44-1438-748844. E-mail: orders@earthprint.com. Homepage: www.earthprint.com.
Mediterranean Desertification. A Mosaic of Processes and Responses. N.A.
Geeson, C.J. Brandt and J.B. Thornes, editors. John Wiley & Sons,
Chichester, 2002, xv + 440 p. ISBN 0-470-84448-5. Hardcover.
Desertification has been
recognized as one of the biggest problems facing the European Mediterranean
countries. By desertification the authors mean land degradation resulting from
various factors, including climatic variation and human impact, and it is the
long history of human intervention that has particularly shaped the landscape
here. Water resources have been exploited unsustainably, resulting in chemical
pollution, salinization and exhaustion of aquifers. As economic activity has
flourished in coastal areas so abandonment and degradation of land in the
interior, previously sustained by traditi0onal farming practices, have
continued. Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece are all now signatories to the UN
Convention to Combat Desertification and implementation of the convention
within national and regional action plans will require further organization of
research and monitoring. The European Commission has funded a number of
projects aimed at improving the understanding of the whole range of
desertification issues. The book is based on the results of one of those
projects, MEDALUS II, where 44 universities and other institutions combined
their expertise to clarify the processes of desertification operating in the
region, and the responses to those processes. The material presented in this
book includes the results of interdisciplinary investigations undertaken over
the last 10 years. Scientists of many disciplines, ranging from remote sensing to
microbiology, researched climate, land use and the physical processes within
soil and vegetation systems in order to design tools to describe and monitor
desertification. Part 2 of this book, occupying about half of the text,
describes how these processes and tools have been applied specifically. The
regional studies illustrate how the application of remedial action cannot
usually be uniform, but must respect the mosaic of physical environments and
social and historical variations that interact within the geographical space of
two of the target areas in southern Spain and southern Italy. The book is well
illustrated with figures, tables and maps, part of them in colour.
Price: GBP 110.00.
Orders to: see below.
Soil Erosion: Processes, Prediction, Measurement, and Control. T.J.
Toy, G.R. Foster and K.G. Renard. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2002, xiii +
338 p. ISBN 0-471-38369-4. Hardcover.
This textbook is about
soil-erosion processes. It is structured into five parts. The first part
discusses the importance of soil erosion as a problem of global dimensions with
local solutions and places erosion within the context of the environmental
system operating at the local scale. The second part contains a description of
the types of erosion and processes within those types, the relationship among
erosion processes and environmental characteristics. In the third part the
understanding of erosion processes to explain how erosion-prediction
technologies (erosion models) are developed and how erosion research is conducted
in the field and laboratory. Then, an understanding of erosion processes,
erosion-prediction technologies, and erosion research provide a foundation for
an understanding of erosion-control concepts and practices. A chapter on
conservation planning, planning tools, and examples of conservation programs
for selected land uses if followed by the last chapter the essential lessons
from the preceding chapters are summarized, and present the authors’
perspective concerning the future of erosion problems and erosion control.
Appendices contain background information about soils and hydrology and a
listing of useful websites.
Price: GBP 70.50.
Orders to: John Wiley & Sons, 1
Oldlands Way, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO22 9SA, England. Fax:
+44-1243-820250. E-mail: cs-books@wiley.co.uk.
Homepage: www.wiley.co.uk. Or: John Wiley
& Sons, 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158-0012, USA. Homepage: www.wiley.com.
Foundations of
The books The Tropical
Rain-forest, an ecological study (1952) by Dr. Richards, Tropical Rain Forests
of the Far East (1975) and An Introduction to Tropical Rain Forests, written by
Dr Whitmore were important textbooks for my education as a soil scientist
interested in the tropics at large. I am very glad that the last author and Dr.
Chazdon made this compilation of pioneering research texts. The idea for this
book first took shape at a council meeting of the Association for Tropical
Biology in August 1998. This idea was initially inspired by the book
Foundations of Ecology (Real and Brown 1991), an anthology of seminal works
with commentaries written by authorities in the field. The book consists of
facsimiles of papers chosen by experts in tropical biology as the “classics” in
the field. The papers are organized in sections on related topics and each
section is introduced by a discussion on the role the papers have played in
triggering subsequent research. Topics covered include ecological and
evolutionary perspectives on the origins of tropical biodiversity; plant-animal
interactions; patterns of species diversity and distribution of arthropods,
vertebrates, and plants; forest dynamics and ecosystem ecology; conservation
biology; and tropical forest management. Excellent material, in a convenient
form, for scholars as well as students concerned with tropical conservation. A
nice example for a comparable book on soil science literature!
Price: Softcover: USD 35.00, GBP 45.50. Hardcover: USD 85.00,
GBP 66.50.
Orders to: In USA and Canada: The University of Chicago Press,
Order Department, 11030 South Langley Avenue, Chicago, IL 60628, USA. Fax:
+1-773-660-2235. Homepage: www.press.uchicago.edu.
In Europe: The University of Chicago Press, c/o John Wiley & Sons, 1
Oldlands Way, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO22 9SA, UK. Fax: +44-1243-820250.
E-mail: cs-books@wiley.co.uk.
Homepage: www.wiley.com/worldwide/europe.html.
Hans van Baren, The Netherlands.
Soil Fertility in Organically Managed Soils.
