Description

ABOUT THE BOOK

The book is structured around basic soil concepts, beginning with the meaning of soil and its systematic study (soil science).This is followed by discussing the significance of soil in our everyday lives and progressing through soil formation, physical and chemical properties of soil, what roles should man play in managing soil-environment interactions for sustainable productivity now and in the future. In short, the course covers.

1. All aspects of soil science including soil habitat such as the mineral component of the soil, soil origin and development, fundamental concepts of soil physics, soil classification and soils of India.
2. Processes in the soil environment such as soil aeration and temperature and their effects on the availability of plant nutrition, organic matter and, soil reaction, soil colloidal material and their exchange reactions with ionic elements.
3. Principles of soil fertility, essential nutrients their functions and deficiency symptoms, liquid fertiliser and their compatibility, acidic, saline and alkali soils and their reclamation, quality of irrigation water and use of saline water in crop production and gypsum requirement of sodic soils and for neutralising high RSC waters.

The book will serve as textbook for graduate students of agriculture in all SAUs of India as it is based on the 5^th Dean’s Committee Syllabus.

CONTENT

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Prof. (Dr.) L.L. Somani (b.1945) Retired Director (RI) & Dean PG Studies, MPUAT Udaipur has many papers published in National and International Journals/ Symposia, etc. and many number of books to his credit in different disciplines of Agriculture and allied fields. He held different positions in MPUAT, has spreaded highly innovative ideas, and programmes for development of Agriculture. Prof. Somani has been honoured with several awards.

Dr. S. C. Meena is currently working as Associate Professor in the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, MPUAT, Udaipur. He did his M.Sc in Soil Science in 1999 from RAU, Bikaner and Ph.D, Soil Science from Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur. He started his career as a Junior Soil Scientist, Main Center on Cropping System Research, UAS, Dharwad (Karnataka) June, 2003 and served their for three years.

He is actively involved in research, teaching and extension activities  in the field of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry and He devoted  his beginning period  of  service  in MCCSR, dealing with Integrated Nutrient Management Experiments in maize and different vegetables crops in Vertisols. He has joined as a Subject Matter Specialist (SMS) at KVK, Jhalawar in 2006 and conducted so many trainings; FLD’s Kisan Melas, Exhibitions Radio talk, TV talk by which farmers were benefited to enhance the crop productivity and there improved the socio-economic status in farming community.

Dr. Meena is Principal Investigator of AICRP on Long Term Fertilizer Experiment project along with CO-PI of ICAR and RKVY project. He is teaching UG, PG and Ph.D. students. He has published more than 38 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, 02 Books, 02 book chapters, 60 popular articles, and 04 practical manuals for UG students. He has guided 2 Ph.D and 3 M.Sc. students