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For undergraduate courses in Introduction to Soils, Fundamentals of Soil Science, and Soil Management, in departments of environmental science, agronomy, geology or natural resources.

This text opens students' eyes to the fascinating and important world of soils, and the principles that can be used to minimize the degradation and destruction of one of our most important natural resources. Concentrating on essentials, this edition is a more concise version of its parent text, The Nature and Properties of Soils, maintaining its high standards of rigor and readability, and its priority of explaining this science in a manner relevant to many fields of study. It provides a fundamental knowledge that is a prerequisite to meeting the many natural-resource challenges awaiting humanity in the 21st century.

• NEW - Thoroughly updated and modernized discussions of key topics throughout—i.e., base saturation; cation exchange; soil acidity; soil salinity; wetland soils; septic drain fields; and greenhouse gases.

  • Presents students with issues in a modern, integrated approach that reflects the significantly changed scientific understanding of recent years.

• NEW - Carefully screened, reliable Internet links—Provided in the margins where the topics are covered in the text.

  • Provides students with value-added features and multimedia material of greater depth on soil topics.

• NEW - Added and improved technical detail boxes—e.g., using information from the entire soil profile; effective precipitation for soil formation; a method for determining texture by feel; and profile water-holding capacity.

  • Supplies students with worked calculations to enhance their understanding of topics without losing the logical thread of the text.

• NEW - Added and improved vignette boxes—e.g., observing soils in daily life; success or failure in a landscape drainage design; wetland functions of value to ecosystems and society; and eutrophication.

  • Highlights fascinating real-world anecdotes and applications for students to capture their interest and imagination. Allows instructors to customize their course goals by focusing on this material or by passing it.

• Ecological approach.

  • Treats soil science as a science on par with geology, chemistry, or ecology so that students can make the connection between soils and whatever part of the natural world they are interested in.

• A section on septic tank drain fields—An environmental application of soil science of major importance.

  • Gives students the principles of operation for on-site wastewater disposal and treatment, and relates this application to the basic principle of water movement in soils.

• Irrigation management coverage—Includes surface irrigation methods; sprinkler irrigation; and microirrigation.

  • Introduces students to topics of vital importance in the Western U.S.—with information on the principle of water control, soil limitations, efficiency, and equipment for each.

• A section on wetlands and their poorly aerated soils—Includes discussion of hydric soils and wetland functions.

  • Emphasizes the importance of anaerobic conditions, and familiarizes students with hydrology, hydrophytic vegetation, and hydric soil indicators.

• Engineering properties of soils.

  • Enables students to focus on consistency, soil strength, Atterburg limits, and sudden failure in cohesive and noncohesive soils, compaction control, and management of expansive soils.

• Concepts of soil quality, soil degradation, and soil resilience.

  • Offers students cutting-edge ideas in soil resource management, and discusses them in terms of biological properties, and global soil degradation and erosion.

• Chapter introductions.

  • Shows students the importance of the topic and its relationship to other soil topics and ecosystem components, providing a context for the material that follows in the chapter.

• Extended captions and notes on figures and tables.

  • The data or illustration connects to concepts discussed in the text and makes the information understandable on a stand alone basis.

• Unique schematic diagrams and photographs.

  • Illustrates and explains concepts and effectively demonstrates relationships, applications, and field situations relevant to many different fields of study using line drawings, research data, and full color and black and white photographs.

• Cross referencing.

  • Reinforces the idea that all aspects of the soil system are interconnected, and provides students with more depth to each topic while avoiding repetition. Allows instructors to use the book chapters in any order of preference.

• Thoroughly updated and modernized discussions of key topics throughout—i.e., base saturation; cation exchange; soil acidity; soil salinity; wetland soils; septic drain fields; and greenhouse gases.

  • Presents students with issues in a modern, integrated approach that reflects the significantly changed scientific understanding of recent years.

• Carefully screened, reliable Internet links—Provided in the margins where the topics are covered in the text.

  • Provides students with value-added features and multimedia material of greater depth on soil topics.

• Added and improved technical detail boxes—e.g., using information from the entire soil profile; effective precipitation for soil formation; a method for determining texture by feel; and profile water-holding capacity.

  • Supplies students with worked calculations to enhance their understanding of topics without losing the logical thread of the text.