Supplement to Soil Use and Management, Volume 18, September 2002, pp. 238 –
308. Published for the British Society of Soil Science by CABI Publishing,
Wallingford.
This publication focuses on a
comparison of soil fertility in soils farmed organically and conventionally,
and examines whether the current concept of soil fertility adequately
encompasses both these systems. Organic farming is an alternative agriculture,
which has been proposed as a solution to problems associated with inputs of
chemical fertilizer and pesticide. It takes an ecological approach to nutrient
supply and crop protection rather than a chemical one. The scene setting paper
describes the nature and practice of organic farming with the aid of a review,
and then explores how organic growers use a range of management practices to
maintain and improve soil fertility in attempting to achieve wider goals. Four
subsequent papers deal with the key components of soil fertility by combining
comprehensive review with information from new and recent research. A
comparative study of nitrate leaching from farms managed conventionally or
organically is the subject of a further contribution. The final paper examines
important aspects of nutrient pools and nutrient transformations and then draws
together the findings of the previous papers in reaching a definitive answer to
the question of the adequacy of the current concept of soil fertility.
Price: GBP 15.00.
Orders to: CABI Publishing, attention Ms.
Sarah Peck, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8DE, UK. E-mail: s.peck@cabi.org. Homepage: www.cabi-publishing.org.
Methods in Agricultural Chemical Analysis: A Practical Handbook. N.T. Faithfull.
CABI Publishing, Wallingford, 2002, 304 p. ISBN
0-85199-608-6. Hardcover.
This reference manual contains information on the most
suitable procedures for the
analysis of agricultural materials. It describes the analysis
of soils and composts, plant materials, feeds, plant components (e.g.
cellulose, lignin, trace elements), fertilizers, and biological substances. The
book is designed as a laboratory sourcebook, complete with useful Internet
addresses, and contains over 60 different practical methods. Each method is
described by a step-by-step approach, and contains details of apparatus
required, chemical reaction equations, formulae and calculations, and
meticulous descriptions experimental results. Most methods use standard
equipment and instruments commonly found in the practical lab. The aim is that
scientists with little experience in analytical techniques should be able to
safely carry out these procedures and obtain acceptable results. It is
essential for any university or research institute that carries out
agricultural or environmental research.
It has the following chapters: Chapter 1: Experimental Planning; Chapter
2: Sample Preparation; Chapter 3: Weighing and Dispensing; Chapter 4:
Acid-digestion, Ashing and Extraction Procedures; Chapter 5: Analysis of Soil
and Compost; Chapter 6: The Analysis of Fertilizers; Chapter 7: The Analysis of
Animal Feed and Plant Materials; Chapter 8: The Analysis of Silage; Chapter 9:
Near Infrared Spectroscopy; Chapter 10: Methods in Equine Nutrition; Chapter
11: Methods of Organic Farmers and Growers; and Chapter 12: Quality Assurance
and Control.
Price: GBP 60.00; USD 100.00.
Orders
to: see below.
Nitrogen Fixation: Global Perspectives. T. Finan, M.R. O’Brian, D.B. Layzell and J.K.
Vessey, editors. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, 2002, 576 p. ISBN 0-85199-591-8.
Hardcover.
Whilst the actual reduction of nitrogen gas
(dinitrogen) to ammonia would appear to be a well defined process, many
research questions concerning nitrogen fixation remain and continue to be
addressed by diverse groups of scientists. This book presents the proceedings
of the 13th International Congress on Nitrogen Fixation, held in Hamilton in
July 2001. With very broad participation and a wide range of topics, it covers
the most recent findings. In fifteen sections the main topics discussed
include; bacterial genomics, plant genomics, development biology, signals in
the soil, nodule metabolism and applied
aspects of nitrogen fixation. The sections are: Chemistry and biochemistry of
nitrogenase; Bacterial genomics; Plant genomics; Signal transduction;
Developmental biology; Signals in the soil; Proteins in regulation and
development; Stresses and factors limiting nitrogen fixation; Regulation of N2
fixation and metabolism; Nodule metabolism; Endophytic/associative
plant-microbe interactions; Common themes in symbiosis and pathogenesis;
Nitrification, denitrification, and the nitrogen cycle; Novel applications in
nitrogen fixation.
Price: GBP 85.00; USD 149.00.
Orders
to: see below.
Crop-Soil Simulation Models. Applications in Developing Countries. R.B.
Matthews and W. Stephens, editors. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, 2002, xiv +
277 p. ISBN 0-85199-563-2. Hardcover.
The use of crop-soil modeling has
so far been mainly confined to the research community. Practical applications
have occurred in the areas of decision tools for irrigation studies and pest
management. However, there is potential to increase its applied use. This book
reviews progress in crop-soil simulation modeling and assesses its application
to agriculture in developing countries. It covers the main themes of tropical
agriculture, simulation modeling, agriculture development, research impact,
crop and soil science, decision support systems and educational tools. The book
has the following parts: (1) Models as tools in research (6 papers); (2) Models
as decision-support tools (4 papers); (3) Models as tools in education and
training (1 paper); (4) Have crop models been useful? (2 papers); and (5) The
way forward. (1 paper).
Price: GBP 55.00; USD 100.00.
Orders to: CABI Publishing, Wallingford,
Oxon OX10 8DE, UK. Fax: +44-1491-829292. E-mail: orders@cabi.org. Homepage: www.cabi-publishing.org/bookshop.
