Download or read book Collecting the Dirt on Soils written by Calogero Carletto and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much of the current analysis on agricultural productivity is hampered by the lack of consistent, high quality data on soil health and how it is changing under past and current management. Historically, plot-level statistics derived from household surveys have relied on subjective farmer assessments of soil quality or, more recently, publicly available geospatial data. The Living Standards Measurement Study of the World Bank implemented a methodological study in Ethiopia, which resulted in an unprecedented data set encompassing a series of subjective indicators of soil quality as well as spectral soil analysis results on plot-specific soil samples for 1,677 households. The goals of the study, which was completed in partnership with the World Agroforestry Centre and the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia, were twofold: (1) evaluate the feasibility of integrating a soil survey into household socioeconomic data collection operations, and (2) evaluate local knowledge of farmers in assessing their soil quality. Although a costlier method than subjective assessment, the integration of spectral soil analysis in household surveys has potential for scale-up. In this study, the first large scale study of its kind, enumerators spent approximately 40 minutes per plot collecting soil samples, not a particularly prohibitive figure given the proper timeline and budget. The correlation between subjective indicators of soil quality and key soil properties, such as organic carbon, is weak at best. Evidence suggests that farmers are better able to distinguish between soil qualities in areas with greater variation in soil properties. Descriptive analysis shows that geospatial data, while positively correlated with laboratory results and offering significant improvements over subject assessment, fail to capture the level of variation observed on the ground. The results of this study give promise that soil spectroscopy could be introduced into household panel surveys in smallholder agricultural contexts, such as Ethiopia, as a rapid and cost-effective soil analysis technique with valuable outcomes. Reductions in uncertainties in assessing soil quality and, hence, improvements in smallholder agricultural statistics, enable better decision-making.
Download or read book Dirt to Soil written by Gabe Brown and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2018-10-11 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A regenerative no-till pioneer."—NBC News "We need to reintegrate livestock and crops on our farms and ranches, and Gabe Brown shows us how to do it well."—Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation See Gabe Brown—author and farmer—in the Netflix documentary Kiss the Ground Gabe Brown didn’t set out to change the world when he first started working alongside his father-in-law on the family farm in North Dakota. But as a series of weather-related crop disasters put Brown and his wife, Shelly, in desperate financial straits, they started making bold changes to their farm. Brown—in an effort to simply survive—began experimenting with new practices he’d learned about from reading and talking with innovative researchers and ranchers. As he and his family struggled to keep the farm viable, they found themselves on an amazing journey into a new type of farming: regenerative agriculture. Brown dropped the use of most of the herbicides, insecticides, and synthetic fertilizers that are a standard part of conventional agriculture. He switched to no-till planting, started planting diverse cover crops mixes, and changed his grazing practices. In so doing Brown transformed a degraded farm ecosystem into one full of life—starting with the soil and working his way up, one plant and one animal at a time. In Dirt to Soil Gabe Brown tells the story of that amazing journey and offers a wealth of innovative solutions to restoring the soil by laying out and explaining his "five principles of soil health," which are: Limited Disturbance Armor Diversity Living Roots Integrated Animals The Brown’s Ranch model, developed over twenty years of experimentation and refinement, focuses on regenerating resources by continuously enhancing the living biology in the soil. Using regenerative agricultural principles, Brown’s Ranch has grown several inches of new topsoil in only twenty years! The 5,000-acre ranch profitably produces a wide variety of cash crops and cover crops as well as grass-finished beef and lamb, pastured laying hens, broilers, and pastured pork, all marketed directly to consumers. The key is how we think, Brown says. In the industrial agricultural model, all thoughts are focused on killing things. But that mindset was also killing diversity, soil, and profit, Brown realized. Now he channels his creative thinking toward how he can get more life on the land—more plants, animals, and beneficial insects. “The greatest roadblock to solving a problem,” Brown says, “is the human mind.”
Download or read book Geological and Soil Evidence written by Kenneth Pye and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2007-04-19 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The forensic potential of geological and soil evidence has been recognized for more than a century, but recently these types of evidence are used much more widely as an investigative intelligence tool and as evidence in court. There is, however, still a poor understanding of the potential value and the limitations of geological and soil evidence am
Download or read book Procedures for Collecting Soil Samples and Methods of Analysis for Soil Survey written by and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals Section 1 Test No 106 Adsorption Desorption Using a Batch Equilibrium Method written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2000-01-21 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Test Guideline is aimed at estimating the adsorption/desorption behaviour of a chemical on different soil types. The goal is to obtain a sorption value which can be used to predict partitioning under a variety of environmental conditions; to ...
