Soil and Water Conservation for Productivity and Environmental Protection
- Book Review,
by Frederick R. Troeh
From Book News, Inc.
A textbook requiring no more than a good general education as background, though some parts assume an acquaintance with material in any introductory soil science textbook. Earlier editions appeared between 1980 and 1999.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Book Description
Written from an agronomic rather than an engineering perspective, this introduction to soil and water conservation explores a full range of topics and environmental issues, including some ignored or overlooked in other books on the subject. Comprehensive, up-to-date, and accessible, it considers the hazards posed by erosion, sedimentation, and pollution, and describes the techniques needed to conserve soil and maintain environmental quality. Situations and examples are drawn from many places to represent a cross-section of the soils, climates and cultures of the world, as well as the full scope of agricultural, engineering, mining, and other uses of the land. The volume covers conserving soil and water, soil erosion and civilization, geologic erosion and sedimentation, water erosion and sedimentation, wind erosion and deposition, predicting soil loss, soil surveys as a basis for land use planning, cropping systems, tillage practices for conservation, conservation structures, vegetating drastically disturbed areas, pastureland, rangeland, and forestland management, water conservation, soil drainage, irrigation and reclamation, soil pollution, water quality and pollution, economics of soil and water conservation, soil and water conservation agencies in the United States, and soil and water conservation around the world. For professionals that deal with soil and water conservation.
The publisher, Prentice-Hall Career & Technology
Soph/Jr. level basic text for courses in Soil and Soil/Water conservation. Prerequisite is beginning soil science course. Course is found primarily at four year land grant schools, but also sells in non-land grant schools and more rigorous 2 year schools.
From the Back Cover
This fourth edition of Soil and Water Conservation for Productivity and Environmental Protection is even more comprehensive than its predecessors. It explores the hazards posed by water and wind erosion, flooding, sedimentation, and pollution in various types of land use. Situations and examples are drawn from plains, hills, and mountainous settings in America and abroad. Practical, environmental, economic, and legal aspects are considered as they influence the choice of cultural and engineering practices most appropriate for controlling runoff, erosion, and pollution. This book is an appropriate textbook for courses in soil and water conservation. It is also a valuable reference for professional conservationists, land managers, and environmental workers.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Soil and water have always been vital for sustaining life, and these resources are becoming more limiting and crucial as population increases. The importance of conserving soil productivity and protecting the quality of both soil and water is becoming clear to more people than ever before. Declining productivity and increasing pollution could spell disaster for all residents of the Earth. The soil and water resources of the planet are finite and are already under intensive use and misuse. Environmental degradation is becoming painfully evident, and increasing numbers of people are demanding that steps be taken to not only reduce the amount of current degradation but also to amend some of the previous damage. Soil and water conservation deals with the wise use of these important resources. Wise use requires knowledge, understanding, and value judgments. The hazards posed by erosion, sedimentation, and pollution, and the techniques needed to conserve soil and maintain environmental quality are all treated in this book. Situations and examples are drawn from many places to constitute a cross-section of the soils, climates, and cultures of the world. The scope includes agricultural, engineering, mining, and other uses of land. Soil and water are recognized as essentials for everyone's life. This fourth edition continues the use of foot-pound-second units as the principal units of measurement. Metric units are usually included in parentheses and are presented as the principal or only units where they are the units generally used in the United States. The fourth edition has been updated throughout with many citations to the literature published since the third edition was printed. Significant new material has been added, and certain sections have been expanded. The trend toward computerizing the soil-loss equations is emphasized in Chapter 6. The rapidly growing use of no-till cropping is recognized with an expanded treatment in Chapter 9. The former chapters "Vegetating Mining and Construction Sites" and "Vegetating Other Areas of High Erosion Hazard" have been combined in one chapter titled "Vegetating Drastically Disturbed Areas." This and several smaller changes helped to consolidate similar topics and make the material flow more smoothly. The increased emphasis on water conservation initiated in the third edition is continued in this edition. Much of this book can be read and understood by anyone with a good general education. Some parts, however, necessarily assume an acquaintance with basic soil properties such as texture, structure, water-holding capacity, and cation exchange capacity. These topics are covered in any introductory soil science textbook and one of these should be consulted if the reader lacks this background. The system of soil taxonomy used in the United States is followed in this book. An explanation of that system can also be found in modern introductory soils textbooks. The broad collective background of the authors in soil science and soil conservation in the United States and abroad has been reflected in each edition and carries forward into this new edition. Much credit goes to Dr. Roy Donahue for having originated this project, enlisted his coauthors, and contributed enthusiastically to all three previous editions in spite of his advancing age. However, his death in 1999 made it necessary to change the handling of revisions for this edition. Suggestions were obtained from several users of the present text, and Dr. Troeh accepted the responsibility of incorporating these suggestions along with new material from the literature into the text. Dr. Hobbs contributed by reviewing all of the material and making valuable suggestions.
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