In North and Central America: Oxford University Press, 2001 Evans Road, Cary,
NC 27513, USA. Fax: +1-919-677-1303. E-mail: orders@oup-usa.org.
Abrupt Climate Change. Inevitable Surprises. Committee on Abrupt Climate
Change, Ocean Studies Board, Polar Research Board, Board on Atmospheric
Sciences and Climate, Division on Earth and Life Studies, National Research
Council. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 2002 xii + 230 p. ISBN
0-309-07434-7. Hardcover.
Large, abrupt climate changes
have repeatedly affected much or all of the earth, locally reaching as much as
10 degrees C change in 10 years. Available evidence suggests that such changes
are not only possible but likely in the future, potentially with large impacts
on ecosystems and societies.This report is an attempt to describe what is known
about abrupt climate changes and their impacts, based on paleoclimate proxies,
historical observations and modeling. The report focuses on the surprising new
findings that abrupt climate change can occur when gradual causes push the
earth system across a threshold. The report considers patterns, magnitudes,
mechanisms, and impacts of abrupt climate changes, possible implications for
the future, and critical knowledge gaps. The potentially large impacts and
prediction difficulties focus special attention on increasing the adaptability
and resilience of societies and ecosystems. Future dislocations can be minimized
by taking steps to face the potential for abrupt climate change. The committee
responsible for putting together this report believes that increased knowledge
is the best way to improve the effectiveness of response, and thus that
research on abrupt climate change can help reduce vulnerabilities and increase
adaptive capabilities.
Price: USD 39.95; GBP 24.95.
Orders to: National Academy Press, 2101
Constitution Avenue, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055, USA Fax: +1-202-334-2451. E-mail: zjones@nas.edu. Homepage: www.nap.edu. In Europe, Middle East and Africa:
Plymbridge Distibutors, Estover Industrial Estate, Plymouth, Devon PL6 7PZ, UK.
Fax: +44-1752-202331.
Agricultural Practices and Policies for Carbon Sequestration in Soil. J.M.
Kimble, R. Lal and R.F. Follett, editors. Lewis Publishers, a CRC Press
Company, Boca Raton, London, 2002, xx + 512 p. ISBN 1-56670-581-9. Cat. no.
L1581. Hardcover.
The potential to mitigate
greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change is one factor driving
agricultural policy development of programs that might pay farmers to implement
practices to sequester carbon. With chapters by economists, policy makers,
farmers, land managers, energy company representatives, and soil scientists,
this book explores a broad range of topics, such as the effects of soil tillage
and mulch rate, soil monitoring and assessment, soil fertility management,
policy options, and the economic issues associated with carbon sequestration.
This volume caps a “series” of books from researchers on carbon sequestration
in soils by integrating the science with the economic and policy issues
surrounding it. It provides agricultural scientists, farmers, and policy makers
with innovative and environmentally friendly practices for improved management
and crop production. It helps to identify strategies that can lead to
widespread adoption of management practices that will enhance productivity, the
soil carbon pool, and the overall environment.
Price: USD 159.95; GBP 107.00.
Orders to: CRC Press, 2000 N.W. Corporate
Boulevard, Boca Raton, FL 33431-9868, USA. Fax: 1-800-374-3401,
+1-561-361-6018. E-mail: orders@crcpress.com.
Homepage: www.crcpress.com.
In Europe, Africa and Middle East: CRC Press/Thomson Publishing Services,
Cheriton House, North Way, Andover, Hants SP10 5BE, UK. Fax: +44-1264-342788.
E-mail: crcpress@itps.co.uk
Soil Classification. A Global Desk Reference. H. Eswaran, R.J. Ahrens, T.J.
Rice and B.A. Stewart, editors. CRC Press, Boca Raton, London, 2002, 312 p.
ISBN 0-8493-1339-2. Cat. no. 1339. Hardcover.
Developments in soil
classification have accompanied parallel progress in our understanding of the
soil system. However the theories behind classifications and the purposes for
which they were created have changed over time. The editors hope that this
comprehensive synthesis will help the to rally soil scientists around the world
to develop an acceptable classification system for soils. It is only when the
global soil science community agrees to such a system that we can truly say
that we have science.
The book illustrates the current state of a
number of national and international soil classification systems. The authors evaluate
developments in soil classification during the last century. They review
concepts, practices, and goals that led to the creation of individual soil
classification systems and recommend modifications to classification systems to
meet new demands. The documentation in this book serves as a foundation for the
revision of existing soil taxonomies and the creation of new ones.
Price: USD 99.95; GBP 66.99.
Orders to: CRC Press, 2000 N.W. Corporate
Boulevard, Boca Raton, FL 33431-9868, USA. Fax: 1-800-374-3401,
+1-561-361-6018. E-mail: orders@crcpress.com. Homepage: www.crcpress.com.
In Europe, Africa and Middle East: CRC Press/Thomson Publishing Services,
Cheriton House, North Way, Andover, Hants SP10 5BE, UK. Fax: +44-1264-342788.
E-mail: crcpress@itps.co.uk.
Soil Terminology and Correlation. 2002.
Ed.: S.A. Shoba, Compiler: P.V. Krasilinkov. 2nd edition.
Petrozavodsk. 294 p. (Softcover).
