Agriculture builds upon the integration of crops and the environment, with which its yield depends strongly on a healthy soil foundation. With that in mind, the knowledge of the soil and fertilizer is crucial to maintaining an environment with optimal nutrients, water and oxygen for crop production. Soil is one of human’s precious resources, the protection and nurturing of our soil is thus an integral part of sustainable development.
Effective soil management is considered not only a technology, but also an art. In practice, to make use the full potential of the land, the management strategies need to take account of the differences and characteristics of the soil, plant and climate that are unique to each geographical location. Such an approach is increasingly more important nowadays because of the increasing loss of cultivable land and need of high quality agricultural products.
This book is a translation of SOIL AND FERTILIZER (in Chinese, 9th edition, 2010). This is based on my first-hand experiences in research and field application over the past 40 years. In addition, many materials also come from up-to-date textbooks and research articles that I came across during my teaching career. I consider this the state of the art reference book for those who are interested in the field of soil and fertilizer. The book emphasizes on practical skills in real-world applications, supplemented with theoretical, that allow the readers to efficiently put theory into practice.
