Soils: An Introduction

Michael J. Singer; Donald N. Munns

4.57

7 ratings by Goodreads

ISBN 10: 002410860X ISBN 13: 9780024108609

Publisher: Macmillan, 1987

For Introduction to Soil Science, Environmental Science, and Land Use Management courses at the undergraduate level.This text provides a fresh look at soil science. The goal is to help students understand the parts that contribute to the whole soil individual and then appreciate how those parts function together. It begins by assembling the parts (solid, liquid and gas phases) of a soil, followed by explaining the interactions among the parts. Subsequently, genesis, classification, and interpretation of soil properties are explained. The "building the pedon"* concept introduced in the first edition is continued in this latest edition.*Pedon:"3-dimensional body of soil with lateral dimensions large enough to contain all soil properties."

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From the Publisher:

Accessible to students with varying science backgrounds, this introduction to soil science offers solid coverage of all major topics. The authors use a unique "building the pedon" model to provide students with a single soil concept on which to build and learn. The text features diagrams and color photos with actual data, and provides optional chapter supplements for either review or enrichment, depending on individual needs. Soil parts are introduced systematically and in relation to one another, relating the complex soil body to it larger environment.

From the Back Cover:

Accessible to readers with varying science backgrounds, this jargon-free guide considers all major soils topics. Featuring diagrams and color photos with actual data, it introduces each soil part systematically, relating each to one another, and the complex soil body as a whole to its larger environment. Fresh in its approach, the book develops a unique "pedon" concept in the first chapter, building upon it progressively throughout. Starting as an empty 3-D rectangle, readers follow chapter-by-chapter "additions" of inorganic and organic matter, water, and pores, etc., until the box takes on the characteristics of a "real" soil. This helps readers both understand how the parts fit together to make up the entire soil as well as analyze relationships from the very simple to the more complex. It makes careful use of scale in all figures, and features optional chapter supplements for catch-up and review. Highlights of the new edition include 20 new figures and more focused discussions of environmental issues.

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