Soil Analysis

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.

A practical guide to soil tests for Australian soils and conditions.

This handbook is a reference guide for selecting and carrying out numerous methods of soil analysis. It is written in accordance with analytical standards and quality control approaches. It covers a large body of technical information including protocols, tables, formulae, spectrum models, chromatograms and additional analytical diagrams. The approaches are diverse, from the simplest tests to the most sophisticated determination methods.

For more than 30 years, soil testing has been widely used as a basis for determining lime and fertilizer needs. Today, a number of procedures are used for determining everything from soil pH and lime requirement, to the level of extractable nutrient elements. And as the number of cropped fields being tested increases, more and more farmers and growers will come to rely on soil test results. But if soil testing is to be an effective means of evaluating the fertility status of soils, standardization of methodology is essential. No single test is appropriate for all soils. Soil Analysis Handbook of Reference Methods is a standard laboratory technique manual for the most commonly used soil analysis procedures. First published in 1974, this Handbook has changed over the years to reflect evolving needs. New test methods and modifications have been added, as well as new sections on nitrate, heavy metals, and quality assurance plans for agricultural testing laboratories. Compiled by the Soil and Plant Analysis Council, this latest edition of Soil Analysis Handbook of Reference Methods also addresses the major methods for managing plant nutrition currently in use in the United States and other parts of the world. For soil scientists, farmers, growers, or anyone with an interest in the environment, this reference will prove an invaluable guide to standard methods for soil testing well into the future. Features

As with the highly popular original, this new edition of Soil Sampling, Preparation, and Analysis provides students with an exceptionally clear description of the sampling and analysis methods most commonly used in modern soil laboratories around the world. What sets it apart as the first choice of professors is the grounding it offers in fundamental principles, professional protocols, and specific procedures. What makes it especially popular with students is that it spares them from having to tote large volumes for the sake of a page or two. Fully revised to introduce the latest advances, the text is lucidly illustrated with original results garnered from years of hands-on experiments conducted by the author and his students. In response to requests from active users of the first edition, these new features have been added: § Three new chapters on soil and plant test methods § A focus on testing and analysis limited to edaphology, as opposed to edaphology and pedology as a whole in the ecosystem § Information and insight reflecting the author’s expertise on electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance § Extensive revisions and expansion to include recent advances and shifting interests in the field Soil Sampling, Preparation, and Analysis is divided into three sections: the first covers principles of soil sampling, sources of errors, and variability of results; the second explains common procedures for extraction and analysis in soil plant testing; and the last covers instrumentation. While Professor Tan designed and further honed the book to serve the practical needs of students, with this volume he also provides them with an essential reference that will continue to serve them throughout their training and into their careers.

This volume presents detailed descriptions of methods for evaluating, monitoring and assessing bioremediation of soil contaminated with organic pollutants or heavy metals. Traditional soil investigation techniques, including chemical, physical and microbiological methods, are complemented by the most suitable modern methods, including bioreporter technology, immunological, ecotoxicological and molecular assays. Step-by-step procedures, lists of required equipment and reagents and notes on evaluation and quality control allow immediate application

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.

Soil sampling for microbiological analysis; Statistical treatment of microbial data; Soil sterilization; Soil water potencial; Most probable number counts; Light microscopic methods for studying soil microorganisms; Viruses; Recovery and enumeration of viable bacteria; Coliform bacteria; Autotrophic nitrifying bacteria; Free-living dinitrogen-fixing bacteria; Legume nodule symbionts; Anaerobic bacteria and processes; Denitrifiers; Actiomycetes; Frankia and the actinorhizal symbiosis; Filamentous fungi; Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; Isolation of microorganisms producting antibiotics; Microbiological procedures for biodegradation research; Algae and cyanobacteria; Marking soil bacteria with lacZY; Detection of specific DNA sequences in environmental sample via polymerase chaim reaction; Isolation and purification of bacterial DNA from soil; Microbial biomass; Soil enzymes; Carbon mineralization; Isotopic methods for the study of soil organic matter dynamics ; Practical considerations in the use of nitrogen tracers in agricultural and environmental research; Nitrogen availability; Nitrogen mineralization, immobilization, and nitrification; Dinitrogen fixation; Measuring denitrification in the field; Sulfur oxidation and reduction in soils; Iron and manganese oxidation and reduction.