Russell's Soil Conditions and Plant Growth

This new eleventh edition maintains the reputation earned by earlier editions of a book long regarded as a classic. Since the last edition, important advances have been made in the subject, and these have required the contributions of several authors who have taken the opportunity to incorporate up-to- date information on crop growth, soil properties and processes, and the management of soil for agricultural and horticultural purposes. Many existing chapters have been rewritten and all have been updated. The book emphasizes the quantitative effects of soil and climate on the growth of farm crops, but much of the discussion is sufficiently general to apply to forest crops and natural vegetation. The authors also take into account the current concern with heavy metal and nitrate pollution. The first chapter on the historical development of the subject is followed by three on crop growth and development, three on the formation of soils and their general chemical properties and their management, six on soil biology, and four on the plant nutrients and toxicity problems in soils; four chapters deal with the applications of soil science and include a discussion of some general soil problems of importance in many countries. This new edition of Soil Conditions and Plant Growth will be of value to students, research and extension workers in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and soil science, and to others concerned with the maintenance of soil fertility and appropriate use of the land.