Soil Physics: Agriculture and Environmental Applications

Soil Physics: Agricultural and Environmental Applications is a textbook designed for use in university courses on the subject and as a reference book for practitioners and students. The work describes the physical properties of soils and how these properties affect agriculture and the environment. It is unique in its inclusion of pedology, taxonomy, and pedotransfer functions.The text includes: definitions of essential terms and concepts; examples and problems presenting opportunities for the review and application of knowledge to real-world situations; appendixes reviewing basics of mathematics, physics, and statistics; descriptions of the physical properties for characterization of the solid phase of the soil; discussion of the role of the solid phase in the retention and transport of mass and energy; emphasis on the use of balance, steady-state, and transient-state rate equations of mass and energy transport; principles associated with soil temperature and gas transport; discussion on the content, energy status, and flow of soil water; principles of solute transport in soil; descriptions of the interactions between solutes and solid, liquid, and gaseous phases; and, discussion of soil-plant water relationships.