Download or read book Methods of Soil Analysis Part 3 written by D. L. Sparks and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-01-22 with total page 1424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A thorough presentation of analytical methods for characterizing soil chemical properties and processes, Methods, Part 3 includes chapters on Fourier transform infrared, Raman, electron spin resonance, x-ray photoelectron, and x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopies, and more.
Download or read book Glossary of Soil Science Terms 2008 written by Soil Science Society of America and published by ASA-CSSA-SSSA. This book was released on 2008 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than 1800 terms are included in this revised glossary. Subject matter includes soil physics, soil chemistry, soil biology and biochemistry, pedology, soil and water management and conservation, forest and range soils, nutrient management and soil and plant analysis, mineralogy, wetland soils, and soils and environmental quality. Two appendices on tabular information and designations for soil horizons and layers also are included.
Download or read book The Soil Underfoot written by G. Jock Churchman and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2014-04-21 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The largest part of the world's food comes from its soils, either directly from plants, or via animals fed on pastures and crops. Thus, it is necessary to maintain, and if possible, improve the quality-and hence good health-of soils, while enabling them to support the growing world population. The Soil Underfoot: Infinite Possibilities for a Finite
Download or read book Soil Survey Laboratory Methods and Procedures for Collecting Soil Samples written by United States. Soil Conservation Service and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Intelligent Gardener written by Steve Solomon and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2012-12-25 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents advice on how to improve growing soil, discussing some of the current misconceptions about soil and providing the best methods for adding enhancements that will produce nutrient-dense foods.
Download or read book Description and Sampling of Contaminated Soils written by J. Russell Boulding and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-29 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This second edition of EPA's bestselling book, Description and Sampling of Contaminated Soils: A Field Guide, Second Edition, has been revised and significantly expanded over the original edition. An ideal reference for anyone involved in site investigations, this guide describes how to determine the amount and extent of soil contamination and potential for movement of contaminants in the soil and groundwater. It contains checklists, tables, and step-by-step descriptions of methods and procedures for: Cost-effective, detailed site investigations for evaluating the potential for contaminant transport Field collection of information on soil engineering properties required for remediation selection and design This guide also features an adaptation of soil description procedures used by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service (SCS) for investigating contaminated sites. The SCS soil description and classification procedures, when used in combination with the Unified Soil Classification System currently used by geologists and engineers, greatly improves contaminated site assessments.
Download or read book Soil Survey Investigations Report written by and published by . This book was released on 1966 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Soils and the Art of Collecting a Soil Samples written by Dennis B. Fenn and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 10 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Soil Survey Manual written by United States. Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering and published by . This book was released on 1951 with total page 538 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Soils as an Indicator of Forest Health written by Katherine P. O'Neill and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Documents the types of data collected as part of the Forest Inventory and Analysis soil indicator, the field and laboratory methods used, and the rationale behind these data collection procedures. Guides analysts and researchers on incorporating soil indicator data into reports and research studies.
Download or read book Methods of Soil Analysis Part 4 written by Jacob H. Dane and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-05-27 with total page 1744 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The best single reference for both the theory and practice of soil physical measurements, Methods, Part 4 adopts a more hierarchical approach to allow readers to easily find their specific topic or measurement of interest. As such it is divided into eight main chapters on soil sampling and statistics, the solid, solution, and gas phases, soil heat, solute transport, multi-fluid flow, and erosion. More than 100 world experts contribute detailed sections.
Download or read book Guidelines for Soil Description written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2006 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soils are affected by human activities, such as industrial, municipal and agriculture, that often result in soil degradation and loss. In order to prevent soil degradation and to rehabilitate the potentials of degraded soils, reliable soil data are the most important prerequisites for the design of appropriate land-use systems and soil management practices as well as for a better understanding of the environment. The availability of reliable information on soil morphology and other characteristics obtained through examination and description of the soil in the field is essential, and the use of a common language is of prime importance. These guidelines, based on the latest internationally accepted systems and classifications, provide a complete procedure for soil description and for collecting field data. To help beginners, some explanatory notes are included as well as keys based on simple test and observations.--Publisher's description.