A new book containing a correlation of soil terms of
national soil classifications with the Reference Base for Soil Resources. It is
a revised and renewed English translation of a book published in Russian in
1999. It contains more than 3,000 soil terms including 1,000 vernacular soil
names. It also includes articles on the theory of natural classifications and
ethnopedology (original article on ethnopedology by J. Tabor and P.
Krasilnikov).
Price: 30 US$
Orders
to: sidorova@krc.karelia.ru
Procedures for Soil Analysis. Sixth
edition. ISRIC Technical Paper 9. Compiled and edited by L.P. van Reeuwijk.
ISRIC and FAO. International Soil Reference and Information Centre, Wageningen,
2002. ISBN 90-6672-044-044-1. ISSN 0923-3792: no. 9. Softcover.
This laboratory manual presents
the procedures for soil analysis as they are in use at ISRIC at the time of
writing. The present sixth edition replaces the fifth, which was published in
1995. It is expanded with two procedures sued in soil characterization: the
optical density of the oxalate extract (ODOE) for the characterization of
Podzols, and the determination of the Melanic Index, used in Andisols.
Price: EUR 17.00 or USD 17.00, including postal charges.
Orders to: ISRIC, P.O. Box 353, 6700 AJ
Wageningen, The Netherlands. Fax: +31-317-471700. E-mail: sales@isric.nl. Homepage: www.isric.org
Geoecology of Antarctic Ice-Free Coastal Landscapes. L. Beyer,
M. Bölter, University of Kiel (Eds.). 2002. xxiv, 424 pp., 54 figs., 59 tabs.
(Ecological Studies Analysis and Synthesis, Vol. 154). Hardcover. ISBN
3-540-42268-4.
Research in Antarctica in the past two decades has
fundamentally changed our perceptions of the southern continent. This volume
describes typical terrestrial environments of the maritime and continental
Antarctic. Life and chemical processes are restricted to small ranges of
ambient temperature, availability of water and nutrients. This is reflected not
only in life processes, but also in those of weathering and pedogenesis. The
volume focuses on interactions between plants, animals and soils. It includes
aspects of climate change, soil development and biology, as well as above-and
below-ground results of interdisciplinary research projects combining data from
botany, zoology, microbiology, pedology, and soil ecology.
Price: Euro 109,--; Pounds 76,50; SFr 180,50
Orders
to: Springer, Customer Service,
Haberstr. 7, 69126
Land use, Erosion & Carbon Sequestration. International Colloquium in
This compilation of all abstracts of papers presented
at the meeting has the following contents. Symposium 1: influence of erosion on
carbon sequestration (4 key notes and 25 papers and posters); Symposium 2: land
use, carbon sequestration & erosion (3 key notes and 50 papers and posters).
Most papers will be published in full in the proceedings in the series Bulletin
du Réseau Erosion, issues 22 and 23.
For further information, please contact Dr. Eric
Roose, Directeur de Recherche en Pédologie, IRD-MOST, P.P. 64501, F-34394
Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Fax: +33-467416294. E-mail: roose@mpl.ird.fr.
Global Desertification: Do Humans Cause Deserts? Dahlem Workshop Reports 88. J.F. Reynolds and M.
Stafford Smith, editors. Dahlem University Press, Berlin, 2002, xviii + 438 p.
ISBN 3-934504-108. Hardcover.
Do humans cause
deserts? Surprisingly, the answer to this question is contentious. Climate
(particularly drought) is obviously a controlling influence, and it is equally
certain that humans and their activities have caused desertification in some
places. However, a great deal of disagreement exists as to the causes and
extent of this land degradation, and consequently about how much of its impact
on human well being is manageable. The resulting arguments create confusion in
policies and management programs intended to help many of the world’s poorest
people, and have had a direct effect on the implementation of the United
Nation’s Convention to Combat Desertification. There is a complex of socio-economic
and biophysical causal factors involved in land degradation that have differing
levels of influence in different regions of the world at different times, and
it links with other issues, such as vulnerability and poverty alleviation, in
various ways. Failure of the scientific community to develop a consensus about
this complexity has resulted in simplistic interpretations being passed on to
practitioners and policy makers. Consequently, attempts to apply the same
"solutions" to diverse problems has heightened the sense of confusion
and led to a situation where there is not even agreement on the extent of
desertification. A first step toward creating such a consensus was recently
taken by a group of international researchers from a wide range of disciplines
— ecology, atmospheric sciences, economics, social sciences, policy, and
integrated assessment. Recognizing the need for novel interdisciplinary
approaches to address the pressing global problem of desertification, they
explored a new paradigm for a synthetic assessment framework beyond regional
and disciplinary concerns, which is presented in this volume. The paradigm
explicitly accommodates the various linkages between socio-economic and
biophysical factors, as well as the fact that these linkages evolve over time
in disparate ways and at different scales. It thus provides the basis for a new
approach to assess the extent of desertification and to tailor appropriate
solutions to the myriad of problems encompassed by that term.
Price: EUR 40.50 plus EUR 5.00
for postage and handling.
Orders to: Dahlem University
Press, attn. Svea Haske, Thielallee 50, D-14195 Berlin, Germany. Fax:
+49-30-84109103. E-mail: dahlemup@zedat.fu-berlin.de Homepage: www.fu-berlin.de/dahlem
Soil Fertility and Crop Production. K.R.
