Improving soil health

"The health of agricultural soils has deteriorated worldwide due to crop monoculture, over-fertilization, and the application of pesticides. The alarming status of many soils has major impacts on microbial communities and the associated food webs, affecting the health of plants, animals, and humans. Thus, the all-inclusive book Improving soil health by Professor William R. Horwath is urgently needed to provide guidelines for the amelioration of soil and ecosystem health. The authors of the various book chapters are world-renowned scientists, who have worked extensively on soil ecology and microbiology, and effects of crop diversity, cover cropping, no-till and organic amendments on soil and ecosystem health." Prof. Dr. Ir. Ariena H. C. van Bruggen, Emeritus Professor of Plant Pathology, Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, USA, and formerly of Biological Farming Systems, Wageningen University, The Netherlands Agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. More sustainable crop production based on agroecological principles is seen as a key solution to this challenge. Understanding and improving soil health is the foundation for this approach. Improving soil health provides a considered assessment of key management strategies to enhance the physical, chemical and biological health of soils in achieving sustainable improvements in crop yields. The book reviews the role of cultivation practices as well as organic and other soil amendments, such as biofertilizers. By assessing the dimensions of soil health, and reviewing the wealth of evidence on how well individual techniques contribute to improving soil, the book shows how farmers can achieve sustainable improvements in both productivity and profitability. Improving soil health will be a standard reference for researchers in soil and crop science, government and other agencies responsible for the health of agricultural soils, companies providing soil monitoring and management services and farmers wishing to further their knowledge on the latest developments in effective soil management. Dr William R. Horwath is a Distinguished Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry and J. G. Boswell Endowed Chair in Soil Science at the University of California-Davis, USA, where he is also Faculty Director of the Sustainable Agriculture and Food System undergraduate major. He is the current Chair of the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at the university. Professor Horwath is Editor of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Journal and is a Fellow of the SSSA. He has published widely on measuring and improving soil health and climate impacts on ecosystems.