• Added and improved vignette boxes—e.g., observing soils in daily life; success or failure in a landscape drainage design; wetland functions of value to ecosystems and society; and eutrophication.

  • Highlights fascinating real-world anecdotes and applications for students to capture their interest and imagination. Allows instructors to customize their course goals by focusing on this material or by passing it.

 1. The Soils Around Us.


 2. Formation of Soils from Parent Materials.


 3. Soil Classification.


 4. Soil Architecture and Physical Properties.


 5. Soil Water: Characteristics and Behavior.


 6. Soil and the Hydrologic Cycle.


 7. Soil Aeration and Temperature.


 8. The Colloidal Fraction: Seat of Soil Chemical and Physical Activity.


 9. Soil Acidity, Alkalinity, and Salinity.


10. Organisms and Ecology of the Soil.


11. Soil Organic Matter.


12. Nitrogen and Sulfur Economy of Soils.


13. Soil Phosphorus, Potassium, and Micronutrients.


14. Practical Nutrient Management.


15. Soil Erosion and Its Control.


Appendix A: Canadian and FAO Soil Classification Systems.


Appendix B: SI Units, Conversion Factors, and Periodic Table of the Elements.


Glossary of Soil Science Terms.


Index.

Soils - Introductory  (Agriculture)

• 
  Elements of the Nature and Properties of Soils, 3/E
  Brady & Weil
  ©2010 | Prentice Hall | Paper; 624 pp | Instock
  ISBN-10: 0135014336 | ISBN-13: 9780135014332
  Brief Description | Buy from myPearsonStore

  

  For undergraduate courses in Introduction to Soils, Fundamentals of Soil Science, and Soil Management.

   

  With an emphasis on the fundamentals, this book explores the important world of soils and the principles that can be used to minimize the degradation and destruction of one of our most important natural resources. Fully updated in this edition, it includes the latest information on soil colloids; nutrient cycles and soil fertility; and soils and chemical pollution. This edition is filled with hundreds of new figures and photos and continues to use examples from many fields, including agriculture, forestry, and natural resources. Taking an ecological approach, it emphasizes how the soil system is interconnected and the principles behind each soil concept.

A fundamental knowledge of soil science is not only intriguing—it is also a prerequisite to meeting the many natural resource challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. This text addresses all of the basic principles of soil science, emphasizing the soil as a natural resource and highlighting the many interactions between the soil and other components of forest, range, agricultural, wetland, and constructed ecosystems.

Elements of the Nature and Properties of Soils, Second Edition, is suitable as the core text in an introductory soil science course at the undergraduate level, providing authoritative and up-to-date coverage that is essential for a solid foundation in the study of soils. It is also an excellent resource for anyone interested in the study of soils. Following are only a few of the topics covered:

• formation of soils
• soil classification
• soil architecture and physical properties
• soil water
• soil and the hydrologic cycle
• soil aeration and temperature
• the colloidal fraction: seat of soil chemical and physical activity
• soil acidity, alkalinity, and salinity
• organisms and ecology of the soil
• soil organic matter
• nitrogen and sulfur economy of soil
• soil phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients
• practical nutrient management
• soil erosion and its control

Companion Website, 2/E
Brady & Weil
©2004 | Prentice Hall | On-line Supplement; 0 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0130492574 | ISBN-13: 9780130492579
URL:  http://www.prenhall.com/brady

Companion Website, 2/E
Brady & Weil
©2004 | Prentice Hall | On-line Supplement; 0 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0130492574 | ISBN-13: 9780130492579
URL:  http://www.prenhall.com/brady

Instructor's CD-ROM, 2/E
Brady & Weil
©2004 | Prentice Hall | CD-ROM Only; 0 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0130492566 | ISBN-13: 9780130492562

Instructor's Manual (online), 2/E
Brady & Weil
©2004 | Prentice Hall | On-line Supplement; 144 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0130492558 | ISBN-13: 9780130492555
  View Downloadable Files

Companion Website, 2/E
Brady & Weil
©2004 | Prentice Hall | On-line Supplement; 0 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0130492574 | ISBN-13: 9780130492579
URL:  http://www.prenhall.com/brady

Companion Website, 2/E
Brady & Weil
©2004 | Prentice Hall | On-line Supplement; 0 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0130492574 | ISBN-13: 9780130492579
URL:  http://www.prenhall.com/brady

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