Soil Fertility and Fertilizers: An Introduction to Nutrient Management, 8th edition

For courses in Soil Fertility, Nutrient Management, and Plant Nutrition in Agriculture.

Soil Fertility and Fertilizers: An Introduction to Nutrient Management, Eighth Edition, provides a thorough understanding of the biological, chemical, and physical properties affecting soil fertility and plant nutrition. Covering all aspects of nutrient management for profitable crop production, the text pays particular attention to minimizing the environmental impact of soil and fertilizer management. The eighth edition of this proven text has been substantially revised to reflect rapidly advancing knowledge and technologies in both plant nutrition and nutrient management.

Thoroughly explains plant nutrition, soil fertility, and nutrient management.

• Shows students the influence of the biological, physical, and chemical properties of soil and interactions on nutrient availability to crops.
• Enables students to identify plant nutrition/soil fertility problems and recommend proper corrective action.
• Informs students about soil and nutrient management practices that maximize productivity and profitability, while maintaining or enhancing the productive capacity of the soil and quality of the environment.

Covers the basics of plant nutrition and soil fertility, with specific reference to biological, chemical, and physical properties affecting nutrient availability.

• Explains how plants absorb nutrients and how the soil system supplies these nutrients.
• Identifies and outlines plant nutrient deficiency symptoms and methods used to quantify nutrient problems.
• Describes how organic matter in soil, action exchange capacity, soil pH, parent material, climate, and human activities affect nutrient availability.
• Evaluates nutrient and soil amendment materials on the basis of content, use, and effects on the soil and the crop.
• Quantifies–using basic chemical principles–application rates of nutrients and amendments needed to correct plant nutrition problems in the field.
• Describes nutrient response patterns, fertilizer use efficiency, and the economics involved in fertilizer use.
• Details and analyzes soil and nutrient management practices that either impair or sustain soil productivity and environmental quality. 

Presents topics using a flexible, easy-to-follow format.

• Helps students to easily follow and understand the concepts covered in each chapter.
• Offers instructors a flexible organization that allows them to assign material as necessary for particular course priorities. 

Offers numerous sample calculations.

• Helps students develop the quantitative skills required in an agricultural career. 

Includes charts, graphs, photographs, chapter summaries, worked examples, and a glossary.

• Provides students who are visual learners with the tools they need to effectively pass the course and learn the material.

Expanded! Facilitates understanding and practice of essential quantitative skills, greatly enhancing learning. 

• Expanded detailed examples of common calculations.
• Illustrates critical quantitative skills essential to professional success in nutrient management and related disciplines.
• The Instructors Manual includes worked answers to all quantitative questions at the end of each chapter.

Expanded! Enhances student understanding of nutrient management practices.

• Increased number of photographs, diagrams, and other visuals illustrating nutrient response in crops, soil management effects on crop growth, nutrient application equipment, and more. 

Enhanced! Illustrates for students the similarities and differences in nutrient management between plants.

• Covers a wide diversity of plants and cropping systems. 

Enhanced! Students have the opportunity to evaluate benefits and problems associated with each nutrient source.

• Increased emphasis on alternative nutrient sources to the most common fertilizers. 

Enhanced! Students gain unbiased perspective of risks of nutrient use or misuse and management practices that can significantly reduce risks of nutrient use.

• Substantially enhanced focus on environmental impacts of nutrient use.