Krishna, editor. Science Publishers, Enfield and Plymouth, 2002, xv + 465 p.
ISBN 1-57808-215-3. Hardcover.
This book starts with a review
of salient historical facts relating to soil fertility research, including 20th
Century discoveries, and their significance to present day global agriculture.
The book covers, inter alia, mineralogical, physico-chemical transformations,
acquisition by crops and agronomic aspects of soil nutrients. The soil
fertility aspects of major, secondary and minor elements have been dealt with
in detail. Some chapters cover subjects such as soil geography, soil organic
matter, modeling and computer simulation, fertilizers and bio-inoculants,
impact of soil fertility research programs in the Mediterranean agricultural
zone, etc. A special feature of this book is the inclusion of chapters on the
use of stable isotopes, crop breeding for tolerance to soil fertility constraints,
nutrient dynamics in agro-ecosystems and satellite-based remote sensing methods
in soil fertility research.
Price: USD 99.50; GBP 70.00.
Orders
to: Science Publishers, P.O. Box 699, Enfield, NH 03748-699, USA. Fax:
+1-603-632-5611. E-mail: sales@scipub.net Homepage: www.scipub.net
Weed Management Handbook, Ninth edition. R.E.L.
Naylor, editor. Published for the British Crop Protection Council by Blackwell
Science, Oxford, 2002, 464 p. ISBN 0-632-05732-7. Hardcover.
The 8th edition of
this well-known book appeared in 1990, and many new ideas, information and
understanding of weed management systems prompt this new edition. Furthermore,
new weed management challenges are presenting themselves and need to be
addressed. The material in this new edition has been fully rewritten and
updated. The book section cover the principles of weed management, detail the
weed control techniques currently being used, and describe various weeds in
relation to individual crop groups. The handbook has the following contents:
Descriptions of the biology of weeds, their diversity and population dynamics;
In-depth coverage of herbicides, their discovery, patent information and
legislation; Information on herbicide formulation, packaging, delivery, and
method of application; Details on herbicide performance and resistance for
various crops; Non-chemical weed management and biological control; aquatic
weed management; Future directions for weed management. The sequence of
chapters included reflects a progression from the biology of weeds, through the
underpinning science and technology relating to weed management techniques
including herbicides and their application to crops, leading to principles of weed
management technologies. Finally a set of relevant case studies describes the
main management options available and addresses the challenges of reduced
chemical options in many crops.
Price: USD 159.99: GBP 99.50.
Orders
to: Iowa State Press, 2121 State Avenue, Ames, IA 50014-8300, USA. Fax:
+1-515-292-3348. Homepage: www.iowastatepress.com. Or: Blackwell
Publishing, UK Direct Sales, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1JF, UK. Fax:
+44-1865-381273. Homepage: www.blackwellpublshing.com.
Encyclopedia of Soil Science. R. Lal,
editor. Marcel Dekker, New York and Basel, 2002, xxviii + 1476 p. ISBN print
0-8247-0634-X. Hardcover. ISBN electronic 0-8243-0518-1.
Together with 46 other topical editors and with
contributions from over 400 scientists, the editor in chief, Prof. Rattan Lal,
has succeeded to put together an encyclopedia with the state-of-the-knowledge
in soil science. In about 350 entries of between 3 and 6 pages each, all
aspects of soil science in a broad context are being treated. Larger subjects, e.g. organic matter and
degradation, are subdivided into more entries. Each entry has the same sections
with an introduction and, usually, conclusions, plus a list of references.
Within the entries no references to other relevant entries are given. The user
is referred to a practical index, which gives the article entry terms and many
more entries within these articles. This very extensive reference covering all branches
of soil science, from mineralogy and physics, to soil management and
restoration, should be of interest to many students and a variety of
scientists. An excellent book for the library, and, if you can afford it, for
your personal bookshelf.
Price: USD 250.00 (print). For
digital copy, see www.dekker.com.
Orders
to: Marcel Dekker, 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA. Fax:
+1-212-685-4540. Eastern hemisphere: Marcel Dekker, Postfach 812, CH-4001
Basel, Switzerland. Fax: +41-61-261-8896. Homepage: www.dekker.com
Soil Classification 2001. European Soil Bureau Research Report No. 7. E.
Micheli, F.O. Nachtergaele, R.J.A. Jones and L. Montanarella, editors. Office
for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, 2002. ix +
248 p. EUR 20398 EN. Softcover.
Most modern soil classification
systems were initiated in the middle of the last Century. Modifications made in
many systems were based on validation, on developments in soil science in
general, and on soil classification systems of other countries. An important
step was made by the development of the World Reference Base for Soil Resources
(WRB). The dawn of the new millennium presents an opportunity to take stock of
the status quo of soil classification, exchange ideas and information among the
global community, and determine demands and challenges of the immediate future
and re-evaluate the needs and roles of classification systems. The papers
comprising this publication were presented at an international symposium “Soil
Classification
Free copies are available by
contacting Dr. Robert Jones, IES, European Soil Bureau, Joint Research Centre,
TP 280, Ispra (VA), I-21020 Italy. Fax: +31-332-786394. E-mail: Robert.Jones@jrc.it
Soil Terminology and Correlation. Second edition. P.V. Krasilnikov, compiler.
S.A. Shoba, scientific editor. Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy
of Sciences, Petrozavodsk, 2002, 293 p. ISBN 5-9274-0076-0. Softcover.
