Soil Conditions and Plant Growth
Contents: 1. Historical and introductory. 2. The food of plants. 3. The individual nutrients needed by plants. 4. Quantitative studies on plant growth. 5. The composition of the soil. 6. The constitution of clay minerals. 7. The cation-and anion-holding powers of soils. 8. The behaviour of soils and clays in water. 9. The physiology of the microbial population. 10. The organisms composing the population.11. The soil fauna other than protozoa. 12. The general ecology of the soil population. 13. The association between plants and micro-organisms. 14. The decomposition of plant material. 15. The composition of the soil organic matter. 16. The nitrogen cycle in the soil. 17. The temperature of the soil. 18. The soil atmosphere. 19. The water in soils. 20. Water and plant growth. 21. The transfer of water from soil to plant. 22. The control of soil moisture in practice. 23. Soil structure and soil tilth. 24. The development of plant roots in soil. 25. The uptake of nutrients from the soil. 26. The sources of plant nutrients in the soil. 27. The effect of soil acidity and alkalinity on plant growth. 28. The effect of a growing plant on the soil. 29. The weathering of rocks. 30. Soil formation on well-drained sites. 31. The influence of topography on soil formation. 32. Saline and alkali soils. 33. The management of irrigated saline and alkali soils. 34. The general principles of soil management. 35. Principles of the methods of soil cultivation. 36. The control of soil fertility in practice. Appendix. Index.
"Recognised as complex are the relations of the plant to the soil. Looking through a historical perspective on the evolution of systematic scientific studies on this relation, this book endeavours to compile the available information on the soil as a medium for plant life. With reference to the studies made in different parts of the world, it covers all the related subjects and topics in an exhaustive manner—the microscopic inhabitants of the soil and their connection with plant life; relation between vegetation and soil temperature and soil moisture; plant nutrition through soil; saline and alkali; soils and their management, rock weathering soil formation; control of soil erosion; and conservation of soil fertility; etc.
"The text is aptly illustrated, enriched with tables of scientific data, and supplemented with references for further information and an exhaustive subject index." (jacket)
