5b. Soil Chemistry and Fertility – Resources
Resources: Soil Chemistry and Fertility
Suggested Readings for Students (see Print Resources for annotations and URLs)
Brady, N. C., and R. R. Weil. 2002. Chapter 1: The soils around us; Chapter 4: Soil
architecture. In The Nature and Properties of Soils (13th Edition). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Brady, N. C., and R. R. Weil. 2003. Elements of the Nature and Properties of Soils (2nd
Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Michigan State University Extension. 1998. Michigan Field Crop Ecology. Extension
Bulletin E-2646.
Plaster, Edward J. 2003. Chapters 10–12. In Soil Science and Management (4th Edition).
Delmar Thomson Learning.
Seiter, Stefan, and William Horvath. 2004. Chapter 9: Strategies for managing soil
organic matter to supply plant nutrients. In Soil Organic Matter in Sustainable
Agriculture, edited by Fred Magdoff and Ray R. Weil. Advances in Agroecology Series:
Volume 11. CRC Press.
Print Resources
Brady, N. C., and R. R. Weil. 2002. Chapter 1: The soils around us; Chapter 4: Soil
architecture. In The Nature and Properties of Soils (13th Edition). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
A standard text for introducing soil science at the college level. Covers physical,
chemical, and biological properties of soils.
Brady, N. C., and Weil, R. R. 2003. Elements of the Nature and Properties of Soils (2nd
Edition). Prentice Hall.
An abridged version of The Nature and Property of Soils. Explains the essentials of
soil science in a manner relevant to many fields of study.
Michigan State University Extension. 1998. Michigan Field Crop Ecology. Extension
Bulletin E-2646.
A well-illustrated 85-page publication covering the soil ecosystem processes managed
in agricultural systems including major nutrient cycles, soil biology, pest and disease
management.
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Plaster, Edward J. 2003. Soil Science and Management (4th Edition). Delmar Thomson
Learning.
This non-technical, and easy-to-understand resource teaches the essentials of soils from
the perspective of farmers, horticulturists, environmentalists, and others who are
concerned about how soils work and how they are used most effectively. The text
emphasizes the management and the sustainable use of soils and water resources.
Provides chapters on uses of soils; soil physical, chemical and biological properties;
SOM; water conservation, soil fertility, plant nutrition and soil analysis; fertilizers and
organic matter soil amendments; tillage and conservation tillage; soil conservation
among others. Chapters 10–12 address soil chemical properties, soil fertility and plant
nutrition.
Seiter, Stefan, and William Horvath. 2004. Chapter 9: Strategies for managing soil
organic matter to supply plant nutrients. In Soil Organic Matter in Sustainable
Agriculture, edited by Fred Magdoff and Ray R. Weil. Advances in Agroecology Series:
Volume 11. CRC Press.
Curricula
Miles, A., and M. Brown (eds.). 2003. Unit 2.2: Soils chemistry and fertility. In Teaching
Organic Gardening and Farming Resources for Instructors. Santa Cruz, CA: UC Santa
Cruz, Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. Available online:
zzyx.ucsc.edu/casfs/training/manual/contents.html.
Includes lecture notes, suggested field demonstrations, and multiple laboratory
exercises for hands-on and experiential learning of soil chemistry and soil fertility
assessments.
Thien, Steve J., and John Graveel. 2002. Laboratory Manual for Soil Science:
Agricultural and Environmental Principles (8th edition). McGraw-Hill.
Contains 15 laboratory exercises that evaluate many of the fundamental physical,
chemical, and biological properties of soils. Contains topical overviews, learning
objectives, itemized procedures, data templates, and review questions.
Weil, R. R. 2005. Laboratory Manual for Introductory Soils (7th Edition). Dubuque, IA:
Kendall/Hunt.
A comprehensive manual for conducting field and laboratory exercises examining the
physical, chemical and biological properties of soils. Table of contents available
online:
www.nrsl.umd.edu/faculty/weil/Weil_Lab_Man_7ECover_front_matter.pdf
Exercise 10 – Effect of Cations on Flocculation; Exercise 15 – Cation Exchange
Properties of Soils; Exercise 16 – Soil Acidity (pH), among others.
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Web Resources
Agronomy Journal online
agron.scijournals.org /
American Society of Agronomy
www.agronomy.org/
The Society supports scientific, educational, and professional activities to enhance
communication and technology transfer among agronomists and those in related
disciplines on topics of local, regional, national, and international significance. The
online store contains extensive listings of ASA and Soil Science Society of America
publications.
Appropriate Technology Transfer to Rural Areas: Alternative Soil Testing Laboratories
and Information
www.attra.org/attra-pub/soil-lab.html
Provides a listing of soil chemistry, soil testing, and soil fertility management
references for sustainable and organic farming systems.
Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education
www.jnrlse.org/index.html
The Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education is a comprehensive
database for life science educational resources. The Journal is continuously updated
online during the year and one hard copy is published in December of each year by the
American Society of Agronomy. Contains links to following associations, each with
instructional resource components: American Association for Agricultural Education;
American Institute of Biological Sciences; American Phytopathological Society;
American Society for Horticultural Science; American Society of Plant Biologists;
Crop Science Society of America; Ecological Society of America; Entomological
Society of America; Soil Science Society of America
Soil Quality Test Kit
soils.usda.gov/sqi/soil_quality/assessment/kit2.html
The Soil Quality Test Kit Guide is an 82-page booklet containing procedures for 12 onfarm tests, an interpretive section for each test, data recording sheets, and a section on
how to build the kit. The website contains pdf files on how to use the SQTK to assess
various soil chemical properties in the field. Includes the following user friendly
assessments: Soil pH Test; Soil Nitrate Test; and Electrical Conductivity Test.
USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Soils web site
soils.usda.gov/
An exhaustive listing of online publications relating to soils including: physical,
chemical and biological properties; state, national and international soil surveys; soil
quality publications, and specific listings for teachers and students. Includes many
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useful photographic and graphical resources, including PowerPoint resources to be
used in teaching the basics of soil science.
Video Resources
PowerPoint Resources
Introduction to Soil Health: Northeast Region SARE slide show. Available online:
http://www.uvm.edu/%7Enesare/slides/index.htm
Provides 56 PowerPoint projections for discussing the concepts of soil quality; the role
of soil organic matter in soil fertility; soil structure; nutrient cycling; measuring soil
health; managing soil health through cover crops, tillage, crop rotation, manures and
the use of off-farm inputs.
Soil Sustainability, by Hunter Francis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Mark Van Horn
UC Davis. See The California Agriculture Teacher’s Association (CATA) Sustainable
Agriculture Power Point Resources: www.ccagcans.com (see “Course Curriculum”).
Addresses the importance of soil conservation in agriculture by examining the role of
soils and soil quality in agricultural production. Addresses basic soil physical,
chemical, and biological properties of soils, and how soil fertility and the soil resource
may best be maintained through a set of conservation farming practices.