The main objective of the first Russian edition was to
make a kind of manual for Russian scientists and students on world soil
classification, since the texts of these classifications are not available in
most Russian libraries. The second aim was to correlate national systems with
the World Reference Base for soil Resources (WRB) terminology. The compiler has
now published a book in English, in which national soil classification systems
in use in twenty countries around the world are correlated with WRB. It also
has a chapters on ethnopedology and folk soil classifications and on folk soil
terminology. The last terms are also correlated with WRB whenever possible.
This is a very practical publication, which deserves a wide circulation!
Price: USD 30.00, including
postage.
Payment
to: MJSCB “Vozrozhdeniye”, Petrozavodsk Branch, Andropov Street 15,
Petrozavodsk, Russia. Swift code VBNK RU MM. Beneficiary: Ms. Valeria Sidorova,
account number 4230-1840-8039-0310-21120..Transfer documents
have to be sent to: sidorova@krc.karelia.ru. For further
information: Dr. Pavel Krasilnikov at kras@bio.krc.karelia.ru
Stiinta Solului in
The first information about
different aspects of soils in Romania were published in the middle of the 19th
century. More fundamental investigations began at the end of the 19th
century, and were systematically organized in the beginning of the 20th
century. The ideas of K.D. Glinka were applied in Romania as early as 1906, 8
years before the German translation of his Russian book. Gh. M. Murgoci, who
was an Honorary Member of the ISSS, became head of the agrogeological
department of the Geological Institute of Romania, which was established in
1906. He traveled widely in Western Europe, Russia and the USA, and contributed
greatly to the development of soil science in Romania and the general concepts
of pedology and soil. Murgoci can be regarded as the first soil scientist who
proposed a soil classification system according to soil morphology and soil
intrinsic properties. Early soil maps were published in
The country possesses a soil
profile database, and cooperates actively with the European Soil Bureau and
other international institutions. The publication ends with an outlook on
future activities.
Orders to:
Institutul de Cercetari pentru Pedologie si Agrochimie, Bd. Marasti 61, 71331
The Advances in Agronomy Series. Academic
Press, an imprint of Elsevier. D.L. Sparks, editor. This series continues to be
recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source of on-going research
in agronomy. The reviews deal with issues of interest to agronomists and crop-
and soil scientists. The following volumes appeared recently.
Volume 75, 2002, 251 p. ISBN
0-120-00793-2. Hardcover.
Four reviews dealing with
phytoremediation; issues related to water use in China; humic substances; and
remote sensing.
Price: USD 119.95; GBP 82.95.
Volume 76, 2002, 241 p. ISBN
0-120-00794-0. Hardcover.
Five reviews on tropical soil’s
ability to sequester carbon; crop/soil simulation models; interorganismal
signaling in suboptimum environments; surface chemistry and function of
microbial biofilms; and vegetable crop scheduling and prediction.
Price: as volume 75.
Volume 77, 2002, 416 p. ISBN
0-120-00795-9. Hardcover.
Six reviews on controlled
release fertilizers; breeding crops for increased nutritional value; bean plant
architecture; carbon sequestration; grain legumes in water-limited
environments; and the root zone water quality model.
Price: as volume 75.
Orders to: In the
Americas, Asia and Australia: Elsevier Science, 11830 Westline Industrial
Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146-9938, USA. Fax: +1-314-453-7095. E-mail: custserve.ap@elsevier.com.
Homepage: www.academicpress.com.
Elsewhere: Elsevier Science, Customer Service Department, Foots Gray High
Street, Sidcup, Kent DA14 5HP, UK. Fax: +44-20-8308-5702. E-mail: cservice@harcourt.com Homepage: www.elsevier-international.com
Nitrogen Fixation at the Millennium. G.F.
Leigh, editor. Elsevier,
The turn of the millennium from
the twentieth to the twenty-first century provides an occasion to review our
understanding of a biological process, biological nitrogen fixation, that is of
prime importance for the continued survival of mankind. This process has
provided a basis for maintaining soil fertility since the beginning of
organized agriculture, yet its very existence was confirmed only just over a
century ago. In the intervening years, an enormous intellectual effort has
dispersed much of the mystery surrounding biological nitrogen fixation.
Biological fixation is widely exploited in agriculture, as are nitrogen
fertilisers prepared for the last hundred years under extreme conditions of
temperature and pressure. However, despite all our efforts, the fundamental
nature of the reactions involved at the heart of the biological process remains
unknown. This book aims to describe what
we have learned in the last one hundred years or so about biological nitrogen
fixation, about what its chemistry appears to be, and how it is applied in
agriculture. This ambitious objective has not been attempted recently. It is
aimed at students and those who wish to enter these very challenging areas of
research, and who need to learn the state of the art at the turn of the
millennium. This book has the following chapters: 1. Nitrogen fixation - A
general overview; 2. Nitrogenase structure; 3. Spectroscopy of nitrogenase; 4.
The gene products of the nif regulon; 5. Use of short-chain alkynes to locate
the nitrogenase catalytic site; 6. Regulation of Mo nitrogenases; 7.
Actinorhizal symbioses; 8. Alternative nitrogenases 9. Advances towards the
mechanism of nitrogenases;
Price: USD and EUR 149.00.
