Soil Organic Matter: Key to Sustainable Soils
authored by: A.Raja RajanLength: 152 mm | Breadth: 15 mm | Height: 229 mm | Imprint: NIPA | Weight: 414 GMS
Keywords
Soil health, Carbon sequestration, Microbial activity, Organic farming, Nutrient cycling, Compost decomposition, Soil fertility, Humus content, Sustainable agriculture, Plant nutrition, Decomposer organisms, Soil structure, Agroecology, Carbon storage, Biodegradation, Soil microbiome, Green manure, Cover cropping, Carbon flux, Organic amendments, Agroforestry, Microbial diversity, Ecosystem resilience, Soil conservation, Biodiversity in soilThis book presents a comprehensive examination of soil organic matter, encompassing its composition, distribution, pools, and reactive functional groups, as well as its decomposition, nutrient transformations, and biochemistry of humus formation. Additionally, the book delves into the role of soil organic matter in pedogenic processes, adsorption of organic compounds by clay, clay-organic matter complexes, humus-trace metals interactions, and humus-pesticides interactions. The book also discusses the environmental significance of humic substances and provides a characterization of soil organic matter. Furthermore, the book elucidates the potentials of nuclear techniques in the study of soil organic matter and offers various management practices for building organic matter in soils. The book is a valuable resource for researchers, scholars, and all stakeholders involved in sustainable agriculture and soil organic matter.
A. Raja Rajan graduated from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, (TNAU) Coimbatore and holds a doctorate in Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry. He had his postdoctoral training on Soil Organic Matter at University of Florida, Gainesville, USA as an FAO Fellow.
He has served in various positions in TNAU and was Dean at Agricultural College & Research Institute, Killikulam (TN), Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, TNAU, Coimbatore and Dean, Faculty of Agricultural Education and Research of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute at its Coimbatore Campus. He has vast teaching and research experience in Agriculture, spanning over 40 years and has guided
1. Introduction
2. Soil Organic Matter Pools
3. Composition, Distribution and Functions of Soil Organic Matter
4. Soil Carbohydrates and Lipids
5. Role of Organic Matter in Pedogenic Processes
6. Decomposition of Organic Residues in Soil
7. Nutrient Transformations in Soil: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulphur
8. Biochemistry of Humus Formation
9. Trace Metal Interactions with Humic Substances
10. Reactive Functional Groups of Humic Substances
11. Adsorption of Organic Compounds by Clay
12. Clay - Organic Matter Complexes-I
13. Clay - Organic Matter Complexes-II: Role of Organic Matter in Forming Stable Soil Aggregates
14. Humus - Pesticides Interactions in Soil
15. Environmental Significance of Humic Substances
16. Characterization of Soil Organic Matter by UV-visible Spectroscopy
17. Characterization of Soil Organic Matter by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
18. Nuclear Techniques for Soil Organic Matter Studies
19. Managing Soil Organic Matter
20. Analytical Procedures