Orders
to: In the Americas: Elsevier Science, P.O. Box 882, New York, NY 10159-0882,
USA. Fax: +1-212-633-3680. E-mail: usinfo-f@elsevier.com. In Europe, Middle East
and Africa: Regional Sales Office, Customer Support Department, P.O. Box 211,
1000 AE Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Fax: +31-20-485-2886. E-mail: nlinfo-f@elsevier.nl.
Homepage: www.elsevier.com.
Soil, Fertilizer, and Plant Silicon Research in
Silicon (Si) plays a significant
role in the resistance of plants to multiple stresses including biotic and
abiotic stresses. Silicon is also the only element that does not damage plants
when accumulated in excess. However, the contribution of Si to plant growth has
been largely ignored due to its universal existence in the earth's crust. From
numerous intensive studies on Si, initiated in Japan about 80 years ago,
Japanese scientists realized that Si was important for the healthy growth of
rice and for stability of rice production. In a worldwide first, silicon was
recognized as a valuable fertilizer in Japan. The beneficial effects of Si on
rice growth in particular, are largely attributable to the characteristics of a
silica gel that is accumulated on the epidermal tissues in rice. These effects
are expressed most clearly under high-density cultivation systems with heavy
applications of nitrogen. Si is therefore recognized now as an ''agronomically
essential element'' in Japan. Recently, Si has become globally important
because it generates resistance in many plants to diseases and pests, and may
contribute to reduced rates of application of pesticides and fungicides.
Silicon is also now considered as an environment-friendly element. The
achievements of Si research in Japan are introduced in this book, in relation
to soils, fertilizers and plant nutrition. It has the following chapters: 1.
Brief history of silicon research in Japan; 2. Silicon sources for agriculture;
3. Silicon in soil; 4. Effect of silicate fertilizer application on paddy rice;
5. Silicon-accumulating plants in the plant kingdom; 6. Silicon uptake and
accumulation in plants; 7. Functions of silicon in plant growth; 8. Summary and prospect of silicon research; 9.
Silicon research in the world. The appendix contains the Si concentration in
380 river waters, a survey in Si contents in flag leaf of rice plants, the
content of Si and Ca in a large number of plants and the Si content of barley
grain.
Price: USD and EUR 105.00.
Orders
to: In the Americas: Elsevier Science, P.O. Box 882, New York, NY 10159-0882,
USA. Fax: +1-212-633-3680. E-mail: usinfo-f@elsevier.com. In Europe, Middle East
and Africa: Regional Sales Office, Customer Support Department, P.O. Box 211,
1000 AE Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Fax: +31-20-485-2886. E-mail: nlinfo-f@elsevier.nl.
Homepage: www.elsevier.com.
Food security: Dynamics and
dimensions. Mrityunjay Mohan Jha. Northern Book Centre, New Delhi,
2002, x + 158 p. ISBN 81-7211-137-1. Hardcover.
I had the opportunity of participating in the 2nd
International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture, Water Resources
Development and Earth Care Policies, New Delhi, India on December 18-20, 2002.
One of the key components of the conference was the release of five books. Although all books were interesting, I am
taking the liberty of writing the review on the book dealing with food
security. The book discusses the
relationship between population growth and food grain availability, poverty and
accessibility to food, and ecology. In the Preface of the book, the author
states that "The growing demand for food is increasingly undermining the
base for future production and the resource base for agriculture is under
pressure virtually everywhere". This well-organized book includes six
chapters: Chapter 1. Food security: Concepts and issues; Chapter 2. Demographic
trends and food-nutritional situation in Bangladesh; Chapter 3. Poverty syndrome,
ecology, and health; Chapter 4. Food security system in Bangladesh; Chapter 5.
Quest for relief and development - Politics of food aid; and Chapter 6.
Population and food policy options. The text is supported by data presented in
34 tables and 10 figures. The author encourages readers to obtain information
from several publications listed in the references at the end of each chapter
and at the end of the book. There is a 5-page subject index. In his concluding
remarks, the author presents challenges and opportunities in order to achieve
food security. The publication brings the readers right up-to-date with current
information and adds immense value to our understanding of food security. The
type and layout have been well chosen for easy reading. The clear, easy-to-follow
book will serve as an invaluable resource to individuals interested in food
security. I am certainly pleased to have
a copy on my bookshelf.
Price: USD 14.00, including airmail charges and handling.
Orders
to: The Northern Book Centre, 421/1 Daryaganj, Ansari Road, New Delhi 110002,
India. Phones: +91-11-3271626, 3264519. Fax: +91-11-3252651. E-mail: nbcnd@ndb.vsnl.net.in.
Yash P. Kalra, Canada
Publishing in Soil Science. Historical developments and current trends. A.E.
Hartemink. International Union of Soil Sciences, 2002, 268p. ISBN
90-6672-075-1. Softcover. With a foreword from Winfried E.H. Blum,
Secretary-General of the IUSS.
For more than a century, the
main focus of soil science was directed towards biomass production through
agriculture and forestry, with the main goal to improve the understanding of
the relationship between soil characteristics and plant growth. This focus has
changed during the last decades, especially in the industrialized areas of the
world. There, the main targets of soil science have developed towards
environmental issues, mainly dealing with the protection of the environment and
sustainable development, whereas in developing countries, soil science is still
concentrating on the increase in food production and biomass in general.
These trends and the fact that
relatively little has been written about historical trends and developments on
the publishing of soil science or about how soil science is practiced in
different parts of the world, brought the author to write a series of
contributions in the Bulletin of the IUSS about these issues. The present
publication contains these contributions, as well as four relevant papers from
the author, who were published in journals. Also included is the review paper:
Trends and developments in soil science – 100 volumes of Geoderma (1967-2001),
showing the important trends in Geoderma papers, that likely reflect some of
the major changes that have occurred in soil science as a whole. The author of
this valuable compilation is Deputy Secretary-General of the IUSS since 2002.
Price: EUR 17.50, including
handling and surface mailing charges.
Orders
to: Dr. A.E. Hartemink, IUSS/ISRIC, P.O. Box 353, 6700 AJ Wageningen, The
Netherlands. Fax: +31-317-471700. E-mail:
Glossary of Fertilizer Terms.
International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), Paris, 2002. CD-ROM.
The terms and expressions
contained in this updated multilingual glossary – in French, English, German
and Spanish – are include mainly on the basis of their importance in the field
of fertilizer usage, with a few relating to soil science, fertilizer
manufacture and analysis, application machinery and methods. In each language
section the terms are arranged in alphabetical order, with a brief definition
and cross references, whenever possible, to the nearest equivalent in the other
languages. In some cases, however, no equivalent term exists, so that there is
a different number of entries in the four sections.
The glossary can be consulted on
internet at the IFA website www.fertilizer.org
and is available as a CD-ROM.
Orders
to: Information and Communications Service, IFA, 28, rue Marbeuf, F-75008
Paris, France. Fax: +33-1-53930545. E-mail: publications@fertilizer.org.
Homepage: www.fertilizer.org.
Soil Physical Measurement and Interpretation for Land Evaluation. Australian
soil and land survey handbook series, volume 5.
N. McKenzie, K. Coughlan and H. Creswell. CSIRO Publishing, 2002, ix +
379 p. ISBN 0-643-06767-1. Hardcover.
Soil physical measurements are essential for solving many
natural resource management problems. However, it is well known that soil
physical measurements in soil and land resource surveys are usually very
deficient. This operational laboratory handbook provides a standard set of
methods that are cost-effective and well suited to land resource surveys. The
idea for this book was born more than a decade ago with the development of the
Australian Soil and Land Survey Handbook Series, of which is this book the
fifth volume. A workshop on soil physical measurements was held in 1995. It
involved most of the contributors of the present volume as well as
representatives of land resource survey agencies from around Australia. The
resulting draft methods were widely circulated and many methods have been
revised, tested and updated. The handbook provides guidance on estimation
methods for physical properties across a range of soils, climates and land
uses. It gives straightforward descriptions for each method that can be applied
by people with a rudimentary knowledge of soil physics. It also presents valuable
guidelines on the interpretation of the results and the integration with land
resource assessment. After an introduction on land evaluation, the book then
outlines procedures for field sampling. Twenty detailed chapters cover
pore-space relations, water retention, hydraulic conductivity, water table
depth, dispersion, aggregation, particle size, shrinkage, Atterberg limits and
strength. The book includes soil physical properties from more readily
available data and shows how soil physical data can be integrated into land
planning and management decisions. This Handbook is written for Australian
soils where it is common to encounter features such as clay-rich horizons,
strongly weathered materials, shrink-swell clays, minimal organic matter,
sodicity and salinity. In a general sense, Australian soils are comparable to
those found in the other Gondwanan landscapes of Africa, India and South
America, and it is in these regions that this Handbook should have greatest
relevance. From a European perspective, a lot of useful, relevant information
can be found in this well-produced publication!
Price: In Australia: AUD 89.95, with overseas airmail
postage of AUD 35.00.
Orders to: CSIRO Publishing, PO
Box 1139, Collingwood VIC 3066, Australia. Fax: +61-3-9662-7555. E-mail: publishing-sales@csiro.au.
Homepage: www.publish.csiro.au. In
USA and Canada: Antipodes Books & Beyond, 9707 Fairway Ave, Silvers Spring,
MD 20901-3001, USA. E-mail: antipode@antipodes.com.
Homepage: www.antipodesbooks.com.
In Europe, Middle East and North Africa: Eurospan, 3 Henriette Street, Covent
Garden, London WC2E 8LU, UK. Fax: +44-20-7379-0609. E-mail: orders@edspubs.co.uk. Homepage: www.eurospan.co.uk.
Environmental Modelling with GIS and Remote Sensing. A.
Skidmore, editor. Taylor & Francis, London, 2002, 288 p. ISBN
0-415-24170-7. Softcover
Most government agencies and
private companies are investing significant resources in the production and use
of geographical data. The capabilities of Geographical Information Systems for
data analysis are also improving, to the extent that the potential performance
of GIS software and the data available for analysis outstrip the abilities of
managers and analysts to use and analyse the information. This is especially
true for environmental applications. Here the need to keep up-to-date is
essential and this book actually derived from a training course, detailing the
applications of remote sensing and GIS for environmental modeling and
assessment.
Price: GBP 29.99.
Orders to: Taylor & Francis Marketing, 11 New Fetter
Lane, London EC4B 4FH, UK. Fax: +44-20-7842-2300. E-mail: book.orders@tandf.co.uk Homepage: www.gisarena.com
That’s it for 2002